# Can Pigs Thrive Without Grain?



## jhost8541 (Oct 13, 2012)

I'd like to raise some pigs on a couple acres of property that has oaks, pines, other various trees, and some small pasture areas. 

Will a limited number of pigs, maybe 5 per acre, be able to get 100% of there diet from the property alone and still be able to thrive? Or will supplemental grain be required?

They will be raised for meat. I would expect them to grow more slowly but don't know if this food source will be sufficient. Also, are free-range pigs good tasting without a grain diet?

Thanks.


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

I doubt that an acre will support 5 pigs, but even if the land grows a lot of food, I suggest that you take a bite of grain out every day to keep the pigs tame. They can get real wild real fast and wild pigs are dangerous.


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## dkhern (Nov 30, 2012)

i think 5/a is too many wild hogs dont get grain some get to 4-500 lb they free range taste is good if killed w/o fuss and exctement


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

The Wild Hogs in Michigan get lots of grain. Corn right after it is planted, just prior to harvest. Plus soybean, sugar beets, and all sorts of garden produce.

I suspect Wild Pigs in the South also have ample access to crops.

Seems goats would be a better choice for a diet of hard to digest feed.

While many talk about pasture raised pigs, they are adding ample high protien products, as well as an undisclosed amount of "real" pig feed.


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

jhost8541 said:


> Can Pigs Thrive Without Grain?


Yes. Grain primarily provides calories/energy (e.g., corn) and some protein (e.g., legumes like soy).

I've raised several batches 100% on pasture. They are leaner and take a few months longer to get to weight but the feed is essentially free (real estate taxes only).

We currently have about 400 pigs on pasture and buy no commercial hog feed nor grain. They get a very small percentage of spent barley in their diet (high in protein) and on loading day a treat of a little bread to lead them up the ramp into the truck to go to the butcher.

We free feed pasture/hay plus dairy (mainly whey) as the vast majority of their diet and they get to market weight in about six months during the warm season, about a month longer in the cold. See:

http://SugarMtnFarm.com/pigs



jhost8541 said:


> I'd like to raise some pigs on a couple acres of property that has oaks, pines, other various trees, and some small pasture areas.


Oaks are a good source of food in some seasons. Pines not. Beech and many other nut trees are good too.

If they are too crowded they will damage the trees and maybe kill them. Feature or flaw, you decide but pick.

Forests generally have low amounts of food value in them compared to good pasture. Plant legumes such as alfalfa, clover, etc to boost the protein levels of pasture.

We also plant kale, rape, turnips and beets in our pastures. See:

http://sugarmtnfarm.com/2010/09/15/frost-seeding/

http://sugarmtnfarm.com/2012/01/06/self-reseeding-root-regrowth/

A mix of woods, brush and pasture are ideal pig habitat. Throw in a wet spot for a wallow and they're in heaven.



jhost8541 said:


> Will a limited number of pigs, maybe 5 per acre, be able to get 100% of there diet from the property alone and still be able to thrive? Or will supplemental grain be required?


You don't have to supplement with grain if you've established good pastures. I figure on about 10 pigs per acre being sustainable based on the supplementing with whey that we do using managed rotational grazing techniques. With no supplement then figure five per acre. The rotation is important. See:

http://sugarmtnfarm.com/2007/10/12/how-much-land-per-pig/

http://sugarmtnfarm.com/2005/08/31/keeping-a-pig-for-meat/

http://www.google.com/search?q=site:sugarmtnfarm.com rotational grazing



jhost8541 said:


> They will be raised for meat. I would expect them to grow more slowly but don't know if this food source will be sufficient. Also, are free-range pigs good tasting without a grain diet?


They're delicious. Better than grain fed. The key is to have sufficient calories to get the marbling since much of the flavor is in the fat. Grain fed pigs typically end up too fat and then people throw away all that fat that they spent so much money producing. Meat is what most people want, less of lard.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Pigs need what we need, more or less.

In medieval times the pigs would be fattened on acorns, and you say you have oak trees. BUT! acorns fall in the Fall, and then they get eaten by squirrels and turkeys and pigs. Then they are gone.

And, pasture alone is not enough. Pigs need some serious calories: acorns provide the needed calories but they will not last long enough to keep the pigs for long.

People who buy feed figure on about 6 pounds of feed for a pound of gain for the pig.

You might think about what else you have that a pig might want to eat. Pigs enjoy carrot peelings and wormy apples and skim milk and so forth. They even eat eggshells, though that will only give them calcium. The old time farmers would give them all of the garbage they had, and then supplement that with corn. The garbage would cut down the feed bill considerably, but because the high calorie forage was available in the fall they did have to give grain with the garbage for almost all of the year.

Edited to add: pasture alone is not enough UNLESS you seed your pasture to things higher in calories and protien than grass, such as turnips and alfalfa. Though stocking 5 pigs per acre seems high to me, the previous poster claims to have done it very sucessfully, while I have not made the attempt.


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## QuartzRidgeRanc (Dec 9, 2012)

We raise American Guinea Hogs in a pine and oak forest in Northern California. We have 4 hogs in a fenced area right now that is less than an acre and we supplement their feed. You do not want to feed them the traditional hog feed. Focus on giving them a well balanced diet with grass or alfalfa hay, leftover garden vegetables and scraps from the house. 

Right now we feed our hogs 2% of their body weight in barley fodder along with scraps and some grass hay. We stay away from anything with corn and try to stay away from alfalfa due to GMOs. They gilt is raising up nicely and the adults are in good body condition.

I would not recommend raising "commercial" hog breeds on pasture.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

No matter your management style, all pigs require mineral suppliment.


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