# How much would 4 pigs eat?



## Lizza (Nov 30, 2005)

We feed our 4 pigs twice a day. We slop them with kitchen scraps plus excess or old milk and eggs. We also fill up a large bowl with grain (large rubber type bowl from the feed store). It is always gone when we get back but am wondering if we need to feed them more. I think they are around 75 lbs (maybe 4 months old? Gosh, I can't remember tonight) and eating a 50 lb bag of feed every day or day and a half. Are we feeding them enough? Should it be more of a free choice thing with the grain?


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

The rough guide is about 800 lbs per pig of commercial feed / grain. If you pasture them this can be substantially reduced to zero.

I find that 100% on pasture they take about 7 months or so to get to market weight of 225-250 and are leaner. On grain they get to that same weight in 5 to 6 months but are fat.

Cheers

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


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## Lizza (Nov 30, 2005)

Really? We have ours in pasture....a small pasture but they always seem to be *starving* every time we go visit. Like we haven't fed them in a week or something so I was starting to get worried we weren't feeding them enough. They also get cases and cases and cases a week of older organic veggies/fruit because my BIL works for an organic distribution center. 

Thanks for your help


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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

Pigs *always* act like their stomach thinks their throats been cut!

I'm not a lot of help because I feed my pigs cooked scraps and milk but none of it is weighed - I look at the amount of food, look at the size of the pig and feed accordingly. How about you get a large drum and throw in all this lovely food your getting via BIL, add some rolled barley and make a soup out of it over a gas cooker. Using a soup ladle, feed each pig the equivalent of four ladles each, and add what milk you have. Up the amount of food as they grow or if you feel they need it. I feed all my grower pigs this way and they are ready to be killed at around 6 months (this depends of course on how pig you like your pigs) and gives some awesome tasting pork. Apart from the purchase of the barley and the gas for the cooker, it is an economical way of feeding pigs.

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

Interesting. Our pigs act hungry when they haven't eaten such as in the early morning but if they're full, they're full. I'm not sure why the difference with yours. Ours don't behave that way. They graze, when available they eat the cheese and whey to satiation, and then they like to lie and rest in the sun or shade.

One thought, are your pigs bought as piglets or do you have your own sows? Is this possibly a learned behavior that is carrying over from pen situations where they were fed once a day or twice a day? On pasture the pigs have food in front of them 100% of the time in the form of forage so perhaps the behavior is different.

Cheers

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


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## waygr00vy (Aug 7, 2005)

I find mine act alot more hungry if they don't have access to feed all day, even if they may be going through the same amount. I feed free choice and they eat a bit here and there throughout the day, but at times when I have fed them twice a day instead, they seem to gorge themselves more.


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## dezeeuwgoats (Jan 12, 2006)

My pigs always act hungry - when they see ME.  

They usually don't finish all of their food at once, but eat until they are full - and go back later for seconds, or thirds until it is gone. The bowl is empty by the next feeding time, if not - I put less down next time. 

I feed rolled barley, household scraps, and goat's milk, whey, etc. 

My sow had those habits, and all her piglets are the same. Even if they were full - if I dropped something 'new' into their feeder, they'd all come running to check it out - hungry or no. Pigs are very curious. 

A 50lb bag of grain every day or day and a half? That sounds like a lot to me. My sow was eating a 50lb bag of rolled barley a week - pregnant and eventually when nursing, but did get milk and household scraps too. She wasn't skinny and wasn't too fat - looked 'just right'. 

Anytime I have an animal that seems to always be hungry, in spite of putting away a lot of feed - I always think deworming....


Niki


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## AnnieinBC (Mar 23, 2007)

We have 2 pigs, 5 months old and about 150 lbs. we feed them 1 large coffee can of grower pellets and 3/4 of a 5 gal. pale of garden trimmings( broccoli, turnip, rudibaga, chard,etc and some cooked potatoes a couple times a week), twice a day. for the last two weeks before we butcher, we will try to feed them from the garden only. Hope this helps.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

fluidp said:


> We have 2 pigs, 5 months old and about 150 lbs. we feed them 1 large coffee can of grower pellets and 3/4 of a 5 gal. pale of garden trimmings( broccoli, turnip, rudibaga, chard,etc and some cooked potatoes a couple times a week), twice a day. for the last two weeks before we butcher, we will try to feed them from the garden only. Hope this helps.


It will take forever to get them to a decent size on this diet. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but personally being in a northern clime and not having great facilitys I prefer to have them ready by early November.


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## AnnieinBC (Mar 23, 2007)

We measured them tonite, and they are 45" long by 43" girth, they weigh around 150 pounds....they are about 5 months old.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

fluidp said:


> We measured them tonite, and they are 45" long by 43" girth, they weigh around 150 pounds....they are about 5 months old.


Yep, that is light for the age.


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## Siryet (Jun 29, 2002)

uhhh. using yer mesurements yer hogs weigh about 205lbs not 150, Unless I am mistaken.


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## AnnieinBC (Mar 23, 2007)

tinknal said:


> It will take forever to get them to a decent size on this diet. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but personally being in a northern clime and not having great facilitys I prefer to have them ready by early November.


They sure look like they are getting bigger! We are going to measure them again, and doublecheck.


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## AnnieinBC (Mar 23, 2007)

Siryet said:


> uhhh. using yer mesurements yer hogs weigh about 205lbs not 150, Unless I am mistaken.


We are going to remeasure both pigs, and doublecheck, thanks


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