Basic  Pig Information

In the book Small-Scale Pig Raising there is a formula for estimating weight of hogs less than 400lbs. It is: 
Heart girth x Heart girth x Length divided by 400= estimated weight Measure the heart girth around the pig just behind the front legs and the length from the base of tail to between ears. 

GxG)xL divided by 330.  G= girth or around the animal just behind the front  legs and L = length from the base of neck to base of tail. (With horses it's  from point of shoulder to point of butt along side of horse) 

 

Pig should be fed away from all other animals.  They just love food too much 
Don't  feed pigs by hand always have a trough or food dish just for the pigs 
A great book for the beginner is: Small~Scale Pig Raising by Dirk Van Loon. 

We fed them cooked potatoes, we bought a ton for $35. and had a barrel set up to cook them in. After they were cooked I added ground oats and ground barley to the mix. As they got closer to butcher size we added apples and garden left overs. 

We feed very liberal goats milk to the feeders, adding a little corn and oats for filler, but, primarily the goats milk, they feed out very well and lean! 

Feed soaked barley & corn 

 Pigs are Caveats, in they eat meat and can quickly develop as taste for poultry. They are clever enough to actually lay a trap (uneaten food), lie by it and then snap up a hen. Also, we never had 
the goats kid where the pigs were because of the blood. The pigs were gentle and a lot of fun, but many of them are strongly attracted to blood. Pigs carry the same parasites and alot of the same  diseases as humans. The internal organs are almost identical. Like us, they are omnivores. That is why pig manure is not recommended in the garden. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

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