# why are my pigs eating soil?



## bonnie in indiana (May 10, 2002)

I have 2 pot belly pigs and my ground is brown fine sand. Since Oct, when I got the female, she has eaten almost a bag of topsoil [I have had several bags sitting for 3 years]. I know that the pigs must be defieceint in something. Could someone tell me what to get to put in the feed? Iron maybe? They are fed a balanced diet, or so I thought. Thanks


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

Its natural for pigs to eat soil. It comes from their rooting instincts.


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

My cattle also eat dirt. In doing some research I have found that in some places humans also eat dirt. It is thought that females eat soil due to iron deficiency associated with monthly losses. In the last 8 months I have fed a high mag mineral, a custom formulated mineral and a commercial mineral. The hair coat on the cattle looks real good but their consumption of dirt has not ceased. I have concluded that soil is consumed for some unknown to me reason and to cease to concern myself and just level out the holes from time to time. Just let the pigs eat the soil as they probably know their needs better than we do.


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

It's perfectly natural and a good sign. They get vitamins and minerals from the soil plus they digest worms, grubs, decaying vegetable matter and such out of the soil.

Cheers

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


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