# Feeding fish to pigs?



## Farmerga (May 6, 2010)

Hello, I was walking around my farm the other day looking for possible food sources for my pig herd. I found several wild fruit trees and many oak and hickory trees that are full of mast. I then had a thought. I have a pond that is full of stunted little sunfish and "shiners" that can be easily caught (by the 100's) Do any of you know of any advantages/ disavantages of feeding these fish to my pigs. I was thinking that I could feed them to the young growers, up to about a month prior to harvest, and breeders.


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

fish would up their protien quite a bit, i wouldnt give them BULK fish but as a suppliment, along with any of the fruit and acorns you can gather along with what ever grain and scraps you feed, Fish is also a good source of protien for chickens if you have them,


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## Rogo (Jan 1, 2006)

=== fish would up their protien quite a bit....Fish is also a good source of protien for chickens ===


Since I don't like fish, what will it do to the taste of the pork and the eggs from the chickens. I've heard it can really take over, although I don't know how much was fed.


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

i dont think it would flavor the pork much unless you fed ALOT like if you fed it as the main or ONLY thing the pigs ate, 

as to Eggs, fish meal is a common part of alot of chicken feeds already, again the only way your going to get a fishy flavor is if you fed a large portion of fish to the birds, as long as they have a good grain mix and access to free range helps alot too, but a couple good sized fish a week (depending on how large of a flock is being fed) wont chainge the flavor of eggs meat, 
i would much rather use fish for a protien base than Soy, i am not a fan of soy in any animal feed


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## bruceki (Nov 16, 2009)

I've fed quite a bit of fish to my pigs. In quantities it can introduce an off flavor to the pork, but for breeding stock -- gestating or nursing sows -- they really enjoy it and fight over it, choosing the fish over most other food presented to them. 

Blog entries about feeding fish to the hogs. Here, here and here. 

Bruce / ebeyfarm.blogspot.com


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## Rogo (Jan 1, 2006)

=== i would much rather use fish for a protien base than Soy, i am not a fan of soy in any animal feed ===


Neither is fed to my house pets or livestock.


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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

Rogo said:


> Neither is fed to my house pets or livestock.


Why not, at least as far as the fish is concerned? When we've been fishing the cats, dogs and pigs get their share of it and it is a good source of food.

As to feeding it to pigs, I'm a bit chary on feeding too much of it to grower pigs that are destinated for the freezer. While a good source of protein, it will also give the meat a fishy flavour and the fat will be soft. Not nice. So feed them some by all means but stop a good 6 weeks before slaughter.

An excellent feed for mature pigs that are being used for breeding and they love it. But don't ever cook it, feed it to them fresh and raw. If cooked the bones go hard and you could well end up with dead pigs.

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

I am with Ronney, if you stop feeding the fish at least 6 weeks before slaughter, it shouldn't affect the flavor of the meat. After all pigs will sometimes catch and eat small rodents, chickens etc. if they are allowed to roam.


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## Farmerga (May 6, 2010)

Thanks everybody. If I were to feed fish, it would be only as a supliment, not as a main food source for breeders and young growers. I would not feed it to those pigs that are close to harvest size.


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## HeritagePigs (Aug 11, 2009)

Give a hog a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a hog to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.


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## Farmerga (May 6, 2010)

HeritagePigs said:


> Give a hog a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a hog to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.


Perhaps I will try to breed a line of angler pigs!!??? :hysterical:


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

I've never fed fish but what I've read is that it should not be fed in the last month or it gives a fishy taste, especially to the fat. Maybe it has high Omega-3 Fatty Acids though.


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