What do I need to know about pigs? | Animals | Forums

yeah, we usually run them on electric, these ones this year lost their fear of the fence and we had issues with them escaping. Electric is a mental barrier not a physical, once they lose the fear, it's all down hill.

Lean to would be fine.

It varies as they get older, you can get a dual feeder that holds 100 pounds of feed and you just fill it every couple of days. Water will be the biggest issue, i would recommend setting up a nipple system and train them on that, or you will be hauling water constantly as they like to knock it over.

You are going to need some shade and a wallow spot for them, pigs have ineffective sweat glands and need to cool themselves down with wallowing, overheating can be a concern.

Yep, we usually get in May and slaughter at the end of October, you can figure about 800 pounds of feed to get them to slaughter weight. If you have a feed store you can buy in bulk and save a bunch on feed. If you have to buy the feed you'll pay about 14 dollars for a 50 pound bag so about 200 dollars for feed. The pig will cost about 80 dollars. 140 or so to slaughter and smoke and you should get about 140 pounds of meat.

No including their shelter, you'll be at right around 3 dollars a pound for raising your own.

I would pick a spot you want cleared out of undergrowth or you want to plant next year, you'll be surprised how much they will turn that land over quick.

If you want to save some money, you can rotate them onto to different spots so they can graze. Look into big blacks, HFF just got some and I did a thread on them awhile ago, they are more of a grazer than a rooter from what I have read.

Your kids are gonna love them, I would get two and not one, pigs are very social animals and they can get a little funny if they are by themselves. A bored pig is a destructive pig. I would recommend just spending 20 minutes or so a day handling them, that way if they do get out, they will come to you versus running away.

Get a white bucket and put their feed in it when you go to feed them, call to them when you walk to them, they will associate your voice and the white bucket with food, which makes it easier as well to control them.

If they do escape and aren't going in the direction you want, put a bucket over their head and they will back up and you can direct them. Or you can wheelbarrow with their back legs which is easy when they are little, but gets harder as they get bigger.

good to know about the blacks, have you guys ever ringed your pigs? I have been hesitant to, pigs love to root and I would hate to take that away from them.