Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
If you are raising a large number of pigs, the easiest way to feed your pigs is with a self-feed-
er, or bulk bin feeder. Self-feeders are popular, and pigs quickly learn to use them. Self-feed-
ers can hold between 50 pounds and several tons of feed. Self-feeders are expensive — an av-
erage self-feeder for three to four pigs will usually cost $75 to $100; and a small, used bulk
bin feeder capable of holding 4 tons of grain may sell for about $1,000 — so you will not
want to purchase one of these systems unless you know you intend to continue raising pigs.
The trough portion of the feeder has flaps the pigs open when they want to eat. The farmer
can adjust how much feed is available to the pigs. A 40-bushel hog feeder (the Big “O” oscil-
lating feeder, with 12 feeding stations) sells for around $1,400 at BarnWorld.com
(
www.barnworld.com
).
What to feed your pigs
Although pigs are not too fussy about their food, feeding them the right feed can lead to better
and faster weight gain, which can mean better profits for you. Every pig raiser wants to see
happy, thriving pigs, which results from knowing something about feed.
Pigs do eat like pigs. That is to say, they like their food — a lot. A pig's appetite and its ability
to gain weight quickly compared to other farm animals are traits that have made it dear to the
hearts of farmers. At one time, pigs were known as “the mortgage lifters” because of their ex-
cellent return on investment to the farmer and their ability to help pay the mortgage. Just a
little feed and some scraps tossed your pig's way for a few months, and it can present you
with a freezer full of delicious pork. If you grow an extra pig, you can sell the second pig at
market and more than make up your feed and other costs.
If you are like most first-time pig owners, you may be filled with some concerns about feed-
ing and nutrition. Fortunately, pigs are efficient animals, and they can thrive on different kinds
of diets. For pigs raised in pens, you can expect to provide most of their nutrition from grain
in some form, along with as many table scraps as you are able to provide. Many small farmers
make a habit of collecting vegetables, bread, and other things from their kitchens each night,
adding some milk to the food remains, and giving this mixture to their pigs. If you have a
garden on your property, your pigs will welcome anything that you wish to toss their way.
Some people suggest that pigs should avoid potatoes and other plants of the nightshade fam-
ily. Young potatoes often have a tint of green on them and are high in the toxin solanine,
which is a glycoalkaloid that can be hard for your pigs to digest. Eating a few may not harm
your pigs, but it is best not to feed them a large amount as they can cause diarrhea and other
