Sallygarden Smallholding - The Forum For Sustainable Living

Hi All.
I have 4 month old pigs and I'm feeding them rolled oats,rolled barley, maze and soya beans. I also give them a huge amount of fruit and veg from the local greengrocers. I have dosed them for worm but i feel that they should be alot heavier for the amount they are eating and they are constantly eating.I have them outdoors and they love rooting around. Should I confine their space as they may be burning off some energy or is there anything that I could give them to bulk up their feed ( GM free of course).
Thanks A Mill.

Hi Anto,

Welcome. Your piglets sound like they have landed on their trotters with you. What breed are they? some breeds fatten up quicker than others and with the rarer outdoor breeds the process does take a bit longer which is reflected in the quality of the pork at the end of the day.
You dont want them to get too fat as this can lead to health problems, as a general rule your pigs should be an even size from the shoulders down to their back end.
I would feed my pigs a pound of meal a day per month of age up to a maximum of 6 pound per day (making allowances for the fruit and veg you are also providing).

Hope this helps.

Best wishes
Morag

Don't confine their space, pigs are growing up to four months and start putting on weight after that. Be wary not to feed them too much after 4 mths. You should be able to feel their spine (barely) when you run your fingers along it. If you can't, they are too fat, and you will have to down on their feed. Let them run and play as much as they want. A happy pig is a tasty pig!

Regards,

Morgan

Thanks for the advise lads.
The pigs are two saddlebacks and two saddleback/duraic cross.
I did my checks and they are all growing in the right proportion.
i weighted the meal and they are getting enough so I guess it is about being patient and let them grow at their own rate.I ahve to say that there is some nice hams coming on the saddlebacks so I can't wait for tasting
at christmas.

Based on what you're feeding them.....we'll be over for Christmas dinner

Morgan

They sound perfect. When we make allowances for any fruit and veg a general rule of thumb is 4:1 fresh:grain. We move them from patch to patch and they forage at will. The breeder you got them from should have wormed them, if thats the case they don't need reworming if they are to be slaughtered by roughly 6 months of age.