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Sounds like you are on the right track. lots of walking/working to build some muscle tone and endurance. If you work your pigs 10 minutes at a time, and the judge takes 20 minutes to place the class... yours will be standing with it's nose at the gate at the end, out of view and out of...

Interesting! I have heard others say the same thing. I just have breeders on Electric, and my experience is the opposite. I could almost throw my charger away sometimes I think. In fact, when I open a wire gate, it has to be feeding or breeding time, and they still don't want to cross that...

Wow -- nice work! I find the coloration interesting...... they look like a purebred litter. No apparent influence from the boar.

Thanks for the reply. I wouldn't change what works! I'm not sure soaking is as beneficial for commercial complete feed as it is for raw feed stock, but some commercial outfits do feed wet, so there must be something to it. I will throw garden produce/fruit to my sows and they go nuts for...

If you can afford them, I would say buy them. You don't need a Red Wattle boar immediately. Any boar can do the job while you look for a RW boar. My own preference is to keep purebred (registered) breeding stock (Chester White. Hamp, Tamworth , and now a Berk) to produce crossbred litters to...

Sounds like you have a good plan going, with some foraging and scraps to supplement the pelleted feed. I like it! Prepared feed is designed to completely and efficiently meet a pigs nutritional needs, and so less poundage is needed of it than of the "free" sources of feed. Non-pig people think...

Flax is good for some added Omega-3's, but my research suggests that it should be kept under 5%. I have planted a little just to see how it grows, with an eye towards increasing production next year if it looks feasable. Field peas are a good source of protein, and lysine, but at some...

Sorry to hear -- losing a whole litter is tough. I have had some 1st timers do some pretty psychotic things, and then turn out ok later.... was she a nicely mannered gilt before farrowing?

Congrats! Hope it goes well for you! I have to admit to not having done anything with umbilical cords in the last dozen years. Within a few hours, they're just kind of gone.... but I think that is a bad example and someone else wiser should weigh in on that. I'm sure we did something back in...

:lol::lol:

COB is not a hog food, it is a ruminent feed. Too low in protein, way too low in Lysine, way too high in fiber for efficient hog growth. The low price tag makes it tempting, trust me, I have tried a lot of things, -- but in the long term it is more expensive than feeding a properly...

If you are feeding a complete, age appropriate, properly formulated pig feed, in a comfortable environment, with unlimited clean water, and healthy pigs (how many more disclaimers do you want :) ) you can figure that from current age to finish size, you should average around a pound of gain per...

It is sad how much misinformation is being put out there by the "food activists". Steroids are injected, (or applied to the skin) not eaten. Ask Barry Bonds.

Glad you found someone. Last week of September -- so you will want pigs that are around 6 months old at fair time. Feed good feed!

There has to be some other 4H people around. Who do you sign up with? Who do you pay the dues to? The local extension service? They would know of people. The 4H organization has all kinds of publications available. Use GOOGLE. Showpig.com. NJSA. 4H is all about the kids -- someone who...

The nipples that push straight in are harder to use at line pressure, I prefer the type that is half cupped so the pigs can bite it and push downward with their tongue, even at line pressure. Mine are regulated to 3 lbs pressure. Nothing too complicated about using the nipples. Get some 1/2"...

Younger, smaller, inexperienced male with bigger, older female. You could ruin him forever as a breeder. But yes, they could live together. Before I spend a bunch of time elaborating unnecessarily (where is the spell check?)--Have you seen her in heat? Are you familiar with "heat checking"...

get 2. They will grow better due to feeding competition. Plus they are sociable. It's no harder to raise 2 than 1. Might even be easier.

How much size difference between them? My first step would be to house them side by side separated by a cattle panel so they can check each other out for a week. When you do introduce them to the same living space, expect a some skirmishes until they both agree on who is boss. When you do put...

Well, The Stress Gene tends to add more extreme muscling and leaner carcasses with less feed consumption. But at the cost of poor meat quality, excitability, nervousness, sometimes even sudden death when put under stress. The gene is recessive. Pigs are rated as Stress Positive, Stress...