[Muc]

I think this has been discussed before but is there a breed that gets some/all of its nutrition from grass? Humans and pigs are supposed to have similar make-up but humans cannot digest grass. Can pigs?

[Hermit]

I will await replies as well, I am just looking up pasture pigs as I dont mind wallows but dont want a complete swamp, The kune Kune seems best to suit what I need at this time of thinking, they graze and like a field rather than a pen. The Middle White grazes but not suitable for Shetland alas.

[robert waddell]

all pigs by there very nature will graze eat meat if available root dig holes and make wallows
now as i have said before if you feed the pigs they will not root or not as bad      cut the feeding back and they will forage for food
the only way to prevent any pig rooting is wire its nose           let me know when you find this mythical pig that survives on grass and grows without sustenance from other sources     
now swamps hermit that depends on your soil structure     free draining land is best for outdoor pigs       clay based soils will just end up a bog
now Shetland do you keep cattle outside all winter     is there grass to graze 365 days of the year  that is your first problem
it must be horrendous the cost of pig feed in Shetland with transport          a traditional pig would be more suited eg tamworth/large black etc something that layers the fat on to survive the winters

[princesspiggy]

my tammies root, but my GOS spend alot of time grazing. i think kunes can live on grass during summer? is that right HH?

[Muc]

Thanks Princess P. When you say 'grazing', do you mean they are chewing grass and digesting it? What about feeding silage or hay? Would they also eat that?

[HappyHippy]

Kunes are slightly different from most pigs in that they are fibre eaters and traditionally, scavengers - surviving on very little food. . Adult Kunes will get by on grass alone in spring/summer when there is plenty of grass - they'll like it better if they get a bit of fruit and veg too though 
I tend to give 1lb of hard feed per pig, per day for the first year (just to make sure they're getting all the vitamins and minerals they need)
Our adults were out all winter (even in minus 20, the boar refused to come in  ) they do need more feeding through the winter if outside and a bit of hay/haylage doesn't go amiss. My field has a bare patch just where they are fed and it does get fairly wet and boggy (but it's fine when it's frozen  )
I would dispute that any pig, if well fed won't root (or root as much) - my 'big' pigs get plenty of feed and still churn the ground in the smaller pens, though we've just turned them out into 2 acres of meadow, so we'll see how long it takes them to trash that 
There's a place in Canada/USA called Sugar Mountain farm and they raise pasture reared pigs (with the addition of dairy by-products to suppliment the protein levels)
If you do a google search you should find it  Loads of info and the guy who owns it is really helpful if you email him.
I'm just off to see the carcass of an 11 month KK gilt which we're getting cut - she killed out at 38Kg and I'm off to check out the fat (or hopefully, lack thereof) I'll report back soon 
Karen 

[janeislay]

Our pigs eat hay and graze (i.e. eat the grass) happily.  They seem to root up the grass more in the winter, but the rest of the year they chomp on the grass, then do a bit of rooting, then back to the grazing again.

We're going to cut down their feed a bit, because they don't rush over for it; going to try feeding every second day and see if that suits better.

[princesspiggy]

Thanks Princess P. When you say 'grazing', do you mean they are chewing grass and digesting it? What about feeding silage or hay? Would they also eat that?

the GOS seem to graze the grass and swallow it. how much they digest i dont know but they are not skinny and need less hard than our tammies did at same age. we havnt had the GOS long enough to know what they will do with haylage but our tammies love it in winter and spend alot of time chewing it but they also spit out the chewed lumps. they help themselves to the ponies haylage - we dont deliberately feed it to them but they do enjoy it.

I would dispute that any pig, if well fed won't root (or root as much) - my 'big' pigs get plenty of feed and still churn the ground in the smaller pens,

we have the opposite problem with rooting, we have overgrown orchards and veggie plots that i would love to turned to mud so i can reseed them, im talking 5 ft thistles and docks, but the pigs just relax and have a snooze and i end up strimming it down instead! i think they are just too free range and need to folded in to work.
this year we have 4 tammie weaners in a small orchard infected badly by docks, ....im praying that by 6 mths itl be mud and all roots upturned at least!...we'l see...lol

[princesspiggy]

going to try feeding every second day and see if that suits better.

what breed are ur pigs, jane 

[HappyHippy]

I would dispute that any pig, if well fed won't root (or root as much) - my 'big' pigs get plenty of feed and still churn the ground in the smaller pens,

we have the opposite problem with rooting, we have overgrown orchards and veggie plots that i would love to turned to mud so i can reseed them, im talking 5 ft thistles and docks, but the pigs just relax and have a snooze and i end up strimming it down instead! i think they are just too free range and need to folded in to work.

I would agree - smaller areas and move them round to get it all churned up  You've got to give your Tammies a chance though - they're still just ickle 

We've done the butchery now - I think I'll start a seperate thread though and save taking this one off on a tangent 

[Hermit]

Robert, this is my plan so far. Where the pigs will go is wild , never used grass but will be next to a small field of Kale and other veg planted for them. Pig food is so expensive up here that we are planning on pasture / hay, which is homegrown fantasic stuff/ veg as main food with bagged food at a certain percent which we dont know yet. The soil is improved peat with rocky outcrops and a boggy spot ideal for a wallow. Hope it will be OK. Believe it or not Shetland winters are not as bad as south due to the gulf stream, they are just long... that is why we are studying pigs and feed before getting them. You can easily get Tamworths and Old Spots up here but we want more of a pasture pig and the Kune Kune is very friendly by all accounts.  
Very interesting thread, learning a lot.

[HappyHippy]

Hermit - Kunes are fantastic little pigs (I know I'm totally biased  ) but of all my pigs they are absolutely the easiest to keep and manage.
They come running for cuddles, LOVE belly rubs, follow a bucket ANYWHERE (even if it's empty  ) and are an absolute joy 
The meat they produce is dark, flavoursome and, kept the way I describe above, not fatty at all 
As long as your ground has dry areas they'll be okay or a hard standing area (such as a stable) for when it gets really wet & mucky - I thought our boar would have been desperate to get in last winter, not so - he loves outside !
If you're planning on breeding your own stock to raise to slaughter/sell you will need to get a boar, there's no AI for Kunes  But even fully grown boars are big soft lumps (who will bearly reach thigh height) and just as easy to keep.
There are loads of KK keepers in Scotland, you should come and visit some next time you're on the mainland 

[robert waddell]

hermit heard a story once of a guy that had a cheap source of feed (cauliflower) when he got the meat back even his dog would not touch it
it depends on how soft the peat is     usually when it gets stirred up it just goes to slabber
as hh says smaller areas for them but in reality the ground is just poached
you will still need bagged food just not as much as we would use on the mainland
breed or type of pig   is up to you what ever breed you want don't let anybody persuade you against that breed just because your neighbour has a breed of pig and it is easier to get from him/her
shelter is the most important aspect for pigs and it is windy in Shetland
if there is one thing you should do is weight record your pigs this tells you exactly how much you pork has cost to raise and over how long
and don't dismiss Hampshire's      they can survive the Scottish winter outside and they grow the quickest but i would say that

[SallyintNorth]

My OSB gilt grazes and loves hay.  I haven't tried her with silage. 

Today she climbed through the trough into the home paddock (she's supposed to be grazing and ploughing the weedy field next door) and spent the day keeping the weaned calves company grazing the better long grass.  She didn't rootle until early evening - presumeably by then she'd eaten as much grass as she could hold.  I had gone out to move her back to her own field earlier on but she was sooo happy at that point splashing about in a wet rushy hollow I hadn't the heart to evict her.

[Muc]

I got a reply today from the Specialist Pig Development Officer in Teagasc (the Irish farm advisory body):
 While pigs can eat grass they have very limited capacity to obtain nutrients from it. As they do not have a rumen, they cannot use grass in the same way as cattle or sheep. Pigs are monogastrics and so is your cat
Michael
Best Wishes

More food for thought.