Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
your grain from local farmers, so you will know where the ingredients came from and how
they were grown.
Storage
The subject of feed inevitably leads to the issue of storage. There is usually a cost savings to
buying grain and supplements in bulk, but buying in bulk makes storage more difficult. Just
where do you put 3 tons of grain? Bulk bins are usually the best place to store large amounts
of grain, and they have self-feeders in the bottom so pigs can feed themselves. At the mo-
ment, you may not think you would need a ton of grain, but keep in mind that one pig will eat
about 7 pounds of grain per day. That is about 50 pounds per week, or 200 pounds per month.
Multiply that by your number of pigs. If you have five pigs, you will easily use 1,000 pounds
of feed in a month. So, it is not unusual to buy 2,000 pounds or more in one purchase.
Feed mills can put grain into a large bag for you that will hold 1,000 pounds. They can place
this bag in the bed of a pickup truck, and you can bring it home. A tractor can move the bag to
a bulk bin, or you can dip the grain out in just a few minutes by using a 5-gallon bucket.
You do not have to purchase tons of grain at one time. Do not purchase more than a month or
two worth of grain at one time to prevent the grain from becoming dusty or moldy. Store your
feed where it will be dry and where vermin will not be able to get to it. Feed will always at-
tract rodents, so take care that you use rat-proof containers. For instance, you can store a
50-pound bag of feed in a metal trash container with a lid that fits securely. Make sure you
never place feed containers where your pigs can get to them, or they will help themselves.
Pig Health
With good care, good feed, and good housing practices, your pigs should stay in good health
if you have purchased them from disease-free sources. However, pigs can succumb to disease
if one of the following situations occurs on your farm:
• If your pigs' needs are not being met in some way
• If they are not getting the proper nutrients
• If you are overcrowding animals
• If you are not practicing good husbandry and you are failing to clean out the pigs' pen or
keeping things in poor condition or
