# do you feed meat to your pigs?



## raymilosh

Our 3 pigs have eaten primarily restaurant scraps, compost from neighbors houses, pasture grass and hickory nuts. 

We recently gave them chicken intestines from a big chicken slaughtering day and i gave them the remains from a slaughtered deer last week. 
They thought the world of all of it.

They were so agressively eating the deer that it made both me and the cow nervous to see it. She and I were standing together watching the spectacle. 

I imagine there is a wide variety of feelings about why it is and why it is not a good idea and I'm interested to hear peoples' experiences.


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## Farmerwilly2

Yes, they drool with the thought of me slaughtering. They've been known to snatch a slow chicken or duck. Kitchen scraps, stale bread, sour milk.


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## highlands

No, I don't like them thinking of food when they see meat, there are diseases that get transmitted via meat to pigs and all the meat around here gets claimed by the dogs if we don't eat it ourselves. The only other case of meat is if a pig dies unexpectedly - then I compost it if I don't feed it to the dogs. I would not feed pork to the pigs.


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## hobbyfarmer

No. We do feed our table scraps to our pigs but I separate the meat scraps and give them to the dogs. Our pigs are pastured so they do get grubs and such that they are able to forage but that's all. I don't have a good reason for it, just don't want to eat something that's been eating meat.


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## no1butcherman

Feed meat and blood you better put a pistol in your pocket! Pigs get a taste of blood will eat people.:croc: No tellin what kind of E coli intestines have.


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## Ceres Hil

we fed our feathers to the pigs--that went over rather well... 

Feathers are mostly protein adn it was mixed with oats and barley...


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## Ronney

no1butcherman said:


> Feed meat and blood you better put a pistol in your pocket! Pigs get a taste of blood will eat people.:croc


Good Lord, where do you get that idea from? 

And yes, I do feed my pigs meat but anything other than the guts from freshly killed mutton or beef is cooked. The big Foot and Mouth outbreaks in the UK have come about through pig farmers feeding uncooked restaurant waste to their pigs. Much of the food is meat and there is no telling where it originated. We don't have Foot and Mouth in this country but we do import a lot of processed meats so *all*meat gets cooked which is no hardship as all my waste food is cooked anyway.

If I've got the time I will also empty the paunch from the mutton and cook it up with rolled barley. Not what I would want on my dinner plate but the pigs love it.

Nor do I have a hangup about eating pork that has eaten meat as part of it's diet - they are omnivores and I know that.

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## highlands

No, the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak in the UK was caused by the British government releasing the disease 'accidentally' (of course) from their labs - BOTH TIMES. It was not caused by farmers feeding or imports. The UK gov has admitted this. Don't spread false rumors. You just make it so that it is easier for the government to then use these false stories to control people as the FL ag is doing.


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## Ronney

Sorry Highlands, your right but only the second time. The first time it was very much a pig farmer feeding uncooked waste to his pigs - and even if you want to argue the point, when the origins of meat coming through in waste food is unkown and is being fed to pigs, it makes sound common sense to cook it first and cook it well. It is a legal requirement in this country and I believe it is in yours too. And to that end you are being quite rude. Apart from the fact that I have no idea what the FL ag is (probably the equivalent of our Ministry of Agriculture), I am not wittingly spreading rumours as well you know. There are very good reasons for the legal requirements surrounding pigs and one of them is the huge amount of imported food and the disease that it can bring to pigs if not treated correctly. 

If you don't wish to feed meat to your pigs, that is your decision and your right. However, there is no reason why it shouldn't be done so long as it is done properly and within the law of the state or country.

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## marvella

when i let my pig free range she eats meat- any grubs, worms or occasional crawdad she can catch. it's not the main part of her diet but she does eat meat if given the chance.

pigs are omnivores like humans.


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## Mare Owner

We do feed meat scraps, just not pork. The dogs get any pork.


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## Cyngbaeld

Yes, I feed butcher waste and dead birds whole to my very healthy pigs. I just butchered one of the pigs and went over her with a fine tooth comb, so to speak. NO parasites, inside or out that were visible to the naked eye. However, all the meat my pigs get is raised here, by me and I feed no slops. They get whole corn, grass, weeds, old eggs and whatever meat is available. They seem pretty gentle on the whole. Didn't even try to eat the puppies that wandered into the pen.


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## fixer1958

I have fed poultry butchering leftovers to them a few times.
Was really surprised at the fact that NOTHING was left after a very short amount of time, because they seem to be really picky about new things introduced to them.
My fault I guess on the pickyness.

There have been 2 heads of lettuce with them for a week.
Whole corn on the cob.......blanched even.... no way.
I didn't feed them one day to see if they would eat it.........Nada.

B-day is the 1st of Oct, next round of hogs will be different as far as the feeding aspect.
I totally screwed this pig feeding thing up.


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## dezeeuwgoats

I am not against a pig eating meat - although meat is not intentionally fed. Meat scraps usually go to dogs, cats, or chickens. Our dogs guard their meaty bones and the pigs (pig right now) knows its place. They all have free run of the place right now as it is only one gilt. I do cook pork before giving it to the dogs.

I raise pb crosses so not sure if that comes into play or not - but I've never had one go after a chicken. Once I tried to give them a chicken to eat (dead) and they wouldn't touch it. We finally threw it out and burned it. However, gross as it sounds - they WILL eat testicles when we are castrating the male pigs.....eeeewww!


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## springvalley

Well here goes my 2 cents worth; You can feed pigs meat scraps , they have done it for years (farmers) use to be called tankage. Also have heard some of the old timers talk about when the draft horse era was going out and tractors coming in they use to go around and buy horses cheap and take them home , lead them in the yard , shoot them , skin them, (hides were worth a little) and then let the hogs eat the body. I know that sounds gross but they did it. And have heard very nasty stories of people having health problems and falling in the hog yard and not being much left later. So I don`t think I will feed my pigs fresh meat scrapes Thanks Marc


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## Rogo

=== have heard some of the old timers talk about when the draft horse era was going out and tractors coming in they use to go around and buy horses cheap and take them home , lead them in the yard , shoot them , skin them, (hides were worth a little) and then let the hogs eat the body. I know that sounds gross but they did it. === 


There are folks here in the U.S. that still raise horses for their freezers. You just don't hear much about it, no doubt to avoid the flack. Don't know if they share with their pigs!


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## Feathers-N-Fur

Hmmmm.....
Wondering if this wouldn't be a more humane option for all the old horses that are being abandoned around here. Don't think I'm ready to try it though.


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## TripleTreeHogs

In my opinion, I believe with pork you get out of it what you put in it. I have played with different rations and pasture. I think that a balance between pasture and grain give ME the best results. I have never fed waste meat to my herd. I will never do it. Too big of a chance of illness. But I do know people who get prison scraps. And they do COOK it before feeding. But they are contract growers. A penny is a penny to them. I sell to the public. I don't think that telling them I feed scrap meat would go over to well. I always have customers too. So just be careful if you do it and please remember that times have changed since everyone used a horse and buggy.


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## Hildymarie

We have rarely fed the piggers meat, once we had a pound or so of hamburger that we thought was a bit ripe, not bad but a bit older than we like. We cooked it and tossed it to them by the chunk. Wow, talk about bringing out the beast in them. If we had the source for a decent animal protein we would prolly supplement their usual fare with it. We've given them eggs and old powdered milk and such for extra protein so what would the difference be? They have no problem snatching up a mouse foolish enough to wander into their yard. Our cat no longer comes anywhere near the pig pen so we figure it got chased while hunting birds down there. The piggers can be surprisingly fast when they want to be.


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## 65284

I know of an individual that lived along the Missouri river that used to seine the sloughs after high water for fish that were trapped when the water receded that he fed to his hogs. I have no idea if it made the meat taste strange, but I would guess it could.


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## angelsprite

Ray,
Pigs are omnivores and I am of the opinion that unless a person is feeding commercial pellet pig chow with suet in it, the pigs should get some meat occasionally. Without it, they are not getting a necessary part of their diet.
I have heard from others that the meat of the pig can taste really bad if they are fed things they shouldn't be. Chickens or rabbits and turkey wouldn't make the meat taste bad. A friend of mine said she fed hers goat milk and the two pigs tasted wonderful, so I might try that next year when I'm finishing some for processing.
The ones I have now, we give our farm raised chickens from time to time and they get plenty of eggs. These pigs are for breeding, not processing, but I still wouldn't want to make their meat taste bad because we might end up processing one of them if we like one of the piglets better. Plus, I want them to stay healthy and not be protein deprived. They have to have all of the essential amino acids, just like humans, and there are a couple of those that are unavailable from any source but meat, milk or eggs.
That's my reasoning. I am eager to see what they taste like after being fed goat milk and turnips in addition to their regular diet. That is supposed to make them taste a lot better.


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## Ronney

Angelsprite, milk won't make much of an impact on the taste of your pork but it is good for protein and growth and it doesn't matter whether it is goat or cow milk. Milk can take the place of much of the protein that a pigs needs, including meat.

It is ok to feed pigs strong tasting things like fish but if they are for killing, you need to stop feeding it some 6-8 weeks before killing. Therefore, it is quite sensible to feed your sows anything that comes your way in the food department but if you do decide to eat one, it would be wise to put it on a less "flavoursome" diet beforehand.

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## Sara K

I feed meat or meat waste only when it was raised here by me. I do my own fecals and feel secure that I'm not causing huge worm issues.

It's usually chicken butchering scraps or dinner scraps. We routinely check internal organs of all our butchered animals along with fecals to monitor worm loads.

Sara


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## MissyMoo

I feed my pigs corn/oats/barley grains with molasses, alfalfa hay, sometimes milk, an occasional granola bar, and leftover veggies and fruits (when I have them) and of course they love anything sweet. My pigs are picky :1pig: LOL.


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## angelsprite

Ronnie,
Yep, for now, the sows are for breeding. Later, we might make one of them into sausages. We really don't know yet, but she hasn't grown as fast as the others. She's grown a LOT though since I've been separating her for feeding. I think the milk and weeds have helped her the most. Since we've been cutting weeds (many of them we are pulling with roots and all) and throwing them to her, she has grown, her hair and skin looks healthier, and she's filled out in the belly. 
I like another sow really really well though. She has grown well and she's got really nice conformation. I really want all of the breeding sows on the place to be her descendents, not from the others. She's definately the superior sow. I'm totally happy with my boar. He's built like her, so together, I'm hoping they will produce a very fine bunch of sows for us.
I'm glad to know that a couple of months on a new diet will be enough to take any taint out of the meat. I will remember that.
Most people I've talked to recommend turnips for giving the pork a good flavor. What do you think is the best diet for feeding up to processing?


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## Shagbarkmtcatle

We feed our pigs milk but not meat. I agree with Walter on this. That being said, I know some people who are hog hustlers, they transport livestock for hire, and they said, that when they need to kill a pig, they can tell when it's been fed milk, the bones are much harder.


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## angelsprite

I guess the milk must be good for them then. Harder bones will make them less prone to arthritis. I have read about pigs being condemned for having arthritis. They are so heavy, I wonder how big a problem it is for producers.


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## Ronney

angelsprite said:


> I guess the milk must be good for them then. Harder bones will make them less prone to arthritis. I have read about pigs being condemned for having arthritis. They are so heavy, I wonder how big a problem it is for producers.


Milk is good for them and has the same help in calcium build up as it does for humans but unfortunately it doesn't stop them from getting arthritis which is a joint problem rather than a bone problem. Commercail pork producers don't allow it to become a problem as most boars are culled at a relatively young age and don't get to the huge, heavy weights that bring about joint problems. The same goes for sows. In the overall scheme of things, we need to stop and think about what we're doing with animals because big is not always better.

Angel, in reply to your question about finishing pigs, as you have probably worked out from reading posts, I rear pigs a little differently to most on here. My pigs gets milk and cooked food until the day they meet the .22 but one of the best finishing feeds is fruit if you can time your pig finishing to seasonal fruit. Turnips etc. are ok but don't add a great flavour in my opinion. I have also used kumera which is a native variety of sweet potato but doubt that you would have any show of accessing it in the States.

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## angelsprite

Ronney,
Thank you so much for the information. It sounds like your pigs are very well cared for all their lives. I love my animals whether they are for meat or not and I want them to enjoy every minute of their lives.
I wonder if cantaloupes would be good for flavor. We can grow cantaloupes here, although the pigs would be given some stiff competition for them. Also, we grow sweet potatoes, but probably not the same variety you have.

I was worried about the arthritis issue because I read an article that said one producer had 85% of his carcasses condemned. That must have been a big hit for him. I don't have many pigs and if there were a problem of that nature, it sure wouldn't be good for my finances. 
I have never had this heavy a pig breed before and I don't want them getting any problems, let alone joint problems. I am keeping them on a good diet for maintaining weight, but I'm not focused on trying to keep them as fat as they could get. I want a happy medium that is good for their general health. I agree that we should all consider the heredity of good health in our breeding for the sake of the animals, the people who eat the animals, and the people who buy animals from us.


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