@Jesusfreak101 @farmerjan is right, you are going to have your hands full, keeping breeding pigs will require more of your time. I also suggest feeder pigs. You keep them 6 months, they go to slaughter and then you are done. You can choose to have them in the summer or winter, put them in the garden, pasture or a pen. I've done all 3 and I now have a dedicated Pig Palace and a large pen.
It is 92 degrees this afternoon......and I don't have to go spray pigs or fill their mudhole for them to keep cool. I don't have to drag a water hose, tote feed or do any piggy chores. You know why? Because they went to freezer camp!
I am enclosing my feeder pig threads for you to look at.
This was our first feeder pigs. I learned quite a lot, keeping these guys. They gave me the creeps, always trying to get behind me and biting at my blue jeans. I carried a pipe when I went in to feed and water them to keep them off me.
https://www.backyardherds.com/threads/feeder-pigs.32154/
This was 3 Red Wattle hogs, they are some smart pigs! They were friendly, I never got that creepy feeling up my back. We wound up slaughtering them ourselves because my slaughter date was too far out and I couldn't get a sooner date.
https://www.backyardherds.com/threads/feeder-pigs-2017.35395/
We were going to keep these two for a litter of piglets, but I got tired of having to find the water tub, and just got tired of pigs, so we took them to slaughter. It was a wise decision.
https://www.backyardherds.com/threads/baymules-pigs-2017-2018.36803/
This is Hereford hogs, they were pretty to look at! Pay attention to how I built the pen, the feeder, water, and easy access. I got tired of having to go find the feed tub or the water tub after the pigs took it who knows where. Not to mention that the moment I filled their water, they turned it upside down and spilled it all. Plus, safety wise, this is the best thing I ever did. Our first feeder pigs gave me the creeps and I NEVER went in their pen when I was alone. You will like my Pig Palace!
https://www.backyardherds.com/threads/baymule’s-pigs-2018-herefords.37448/
The latest was Wilbur, the 500 pound boar that we bought off Craigslist for $100. We got a LOT of meat from Wilbur! If you just need meat for the freezer, buying a large hog, for me at least, is the way to go. They usually sell for very little. You do run the risk of boar taint, but I fed roughage, soured corn, milk, hay, leaves for about 45 days and if there ever was any boar taint, there wasn't any when I got through. less than 2 months and I was done! We still have a lot of meat from Wilbur. For July 4th, we had Wilbur/ramburgers on the grill. LOL
https://www.backyardherds.com/threads/baymules-500-pound-boar.38333/
I hope this gives you information that you need to help you make the best decision for you and your family on raising pigs.
