In the spring Im gonna be raising 2 feeder pigs. For my family & a few friends. I dont have the space for Pasture raising them, so whats my next best option. - Can I feed them grass, Whats in pig feed. Is it just corn. From what Ive read, corn gets them to weight , but will that make for tasty nutriscous meat. My pen is 12 X 20 with plenty of shade. I think Ive got their pen & shelter figured out. Just need to know whats the best to feed them,
Cant pasture raise hogs, Whats next best option.
- Thread starter burntmuch
- Start date
jhm47
True BYH Addict
Just feed them a good, well- balanced commercial hog feed. It will contain corn, soymeal, minerals and vitamins that are in the correct balance for optimal, economical growth for your pigs. The meat will taste just fine.
freemotion
Self Sufficient Queen
What is your goal? What is you philosophy in feeding/raising your animals? Do you want meat just like what you buy in the grocery? Knowing the answers will help you formulate a plan and will help members here know if we can help.
TheSheepGirl
Loving the herd life
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2010
- Messages
- 334
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 154
A friend of mine owns a dairy and they feed their pigs nothing but corn and milk and that is some of the best pig I've ever had. It was delish and not overly fatty.
We feed our pigs a mixture depending on what is available to us at the time. We alternate between hog grower and layer pellets for chickens. The chicken ration has all the same percentages in the guaranteed analysis as the hog feed accept for Copper. It is lower on the chicken feed, but our hogs do fine. The chicken feed is also about 5.00 cheeper per bag which is a big difference when you are feeding 4 hogs.
We also feed any extra scaps that anyone we know will give us. It keeps the pigs happy and our budget loves it too.
We have 2 breeding sows, 1 guilt that is on her first litter, and our boar. Our sows are at least 800 pounds.
We feed our pigs a mixture depending on what is available to us at the time. We alternate between hog grower and layer pellets for chickens. The chicken ration has all the same percentages in the guaranteed analysis as the hog feed accept for Copper. It is lower on the chicken feed, but our hogs do fine. The chicken feed is also about 5.00 cheeper per bag which is a big difference when you are feeding 4 hogs.
We also feed any extra scaps that anyone we know will give us. It keeps the pigs happy and our budget loves it too.
We have 2 breeding sows, 1 guilt that is on her first litter, and our boar. Our sows are at least 800 pounds.
- Thread starter
- #5
I guess my goal is pork thats better for the family than what I can get at the grocery store. So I was wondering if I should be feeding them some green stuff. Not just corn. Glad to hear chicken feed will work. Ive got lots of that around.
freemotion
Self Sufficient Queen
I started mine with one bag of pig starter pellets. They hated them and would only eat them soaked in milk. I did this for a few days and switched their diet forever. I think most of those pellets ended up becoming expensive fertilizer.
I feed anything I can get my hands on, and supplement with fermented whole corn when free stuff is not in big supply. When my pasture dried up, I was more mindful of picking big dandelion leaves to throw into their pen, which they gobbled up.
Right now, their pasture is loaded with free ears of corn in the husks, free pumpkins/squashes, free acorns (put an ad on craigslist!), and free day-old bread. They ignore the bread, and mostly ate the corn until the acorns arrived. They LOVE the acorns! They also get whey left from occasional cheesemaking, which they are nuts over.
I think I will get by without any purchased feed for the rest of the month, and who knows, maybe through November, too. My goal is variety, and as long as I can give them some variety, I feel confident in what they are getting.
I feed anything I can get my hands on, and supplement with fermented whole corn when free stuff is not in big supply. When my pasture dried up, I was more mindful of picking big dandelion leaves to throw into their pen, which they gobbled up.
Right now, their pasture is loaded with free ears of corn in the husks, free pumpkins/squashes, free acorns (put an ad on craigslist!), and free day-old bread. They ignore the bread, and mostly ate the corn until the acorns arrived. They LOVE the acorns! They also get whey left from occasional cheesemaking, which they are nuts over.
I think I will get by without any purchased feed for the rest of the month, and who knows, maybe through November, too. My goal is variety, and as long as I can give them some variety, I feel confident in what they are getting.
