The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: gavin davies on March 09, 2013, 05:28:39 pm

Title: do they eat straw?
Post by: gavin davies on March 09, 2013, 05:28:39 pm

I have just been up with the pigs and put loads of fresh straw down for them in the ark and a full bale outside so they have some more solid ground outside ark and all three of them have had their heads buried in the straw and when they come up they are all chomping away like they have not eaten for a week is it usuall for them to eat straw or are they eating the ends is this normal

Thanks gavin

Title: Re: do they eat straw?
Post by: MAK on March 09, 2013, 05:33:03 pm

yes = normal for mine to nible overnight or if they don't go out because of snow.

Title: Re: do they eat straw?
Post by: ppd on March 09, 2013, 05:47:58 pm

They (or at least mine all do) chew the straw to chop it into smaller lengths. So what looks like a huge straw bed one day seems a lot less after being cut into smaller bits and squashed.
I also put some hay into the arks as they do like to lie in bed on a cold day and nibble on it ;D

Title: Re: do they eat straw?
Post by: sabrina on March 09, 2013, 06:37:43 pm

I did that when weather was not nice so they did not have to come out into the cold. I found they would eat hay on bad days.

Title: Re: do they eat straw?
Post by: JMB on March 09, 2013, 06:48:45 pm

Ours eat hay so I would imagine they'd eat straw too. One of our kk's likes carry straw around and decorate the field with bits of it too. Obviously a creative pig.
J xxx

Title: Re: do they eat straw?
Post by: oaklandspigs on March 09, 2013, 07:36:34 pm

Pigs will quite enthusiastically sift through straw for any wheatheads or oat heads that are left, and whilst they may swallow some straw or indeed chew some, I have not seem them eat it as such.  They love hay !

Title: Re: do they eat straw?
Post by: Mrs Snoodles on March 11, 2013, 10:05:16 am

Putting a bale in with piglets has got to be the absolute best entertainment ever - they go bonkers :)  :love:

Title: Re: do they eat straw?
Post by: hughesy on March 11, 2013, 10:19:05 am

True. All our pigs go nuts when the see a new bale of straw coming.

Title: Re: do they eat straw?
Post by: Fowgill Farm on March 11, 2013, 10:46:24 am

Quote from: Mrs Snoodles on March 11, 2013, 10:05:16 am

Putting a bale in with piglets has got to be the absolute best entertainment ever - they go bonkers :) :love:

i know its brilliant.....snow here this morning so put a small bale in and they had a whale of a time, going to wean them this week, they're absolute monsters!
mandy :pig:

Title: Re: do they eat straw?
Post by: Caemadoc on March 11, 2013, 08:54:02 pm

As others have said, they tend to root through Straw to find the sweet bits, if you can give them the occasional bale of Barley Straw they will be happy as a pig in s**w!! The majority of straw tends to be wheat.