# Getting ready to butcher, what kind of feed to finish on?



## Anderson farms

We are getting ready to butcher our hogs and was wanting to know what you all finished them on? Right now they are on grower pellets and any scraps we have(eggs, veggies, etc.) Didn't know if we should go to corn or a sweeter feed? Any thoughts are appreciated?


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## bumpus

Anderson farms said:


> We are getting ready to butcher our hogs and was wanting to know what you all finished them on? Right now they are on grower pellets and any scraps we have(eggs, veggies, etc.) Didn't know if we should go to corn or a sweeter feed? Any thoughts are appreciated?


Depends on how big they are now and how big you want them when you butcher and how long you want to feed.

bumpus
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## Anderson farms

They are about 220 now and ready to go but will be a couple of weeks before we can get them done. Just wondered if there was anything I could give them to sweeten them up or make the meat better?


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## bumpus

.
They say from 120 lbs on up they only need 14 % feed 
Corn by itself only has 8 - 9 percent, but it is what puts on fat.

I would say feed like you are because if you like what you see it's to late to change any way.

Man told me one time he feed old sweet donuts and made it taste sweeter.

Sugar sweet.

Anything past 260 is wasting feed and time , butcher and get some more and start over raising more on less feed.

After 240 ( which is prime hog for market ) they start putting on more fat than meat and it winds up costing more to feed them.

People used to raise them bigger but they rendered the extra fat the made lard to cook with and had big families to feed.

Hope that helps some.

bumpus.


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## BillHoo

A friend told me that before they butcher a pig in Puerto Rico, they feed it pineapples to make the meat tasty.


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## highlands

We don't change the feed for finishing so they continue to get pasture, whey, cheese trim, veggies, etc. Recently we have gotten spent barley from a local micro-brewery. Great smelling stuff, tempts me to make lamb soup... My sheep don't appreciate the thought.  Tough. 

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/
http://HollyGraphicArt.com/
http://NoNAIS.org


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## poorboy

I personally like hogs that have been corn fattened the last 30 days before butchering.Used to work on a hog farm years ago and our finish ration was 12%. I like to soak and sour whole corn and feed it the last thirty days before butchering, gives the meat the kind of tast I like..


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## Cashs Cowgirl

friend of mine who has been ranching all her life always fed their hogs straight corn the last 30 days. I plan to do the same.


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## bumpus

Cashs Cowgirl said:


> friend of mine who has been ranching all her life always fed their hogs straight corn the last 30 days. I plan to do the same.


I know a man who bought a top quality hog that weighed about 200 -210 # and brought it home and started feeding it nothing but corn, which was a big mistake the hog started loosing weight.

Protein at 12 - 14 percent makes muscle and some fat which is what the hog had.

But the straight corn  has only 7 - 9 percent protein and straight corn on a hog that big will put on mostly fat.

Because the hog was raised on good protein and fat content it did real good at growing the best meat.

But the hog started loosing muscle and started putting on mostly fat.

Muscle weighs more than fat by volume  and the hog lost a lot of quality and had to much fat on the out side of the meat because of the straight corn fed.

Protein is what makes anything grow, and corn is used for fat which is needed in any good feed source in the right amounts.

Also changing feed to fast can causes problems sometimes.

bumpus
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