The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: WinslowPorker on August 31, 2012, 06:25:07 pm
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Can u feed pigs crab apples or cookers? There seems to be loads of them about, so just wanted to send some in?? And while we are on the subject how about acorns??
WP :farmer:
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Mine love all types of apples. Pigs and acorns, you needed to ask? They love them thats why pigs are kept in Oak woodland. :thumbsup:
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Some of our pigs hoover crab apples with a passion, some others ignore them !
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the acorns will flavour the meat that is what the Italians want :farmer:
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I once ate a slice of air dried ham from a pig fed on acorns. Heavenly :yum: :yum: :yum:
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So do I simply go round the local acorn trees with a bucket and scoop up the acorns ? Green or brown?
May seem like amateurs questions but I hope you fellow pig keepers have the answers
Wp :wave:
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yes that is all you do but don't feed to much as they ferment but keep the questions coming :farmer:
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So do I simply go round the local acorn trees with a bucket and scoop up the acorns ? Green or brown?
May seem like amateurs questions but I hope you fellow pig keepers have the answers
Wp :wave:
We walk our pigs to the trees and let them browse for an hour or so - with plenty of acorns they don't dig. As long as bucket trained, they them walk happily back to their paddock.
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Ours have a big oak tree in their paddock so on self service as far as acorns go :yum:
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ok so all acorns are ok? green or brown?? and whilst on the subject how about elderberries and blackberries as we have loads of them surrounding another paddock
WP :farmer:
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No problem with elderberries or blackberries a pig won't eat anything thats poisonous.
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I doesn't seem to matter how many ex pig people I speak to round here .... Some say, only mulched apples, some say only fresh, some said only old ones, others only crab, some say none whatsoever. I dont think there is any true answer. I asked a vet once, he just said that just like anything else give it in moderation, not all at once otherwise they can get the runs. Too much change to the diet. Guess it makes sense :)
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I just throw a few apples at the pigs quite hard (1), well they are GOS so the black marks are supposed to be bruises from apples ... that is right isn't it :eyelashes:
Note 1 The above statement might be a bit of a fib
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We throw in a mix of cookers and dessert apples. The pigs go around tasting all the apples, eating the sweet ones first, then the cookers later!
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I just throw a few apples at the pigs quite hard (1), well they are GOS so the black marks are supposed to be bruises from apples ... that is right isn't it :eyelashes:
Note 1 The above statement might be a bit of a fib
As a fellow GOS keeper i totally believe this to be true :-J mine love all fruit bar citrus but looks like it will be in short supply this year, very few apples, no sloes or hedgerow fruit :gloomy: .
Mandy :pig:
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I noticed that too Mandy - yesterday, when I was out & about collecting Rowan berries (for making jelly :yum: )
No sloes, hawthorn berries, maybe a handful of crab apples - though maybe a good harvest of blackberries - if we get some :sunshine: & the :raining: isn't too heavy over the next week :fc:
It's gonna be a hard winter for wild birds - especially as most of us won't be able to afford to put masses of seed out for them (hard enough to make sure the stock gets enough this year ::) )