# hog feed amounts



## Guest (Jun 3, 2004)

hello,

we have two hogs in the 100lb range, how much feed (feed store Lean Hog Grower) should we be feeding each day?


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## uncle Will in In. (May 11, 2002)

You can't over feed a hog unless they are bred and you don't want them getting too fat. If you are putting it out for them give them enough twice daily to fill them up. If they have a little left when they stop eating, they should clean it up a little later.


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## Carolinexxx (Dec 6, 2003)

I put feed out 3 times a day but they don't always clear it as I had heard you couldn't overfeed. They probably weigh about 50 lbs and go through a 40 lbs bag of food in 7 days between 2 of them so about 3 lb/day each. I read some where they should be rationed to about 10 lb/day when they are around 200 lbs (slaughter weight) so you get leaner meat.

Currently I just keep making sure they have food all the time. I am not sure it is the most efficient way of feeding as I am sure other animals get some (crows etc) but I know they are not hungry and it is easy.

Iâd be interested to see what others feed.


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## Tango (Aug 19, 2002)

I fed 5 lbs. a day of grower to my domestic sows/gilts after 60 lbs. and to 250.


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## cashcrop (May 11, 2002)

There are two frames of thought limit feed or self feed. My understanding from what I've read is they cannot eat too much except during gestation. If they eat to much during that time it can cause embryonic death. Thus reducing litter size before they pop them out. 

I plan to get a two hole pig feeder w/ lids (the hogs can flip up when they want to eat) from the local farm & fleet because they are similar to the Brower model I was looking at in price, size, design except no shipping cost(save $25). I can get by this year with that. Then next year buy one of those big ones that hold 700lbs.


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## cowgirlone (May 9, 2002)

Cashcroop, that's what we use for our butcher hogs. They just lift the lids.
The sows and boar get fed twice a day.


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## Tango (Aug 19, 2002)

cowgirlone said:


> Cashcroop, that's what we use for our butcher hogs. They just lift the lids.
> The sows and boar get fed twice a day.


How much do you think your pigs eat that way? I feed my sows twice a day when they are in gestation or lactating but otherwise once in the morning and a treat in the evening. We're talking a much smaller pig here though.


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## tobo6 (Jan 14, 2003)

We feed a coffee can full of grower in the morning and in the evening, plus all scraps. We also feed 3 eggs a day. Usually the evening feeding doesn't get finished but by morning it's gone. Our hog is#200-225.

mljjranch


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## cowgirlone (May 9, 2002)

Tango, The feeder holds several hundred pounds of feed and has 4 lids on each side. We usually just put 400lbs in at a time.....I know I have the amounts figured out. I have to think about it. :haha:.... I'd say they start out eating almost 3/4 to 1 gal. a day each, then work their way up to 3lb or so.
The pigs eat til they are full. We use this feeder for all the weaned pigs, they use it til they are sold. The ones we keep for ourselves to eat are fed with the feeder, then when it gets close to butchering time we add any extras (scraps) in pans on the side.
I'm sold on the self feeders. They save a lot of work.

I don't use them for the sows or boar though, don't want them to get too fat.


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## Tango (Aug 19, 2002)

cowgirlone said:


> I'm sold on the self feeders. They save a lot of work.
> 
> I don't use them for the sows or boar though, don't want them to get too fat.


I'll have to look into them. It doesn't sound like they eat much more than what I fed my domestic breeds. This sow that we just butchered, she was only eating 2.5 pounds of feed a day for the past few months (she was on pasture part of the time) and she wasn't losing any weight. Actually once her sister was taken off, she gained a little, seems like her sister may have been "hogging" more than her share. These feeders would keep that from happening. I've seen some in some catalogs- just don't have the money to spend on them right now. How many pigs does one need to keep to make something like that really worthwhile?


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## cowgirlone (May 9, 2002)

Tango, we got ours real real cheap, in fact I think it was free. It was from a friend.
You don't have to have very many pigs. I use it for just two or three sometimes.
Mine has 4 feeders on each side and I fill it with anywhere from 100 to 400lbs of feed at a time, depending on how many are in the pen.
Here is a link to a picture of one similar to mine. Mine has doors on each trough that they lift with their noses. Mine's not nearly as pretty as this one in the picture.
http://www.hogslat.com/feeders.html

Mine looks like the first one pictured.

I've sure seen them at farm auctions going for 20 to 50 bucks or so. I would check into that before buying new.


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## Tango (Aug 19, 2002)

cowgirlone said:


> Tango, we got ours real real cheap, in fact I think it was free. It was from a friend.
> You don't have to have very many pigs. I use it for just two or three sometimes.
> Mine has 4 feeders on each side and I fill it with anywhere from 100 to 400lbs of feed at a time, depending on how many are in the pen.
> Here is a link to a picture of one similar to mine. Mine has doors on each trough that they lift with their noses. Mine's not nearly as pretty as this one in the picture.
> ...


Thanks for the info. cowgirlone  I'll keep in in mind for the future.


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## milkstoolcowboy (Sep 13, 2003)

The countryside is full of used hog feeders -- both steel/ring feeders and wooden bid feeders (names like Smedley and Bainbridge) that can probably be had for (next to) nothing. 

For butcher hogs, there is nothing wrong with free-choice feeding. The only problem is that if you are using open troughs, you are going to be wasting feed.

If you can get a feeder, by all means do, but take some time to learn how to adjust the flow before you put feed in. Growers typically do not need the flow set higher than one-half inch. Too high and they'll waste feed, even with feeders with lids/doors. Also look to see if the feeders have agitators (sometimes called rods) which the pigs can push back and forth to help the feed flow down. 

As for gestating sows, they should be limited in their feed. An over-conditioned sow will have many more problems in farrowing. I feed gestating gilts only once per day, and a lot of old-timers fed them only once every other day. The reason being that the sow's feed intake will ramp up significantly once she farrows and is giving milk for her litter. Feeding larger amounts less frequently (Not suggesting feeding more, just 5 lbs. once a day vs. 2.5 pounds twice a day) will force the sows stomach to adapt to larger feed intake prior to farrowing, and her milk production will increase more rapidly after farrowing. 

The old saying when feeding gestating sows is that you want them to beat you back to the fence after dumping their feed.


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## cashcrop (May 11, 2002)

Here is the link to the one I originally posted about a few weeks ago:
http://www.browerequip.com/products/brower/supple/index.htm

It's not exactly like your cowgirl but, similar. Behlen's version is similar but, they don't tell you how many pigs/hogs it will support(they also don't have a 4 door model IIRC). 

As for the MN poster who said feeders were a dime a dozen.....I wish it were true here where I live. I saw a Smedley hog feeder at a large consignment auction but, couldn't afford to take the day off of work to attend. I wouldn't mind having one of them at all. Smedley feeders are known to be quite durable! I don't frequently see ads for sows, feeder pigs, pig feeders or livestock tanks. I almost had to get my pigs from a livestock hauler who bought them from the sale barn. I called like 4 people before somebody had any to sell! I'm sure there out there. I need to start going to these small animal swap meets!!


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