Pigs and potatoes

[beerman]

Hi guys. From what I have read here most people feed their pigs boiled potatoes. I have been giving mine raw potatoes is that OK? or should they be boiled?
Thanks
brian

 

[freemotion]

Are you talking about few peelings from your family dinner or pounds and pounds of potatoes? If the latter, I'd personally boil them. The weight gain will be higher.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

what she said... and not the green ones/peels/spots... they are slightly toxic, as you know.

hows them pigs coming, Beerman?

 

[beerman]

The pigs are doing great as soon as I can fix my camera I will get some pics.
What I have been doing I can get 50# of potatoes for my family for $8.00 so I give the pigs 2 a day or so because we can't eat them all.
I am trying to find ways to cut down on their food costs. I give them hog chow and corn soaked in water and am looking for more inexpensive ways to feed them, they eat like well pigs!!

 

[freemotion]

Hey, this is my 12th day of feeding mine absolutely free....have you looked around to see what is available for free in your area? Have you put the word out? Fall is a great time for gleaning, too! We dumped 21 sacks of overripe sweetcorn in our pig pasture yesterday, so I expect not to have to feed them for 2-3 weeks at least, with the addition of other gleanings like squash and pumpkins, acorns, day-old free bread, and I'm off to see what kind of chestnuts are offered free on an ad I saw last night...

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

yep Beerman, time to get out there and make friends with anyone with a field and anyone who has a farm market or road side stand.. especially folks who sell pumpkins!

we raise our hogs CHEAP. we have eggs (always hard boil them for hogs) from our hens, ducks, and turkeys...and milk from our goats. then throw in the leavings from all our new friends... wow you can do it easily.

also did you see this:
http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=5827

if you get down past the part where they are feeding ground hogs and snakes (ick) to pigs... see that i give the farm-o-nomics math for opting out of hog "starter" which is wildly expensive and supplementing hog "grower". and then of course half way thru their grow out we go directly to corn.

so get in your truck, drive around until you find a farm stand, get out, stick out your hand and say "hi! i'm beerman do you have anything to ugly to sell"

and watch them load up your truck. if you take it they dont have to compost it or send it to the landfill.

you'll make friends for life if you bring a package of bacon or a ham steak after the season

 

[GBov]

yep Beerman, time to get out there and make friends with anyone with a field and anyone who has a farm market or road side stand.. especially folks who sell pumpkins!

we raise our hogs CHEAP. we have eggs (always hard boil them for hogs) from our hens, ducks, and turkeys...and milk from our goats. then throw in the leavings from all our new friends... wow you can do it easily.

also did you see this:
http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=5827

if you get down past the part where they are feeding ground hogs and snakes (ick) to pigs... see that i give the farm-o-nomics math for opting out of hog "starter" which is wildly expensive and supplementing hog "grower". and then of course half way thru their grow out we go directly to corn.

so get in your truck, drive around until you find a farm stand, get out, stick out your hand and say "hi! i'm beerman do you have anything to ugly to sell"

and watch them load up your truck. if you take it they dont have to compost it or send it to the landfill.

you'll make friends for life if you bring a package of bacon or a ham steak after the season

What a fantastic idea! There are two market stands rather close so will be asking at both. Thanks for the idea, need to keep our pigs as cheap as possible!

 

[dottysfarm]

Hey, this is my 12th day of feeding mine absolutely free....have you looked around to see what is available for free in your area? Have you put the word out? Fall is a great time for gleaning, too! We dumped 21 sacks of overripe sweetcorn in our pig pasture yesterday, so I expect not to have to feed them for 2-3 weeks at least, with the addition of other gleanings like squash and pumpkins, acorns, day-old free bread, and I'm off to see what kind of chestnuts are offered free on an ad I saw last night...

I have a local grocery store that I can pick up their "waste" produce from. I do not have my piggies yet but last summer I collected the produce for my chickens and for compost. I went three times a week and each day I went, I was able to fill up the whole back of my station wagon.

 

[cmitchell]

Our local supermarket won't let us take their waste produce..says it's due to liability issues.

 

[freemotion]

Yup, I ran into the same thing. You need a connection. I plan on trying a few local mom and pop restaurants/delis this year.