Bought a couple of piglets on impulse...help!

[Cabinchick]

Hello all:

Just moved to a cabin in Idaho on 15 acres. I've been raising chickens for awhile. I saw an ad with a picture of some piglets on Craigslist and wound up buying two of them. They were born on July 4th. They were so cute it was too hard to resist! One is for butchering, the other is for breeding. The gentleman that I bought them from is a reputable breeder, his sons have won many 4H competitions at the local county fair. He will breed my piglet back for the pick of the litter when the time comes. The piglets are a mixed breed. I have an old outbuilding on my property that I am temporarily housing them in with my chickens. My new chicken coop is almost compete. We put the finishing coat of paint on the inside today. The outside can wait at this point. The chickens need their own space and do not seem to like the piglets
I purchased pig grower feed and bought hog panels to set up. But I'm worried about the piglets until we get everything ready for them. What else can I do to make them comfortable until the pig pen is ready? Can I give them "treats" yet? They were really scared when they first got home, today they seem better, were a little more curious but wont let me touch them yet. I want to go the free range route, with organic feed to supplement as soon as I can find it. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get them through this difficult time?
I know, I know, I put the horse before the cart. Shoulda know better

 

[pekinduck<3er]

lol well i love my piglets when they get older theyll give me good meat probably! thats all theyll give me after all :bun

 

[SuburbanFarmChic]

Easy pig shelter is an A-frame. I've seen some cool ones done with an old wooden swing set. You can also use a dog house until they are a little bigger. I like to be able to move around in our pig huts so we make them people height. We've also used the dog kennel/runs as farrowing pens.

If the piglets are eating solid food you can SO give them treats. I've been hand feeding ours to get them used to people. Use one hand to feed and the other to pet their head/back. Don't pick them up, pigs HATE it.
Ours like tomatoes, strawberries, beet greens, apple slices, they will freakin bend over backwards for a nibblet of a beef hot dog or part of a chicken breast. (stay away from the junky ones because you don't want to feed pork to a pig)

Watermelon is a BIG hit too. We got a nearly 15lb melon from a farmers market down the road that was starting to ferment and they were making such funny happy piggy noises as they dove in. They'll eat the whole thing, rind and all.

 

[freemotion]

They will be fine in 2-3 days, once they discover that you are the source of all things delicious. You can cut grass and weeds for them to prepare them for free-ranging, and if you garden, bring a container to gather any worms or grubs that you find as you work, and give those to them as well. Give them a nice pile of hay or straw in their bed spot so they can snuggle into it if the nights are chilly, as they are here already.

 

[Cabinchick]

Thanks all. They are doing better today. They let me pet them a little bit. I offered them some banana, but they didn't want it. I'm trying to spend about 20 minutes 3 X per day with them just hanging out. Ohiofarmgirls blog was very helpful also. Any other resources, besides Storey's guide that anyone wants to point me to?
Also, can anyone explain to me exactly what calf manna is?