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Garland Maine | Put them someplace you can clean out with a tractor or skid steer. Cute little piglets eat only a little and the pen can be cleaned out once a month. When they get closer to butchering weight they will need cleaning once or twice a week, or at least fresh bedding.
Pick up a nipple water faucet for them. Most of them have an adjustment screw to turn up the flow as the pig gets bigger.
Moistening the feed is a good idea. I usually don't bother after about 6 weeks. I park a half ton sack of grain in front of their pen and shovel it into their trough once they get about 4 months old.
I feed 16% protein general purpose grain typically. 18% would be better in my opinion, but I like to use just one blend for them and the cows. Keep them well fed. If you think they are eating a lot of feed and try to cut them back a little you will lose the "growth" portion of the diet and delay butchering day.
I am not sure what else you grow, but pigs will eat nearly anything. Just don't skimp on the grain. I have a farmstand and when people ask what I do with produce that doesn't sell (usually they want something cheap) I proudly say "I turn it into Bacon." I used to just compost it, but feeding pigs I get both meat to sell and manure to make more crops grow. | |
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Raising pigs
