# feeding whole wheat to a pig?



## Ann Mary (Nov 29, 2004)

I was recently given 800-1000# of hard red winter wheat and I was wondering if and how I could feed it to butcher pigs??? Would I need to add corn too? Amounts and any other help would be appreciated. I don't have a pig now but am maybe looking to getting 2 in the spring to feed all this wheat to!  Thanks!


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

It will take about 1100 lbs of wheat and 300 lbs of soybean meal to finish 2 feeder pigs weighing 50lbs to market weight of 220 to 240 lbs. The wheat will need to be converted into a mash by soaking for up to 12 hours prior to each feeding. You can add the meal at the time of feeding to the mash. A small amout of a mineral mix should be added to the feed. It will take you around 115 days from the time you start to when the hogs should be at processing weight. The pigs will need to be wormed and you will need to provide clean fresh drinking water at all times. Table scraps and garden waste can also be fed to the pigs in conjunction witht the above.


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## BobK (Oct 28, 2004)

agmantoo I've got to tip my hat to ya...you have these animals dialed and I've never seen where a guy/gal could go wrong in following your advice.. :bow: :bow: :bow:


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

BobK,
Thanks for the compliment! I enjoy helping people because I know how difficult it was for me when I first started farming. If I can give someone a tidbit of information that may help them avoid many of the mistakes that I have made, I realize it could make a big difference when one is starting from scratch.


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## GeorgeK (Apr 14, 2004)

how are you storing the wheat?




Ann Mary said:


> I was recently given 800-1000# of hard red winter wheat and I was wondering if and how I could feed it to butcher pigs??? Would I need to add corn too? Amounts and any other help would be appreciated. I don't have a pig now but am maybe looking to getting 2 in the spring to feed all this wheat to!  Thanks!


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## Ann Mary (Nov 29, 2004)

The wheat is in garbage cans with lids on them. We picked it up straight out of the field. The semi-truck forgot to close the dump door and started driving off with it open--oops! The farmer told us we could have all we wanted.  I don't think soybean meal is available around here (but I'll check) so is there something else like corn I could feed?? How much? Thanks sooo much for the advice!


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

You should be able to locate soybean meal in 50 lb sacks. It will be priced at about the same price as raw soybeans per lb. Yes, there are some protein substitutes but they will typically cost more or perform poorly. Corn is not a substitue for soybean meal. Corn can be substitued for the wheat if you run out prior to processing the hogs.


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## Charleen (May 12, 2002)

I have to agree with agmantoo about soaking the whole wheat before feeding it. When we first fed whole grains (wheat & oats) we found that the pigs passed quite a bit of it without digesting it. Once we began soaking it in goat milk for 24 hours (sometimes it sat until the grains sprouted) their metabolism could handle it so much better.


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## Pioneermama3 (Aug 2, 2012)

I can get wheat corn and oats for my pigs i boil all this till the oats pop in a very large pot and cool the serve with water is this complete?


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## FarmerDavid (Jul 16, 2012)

agmantoo said:


> It will take about 1100 lbs of wheat and 300 lbs of soybean meal to finish 2 feeder pigs weighing 50lbs to market weight of 220 to 240 lbs. The wheat will need to be converted into a mash by soaking for up to 12 hours prior to each feeding. You can add the meal at the time of feeding to the mash. A small amout of a mineral mix should be added to the feed. It will take you around 115 days from the time you start to when the hogs should be at processing weight. The pigs will need to be wormed and you will need to provide clean fresh drinking water at all times. Table scraps and garden waste can also be fed to the pigs in conjunction witht the above.


Do you just mix the wheat and water in a bucket? We're getting ready to get our seed wheat cleaned and I'd like to use the screenings for feed.


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## gerold (Jul 18, 2011)

FarmerDavid said:


> Do you just mix the wheat and water in a bucket? We're getting ready to get our seed wheat cleaned and I'd like to use the screenings for feed.


You can put it in a 5 gallon bucket and cover it with water. Let it set overnight and feed the next day or later. If you feed more than a bucket a day just water down the amount you will use the next day. Not that much trouble if you keep a couple soaking ahead of time. You can do whole corn the same way. May take a little longer to soak the corn.


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## FarmerDavid (Jul 16, 2012)

Great! That's basically free food for me. I'm wanting to get completely away from it but currently I'm using some feed from the coop. Will I still need to add soymeal to the wheat or will the coop feed suffice?


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## gerold (Jul 18, 2011)

FarmerDavid said:


> Great! That's basically free food for me. I'm wanting to get completely away from it but currently I'm using some feed from the coop. Will I still need to add soymeal to the wheat or will the coop feed suffice?


What is in the coop feed ? If it is feed for pigs it should be enough.


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## FarmerDavid (Jul 16, 2012)

I've fed the wheat like this for three days now and they love it.


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## ptmandan (Oct 5, 2016)

I don't have access to a mill but I have about 600# of dry wheat. I am wondering if I can soak or spout the wheat and get the same feed benefit for feeder Pigs? Any insights would be helpful. I am also feeding fine ground corn and supplementing with soybean meal for Protein. I have also acquired a couple of hundred pounds of pinto and white beans can they be used for protein supplements for the pigs? I presume they also need to be soaked? My pigs are about 200# currently. Thanks again. Dan


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## krackin (Nov 2, 2014)

ptmandan said:


> I don't have access to a mill but I have about 600# of dry wheat. I am wondering if I can soak or spout the wheat and get the same feed benefit for feeder Pigs? Any insights would be helpful. I am also feeding fine ground corn and supplementing with soybean meal for Protein. I have also acquired a couple of hundred pounds of pinto and white beans can they be used for protein supplements for the pigs? I presume they also need to be soaked? My pigs are about 200# currently. Thanks again. Dan


Oh hell yeah. Sprouting any seed feed is better than drying and processing then feeding.


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## abachler (Sep 12, 2016)

Sprouting is always best. Not only does it soften the feed, making masceration (cheewing) easier and increasing digestability, it also triggers the grain to start converting starches into sugars and increases the protein content slightly. It also makes it taste better to the hogs, so they eat more of it ($$$).


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