How to Raise Home Grown Hogs on the Farm
Raising hogs is rewarding for a small-time farmer or a family living on a farm. Hogs eat just about everything, including left-over table scraps and weeds from your garden. They are intelligent creatures who can figure out how to escape locked gates, too, so be prepared for just about anything when raising these animals. Some people use then for food, and others just for farm pets. Raising home-grown hogs on a farm will be a learning process at least.
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Instructions
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Buy your hogs from a reliable breeder who has a healthy litter of piglets. Pick out the ones that are healthy, bright-eyed, active and lean. Choose piglets between 25 to 40 pounds because anything that weighs less could be a runt. A female hog, or sow, can start having babies in eight months. A healthy hog can live up to 15 years.
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Provide them with comfortable shelter. Make sure your hogs have enough space for them to walk and lay around in--such as a confined barn or rooms in a stable. A roof for your hogs will protect them from the sun during the hot summer months. Straw and hay can be used for excellent bedding to keep them warm on cold nights.
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Construct a fence that surrounds an outdoor pen. Make sure that the fence can sustain weight of 800 pounds at least because the older hogs will push on them. Construct strong fence posts that are 4 x 4 planks rooted in cement. Wrap it with barbed wire or electric fencing. One shock will keep your hogs from trying to escape.
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Supply them with a hog trough that contains fresh, clean water. They are sturdy water tanks that can't get knocked over as easily. They have a small opening where hogs can have easy access to water, without making too much of a mess. Clean water that's too accessible will result in the hogs laying or playing in it, making the water dirty and unsafe for drinking.
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Give them quality feed so that they grow healthy and strong. Don't just feed them any old food that's been lying around your house or in the garbage can. Supply them with nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Farmers tend to give hogs mixtures of soybeans, nuts, meat and protein to eat. All that you feed your hogs will go right into their meat and potential offspring.
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Tips & Warnings
Hogs can be just like pets, and they should be taken care of in the same way.
