Considering getting a couple pigs

Agree with others......remember NO SWEAT, need shade & mud holes. NO RAW SOY.

I have mini horses and the pigs did not phase them BUT, they are quite used to a lot of unusual happenings. However, a large hog CAN be a probem, as another pointed out. My pigs were AGHs, so small and easy temperament. Being a solo to use the pork, I chose the smaller animal. Meat was great, just a lot less of it. LOL While they had their own enclosure, once in a while the pigs would get out and wander back to old haunts, going thru the pasture....only issue, freshly discing as they went.

Pigs, I have found, are very respectful of hot wire. Train them to it -- top of fence for the horses keeps them off the divider fence, low for pigs keeps them inside their fence. Pigs are VERY strong -- I mean a short legged tank -- they can easily push anything they want and they like to root under and lift. They are also VERY smart.

My pigs of choice are hereford because i can't find a pig who has beat their temperament and laid back attitude yet. If i could choose only one breed to breed it would be herefords.

My DH loves Berks as a breed but in practice we find more gilts and boars we send for meat instead of keep for breeding because their attitude is poopy. They do have nice meat though.

We also have several mix pigs berk, hamp, york, hereford, landrace, LBP, etc so far i have not seen a huge difference in meat quality as long as they are feed the same and treated the same.

We did have a horse and he didnt care at all about the pigs and the pigs didnt care about him. We did also have our smaller pigs(100-300lbs) in pasture with our sheep and goats without a problem.

We do not worm our meat pigs at all, we have not seen it to make a difference since they are typically only with us for a short time. Even our adult pigs though dont have much of a problem with parasites. We dont believe in medicating on a routine we instead look for signs of them needing to be wormed. Several of our breeders have never been wormed and are in fine shape, good attitude, appropriate feed conversion, very healthy looking pigs.

A mistake a lot of people make is trying to feed their meat pigs "cheap" it may be cheaper day to day but the extra month your tacking onto the time it takes them to reach 250lbs doesnt end up saving you any money.

Far as i know feeding or letting pigs have access to any nuts/seeds/fruits to finish will not hurt them. They can eat walnuts without a problem, even black walnuts. Chestnuts or acorns etc are good too. Many people do milk finish pigs as well some people also apple finish.

Mine were Duroc X Berkshire

This was our first batch of pigs

https://www.backyardherds.com/threads/feeder-pigs.32154/

This was our second batch of pigs. We wound up slaughtering them ourselves because we couldn't get a slaughter date soon enough. Be sure to call where you plan on having them slaughtered and set the date!

https://www.backyardherds.com/threads/feeder-pigs-2017.35395/

And this was a deal that we couldn't pass up. @Simpleterrier posted pics of his pig pen, feeder and water system. Take a look at what he did.

https://www.backyardherds.com/threads/baymules-pigs-2017-2018.36803/

I have 3 horses. No way I would run them with the pigs. They don't like the pigs at all. Pigs will always have their own place. I don't want to breed and raise piglets. I just want to buy piglets, raise to slaughter and be done with it. I will happily support those who do breed and raise pigs.

Mini Horses said:

NO RAW SOY.

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50# soybean bag costs here around 16.99 ? We cook it overnight in 4 Crocks. About a 20 oz cup scoop in each crock.
This goes to our feeders, not breeders. Bag lasts almost 2 wks. This is a supplement along with conventional grain 16% and brewers grains. Fermented corn and soaked alfalfa.

OneFineAcre said:

Mine were Duroc X Berkshire

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DH's Big Suggie is roc/berk

He hand feeds here apples and oranges... she gently takes them.

misfitmorgan said:

Many people do milk finish pigs as well some people also apple finish.

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We finished our last Black Angus on beer and corn.. Robust flavor compared to the previous.

Mini Horses said:

Pigs, I have found, are very respectful of hot wire.

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Grazin yes, mother sows no. Our 10,000 volt hotwire will not keep a Mother away from her babies if they scream. We learned that a few years back during castrating baby boars. As soon as that wire grounds out, you have 666# of pee-ed off mother raging and snorting.. RUN!!!!!
A 300# pig can hop over hog panel. I have it on home video from a loading day.. Seen it several times after. We use cattle panel and rod post hot wires.
Got to go feed.. I will finish my replies in a bit..

Ill say again
Find a local source for pig feed
Feeders are only there for 5 or 6 months
Just find a local source for a balanced finisher feed
$9 for 50 lbs is a good price
Somebody buying a larger quantity could probably beat that price but it's still a good price
Don't try to make a cheaper mix for 2 pigs

OneFineAcre said:

Ill say again
Find a local source for pig feed
Feeders are only there for 5 or 6 months
Just find a local source for a balanced finisher feed
$9 for 50 lbs is a good price
Somebody buying a larger quantity could probably beat that price but it's still a good price
Don't try to make a cheaper mix for 2 pigs

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There has to be a silo corp near you if there are 3 semi close to us in over developed Florida. Bulk is king. Paying for pvc composite drums pays for themselves before the 3rd season. The key is to raise them below market value but above market quality. Time = $. Beat the clock w/o hormone cheating. I have 3 feeders born late August weighing in at a buck 25. No junk food fat makers. If the piglets don't sell, we pump them w/protein. If no one wants to reimburse us for invested capital, go buy a lard hog for 40 bucks. You are what you eat. Diet IS key for low fat content. They ultrasound swine back for a reason at the shows. Would your rather eat a 250# pig @ 6 months old or a 250# pig @ 1.5 y/o.. same with chickens... young and tender, or old and leathery. Suckling should be a goal. Meat. less muscle & min fat.

Farmer Connie said:

We learned that a few years back during castrating baby boars. As soon as that wire grounds out, you have 666# of pee-ed off mother raging and snorting.. RUN!!!!!

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SO TRUE!!! and they WILL attack!!!!! But then, breeders of any type are always a different issue. Between the throws of breeding and motherhood -- you just can't be toooo careful!

Wow this is all great information. Thanks to everyone who has responded. Out of curiosity, why no raw soy? Digestion for the pigs? What does roasting/cooking do?

Farmer Connie, it looks like you are cooking the soy in water. Is that correct? Could they just soak in water?

I definitely want to feed them with good feed. All these alternates, milk, acorns, veggies, etc I see as just extra treats. I do have several feed stores near me that I could look at for feed. I have a friend who runs a small brewery. If he doesn't use the mash on their farm, I might be able to get some from there too.

Baymule, would you consider a fenced off area in the horse pasture as the pigs running with your horses or did you mean both animals loose in the same field?

My horses are in a pasture behind the house. The pigs were in a front pasture. I let the horses in the yard sometimes and they freaked out over the pigs. I would never run pigs and horses together. I am considering building a permanent pen and shelter for feeder pigs in the horse pasture where we can back a trailer up to it to load them up. The horses would just have to deal with it. I need my front pastures for the sheep. We have done too much work planting grass for pigs to root it all up.