# Feeding pigs whole, raw milk?



## lprofancik (Sep 9, 2011)

We have 8 feeder pigs we're raising up and have been feeding them 6-8 gallons of whole, raw Jersey/Guernsey milk per day. They get some (maybe 1 gallon per day) corn and oats and are on pasture 100% of the time. We also boil up eggs for them when we have extra and they get all the leftover/imperfect garden scraps too (about 10 gallons per week). 

They seem to be in pretty good weight, but being fairly new to pigs I'm not sure if this a really good ration or not.

We can up the milk to about 8-10 gallons and could add more grains. The milk is free so I'd rather use as much of that as we can.  

Anything we should change add? Thanks!


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

They should grow well and get quite fat on that diet as it is high in calories. You could drop the corn and oats. Keep a keen eye on them and adjust based on their gain, fat level, etc.

Cheers,

-Walter Jeffries
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs, Sheep & Kids
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/


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## cooper101 (Sep 13, 2010)

Free milk is the bomb. As they get bigger, 8-10 gallons per day is fine. That might be a lot when they're little, but 1 gallon a day for a larger pig isn't too much.


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## BlackWillowFarm (Mar 24, 2008)

I've been raising a few pigs every year on raw Jersey milk plus concentrates, veggies, fruits, etc. They always taste delicious. Word has spread about our pigs and instead of one for us and two to sell, this year we have one for us and six to sell. 

Give 'em all the milk they want.


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## SueMc (Jan 10, 2010)

Someone recently asked me what am I going to do with all the milk when all three of my Guernseys are milking. I can't wait because we only have one cow fresh now and I can't keep up with the animal demand! The piglets and adults go crazy squealing and fighting for position when the milk (& keifer, old yogurt, whey from cheesemaking) buckets show up. 
The chickens and dog tries to steal as much milk as they can too. 
I obviously don't know how this litter (our first) of pigs would have grown without the milk but they sure look great with it. We feed about 5 gal. day plus grain ration, surplus fruit and veg, plus free range pasture. Our pigs really do graze quite a bit.


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## cooper101 (Sep 13, 2010)

One warning: they do crazy for it. When 10 or 15 or 20 pigs are trying anything to get to the bucket you're carrying, it gets a bit dangerous. I rigged up my "Milk Delivery System." Just a 5 gallon bucket (outside of the pen) with a 2 inch PVC pipe rigged up to pipe it into the trough. That way, I can just pour it into the bucket, it goes in the trough, and I still have my knees intact.


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## BlackWillowFarm (Mar 24, 2008)

cooper101 said:


> One warning: they do crazy for it. When 10 or 15 or 20 pigs are trying anything to get to the bucket you're carrying, it gets a bit dangerous. I rigged up my "Milk Delivery System." Just a 5 gallon bucket (outside of the pen) with a 2 inch PVC pipe rigged up to pipe it into the trough. That way, I can just pour it into the bucket, it goes in the trough, and I still have my knees intact.


LOL! That's what we have to rig up so we can stop getting in the middle of the feeding frenzy.

Right now I'm using my, "Get Back Stick" to keep them from mobbing me. It works but it takes a certain amount of coordination to keep them away. They circle me like vultures and if I don't watch my back, they come at me from behind.


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## redgate (Sep 18, 2008)

I was asking about this in my "forest pigs" thread, and it's so good to hear it may be related to the milk I feed. These are our first pigs, so I have nothing to compare to.


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## cedarcreekranch (Nov 24, 2010)

My husband takes 55 gallon plastic barrels, cuts them in half lengthwise (cut from top to bottom), screws 2x4s around it to frame it, then fastens them to the fence. He trains the pigs to 'get back' with a buggy whip (you don't have to 'whip' them, just pop them on the ears and they back right up & very quickly learn the verbal command) then pours the milk over the fence into the feeders, at which 3-4 pigs can eat comfortably. Our 'fat' hogs have 8 or 9 pigs per pen and 3 feeders let everyone eat with not a lot of fuss. Once they figure out who eats where! LOL! We don't go in with them to feed them, it's too easy for them to knock you down and then could seriously injure you, even 'tame' pigs. And it's not just the milk that makes them excited - they just really like feeding time! ;-)


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## lprofancik (Sep 9, 2011)

Yep...we have noticed the feeding frenzy that happens when they get milk. They go crazy as soon as they hear the milk machine start up! We do have a system set up so that we stand on the outside of the electric fence and pour the milk down a pipe into the trough on their side of the fence. They are normally well mannered and respectful of us-until they know the milk is coming and then all their manner go out the window. 

Thank you for all the responses!


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## milkinpigs (Oct 4, 2005)

Milk addicted pigs make for easy loading later!


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## TomYaz (Oct 5, 2010)

I have been feeding out 3 pigs on dairy. I am giving them 10 gal a day, which has been cutting the amount of grain they would typically eat by 2/3. Problem is I want to go to 15 hogs..thats 50 gallons per day. The dairy I get the milk from is letting me "cherry pick" the large containers - 1/2 gallons, gallons, but if I go up to 15 hogs I have to take everything....1/2 pints, half full, and all that assorted pain in the ass milk. I figured my time/labor to do that amount of milk retrieveing and dumping is not worth the savings. So I think I am not going to continue feeding this. Also, the dairy is going to be sending this milk to a newly opened bio digester owned by the city next year to make methane/electricity. So my supply would be become spotty.

My pigs had been getting a fair amount of chocolate milk, and this last week a lot of chocolate ice cream mix. Well when that ran out and I went back to plain milk this morning, I discovered in the PM they had not cleaned up their milk. I gave them somemore plain milk, they drank a little but where ----ed off; squealing for what they had become accustomed to.

And yes they certainly act like a mob when its milk time.


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