Pig Farms & Pig Farming

Most people think that pigs are dumb, lazy and dirty animals but when it comes to eating pork their opinion changes. Pigs are actually smart animals and sometimes smarter than the common dog. Pigs can easily learn to do just about anything in a short time and they retain their knowledge throughout their life. Pig farming can be a rewarding hobby and business if you take good care of the animals.

Feed

Pigs should not eat scraps and spoiled food unless they are in the wild and that is their only source of food. Excellent pig feeds will supply them with all of the vitamins and nutrients they need to grow and produce. A baby pig is a powerhouse of energy and is born with teeth. They will begin to eat food at a day old and need a starter feed that contains antibiotics. Starter feeds have 18 percent protein, which are easily digestible in their beginning stages and will help them to be healthy. A baby pig should have this food for at least four weeks and then be changed to a grower food with 19 percent protein. If the pigs are selling at the market weight of 250 pounds, you will want to feed them a finisher food for the last month before selling them. The finisher has 14 percent protein and allows them to gain more muscle and less fat.

Water

As with any animal, it is important to provide plentiful fresh drinking water at all times for pigs. The best thing to contain water is an old cast iron bathtub. Pigs are quite rowdy in their water and generally will destroy any other water container within a very short time period.

Wormer

Pigs need monthly worming for their health and to make sure they produce healthy meat for consumption. A livestock or zoo wormer is available in pelleted form to feed to them for three days of each month. It is sweetened and palatable, so they actually look forward to that time of the month.

Mud

Pigs use a mud hole in all seasons to coat their skin. In the summer, it helps to cool them and in the winter is helps keep them warm. Pigs have dry scaly skin and the mud acts as a natural conditioner.

Playtime

If you are raising pigs that will need to be moved to another pen or loaded in a trailer to go to market or be sold, you will want to give each of them some attention. A pig will do just about anything you want, if it gets some attention on a daily basis. Pigs that receive little or no attention are extremely hard to handle, and can be dangerous and at times deadly. Pigs love to play with balls and be squirted with the water hose, so they can run in circles and bark just like a dog. A pig will always come when called to get a good back scratch and even though they can weigh to 1,000 pounds, they will always try to be gentle in playing with their owners.

References

• Country Side Magazine