# Would it make my pigs sick if I fed slightly furry veggies?



## Silvercreek Farmer (Oct 13, 2005)

I don't know about you, but we don't consider something not fit for human consumption until it is furry, and even then sometimes we trim it off! My question is, would it hurt the pigs to feed them this slightly furry produce? It almost seems they don't like the fresh stuff anyway but wait until it ferments in their pen before they eat it! I know some folks feed all manner of stuff to their pigs, but I don't generally feed mine any scraps I wouldn't eat in a pinch.


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## Rogo (Jan 1, 2006)

Just my opinion, but I wouldn't feed anything to my critters that wasn't fresh. I don't feed them anything from my kitchen anyway. The pigs and poultry do get the excess eggs from my poultry, raw, but the eggs are fresh.

I rarely have leftovers, and I do have trash pickup service twice a week, so no need to use my critters as garbage disposals! )


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## farmergirl (Aug 2, 2005)

We feed wilted fruits and veggies, stale bread and soured milk to the hogs. No problems so far  I don't feed them things that are moldy partly because I usually clean the old food out of the fridge before it starts to mold. I'm not big on eating leftovers myself, so the pigs eat quite well! LOL


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## montysky (Aug 21, 2006)

Never done it. and I don't think I would either.


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## TSYORK (Mar 16, 2006)

Not that I would do it, but my grandpa used to say you couldn't poison a hog if you tried.... It probably wouldn't hurt is, and I'm sure they are feeding them worse in the commercial hog lots.


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## RedneckPete (Aug 23, 2004)

Feed it to them. It won't hurt them in the slightest.

Pete


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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

It doesn't hurt my pigs but then I cook everything anyway. But Pete is right, there are areas of a pigs digestion system that is cast iron and if you've ever seen what a wild pig will eat, a bit of fur on the cheese or tomato pales into insignificance.

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## Lazy J (Jan 2, 2008)

Feeding mold to animals is asking for problems. Chronic mycotoxicosis can result in reduced growth, poor reproduction, and death. If you have an occasional piece of moldy food I would not be concerned, but I would not make it a large part of their diet.

Jim


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## Up North (Nov 29, 2005)

This discussion reminds me of a national study that was done. The study compared groups of children who were raised in rural areas and who were exposed to all manners of bacteria and common dirt to groups of children raised in suburban communities which were kept extremely clean to the extent that any flat surface was sanitized on a regular basis.

The children who had been exposed to different bacteria had developed immune systems which were able to take many things in stride. The other children became ill more quickly when new bacteria or illness entered their environment.

I reckon this concept would be analagous for pigs.

That said, we do not intentionally feed moldy hay, grain, or veg. But one can wield a large knife and lop off the spoiled bits and feed the remaining good parts.


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## RedneckPete (Aug 23, 2004)

Up North said:


> That said, we do not intentionally feed moldy hay, grain, or veg. But one can wield a large knife and lop off the spoiled bits and feed the remaining good parts.


I've fed my pigs buckets of slops that were literally crawling with maggots. It grossed me out, but didn't bother the pigs in the slightest.

The above mentioned pigs have long since been eaten and tasted delicious. I don't seem to have caught any diseases that I know of. My pigs get whatever is not fit for humans, the dogs or chickens get fed the leftover parts of the pigs. The pigs get the leftover parts of the chickens. Nothing eats the humans or dogs.

Pete


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## 99RB (Apr 5, 2008)

Matthew Lindsay said:


> I don't know about you, but we don't consider something not fit for human consumption until it is furry, and even then sometimes we trim it off! My question is, would it hurt the pigs to feed them this slightly furry produce? It almost seems they don't like the fresh stuff anyway but wait until it ferments in their pen before they eat it! I know some folks feed all manner of stuff to their pigs, but I don't generally feed mine any scraps I wouldn't eat in a pinch.


no they are actually more digestible


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## RedHogs (Jul 7, 2006)

The general public is disgusted with the idea of garbage feeding, that's why we have laws to prevent it, and the idea that you can't make a hog sick with moldy feed is laughable....will it hurt your pigs??? probably not. Will it damage your reputation as an honest and reputable farmer if it gets out what you are feeding? *for sure*!!!!

Farmers have a responsibility to not just their animals but their neighbors and industry....


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## Dirtslinger (Feb 10, 2007)

Spoiled food has little to no food value. Buckets of slop with maggots? Sounds like something for the compost.


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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

Dirtslinger, while I personally wouldn't be throwing a buckets of slops crawling with maggots at my pigs, it would in fact be providing them with a huge amount of protein.

My pigs are fed almost 100% on waste food all of which is cooked before being fed out. And yes, by the time it goes into the cooker it is often maggoty and they get cooked too. The pigs thrive on it. 

I think personally, that when keeping pigs one needs to recognise that they are one of the worlds cleaner-uppers - they are herbivores, carnivores, carrion eaters and opportunists. The best lesson I got about that was from a dead cow I passed every day on my way to work - she died, she bloated then the flys got at her. A week later the wild pigs found her. Within four days she had gone except for the hide and bones. A smelly, noxious mess that could have lain there for months was gone in less that two weeks.

Cheers,
Ronnie


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