The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: WoodlandsDevon on June 12, 2015, 06:43:00 pm

Title: Raising 2 weaners, Advice please...
Post by: WoodlandsDevon on June 12, 2015, 06:43:00 pm
How much space is ideal for 2 weaners reared for 6 months and what what quantities should I be feeding them?
thanks
Title: Re: Raising 2 weaners, Advice please...
Post by: Sudanpan on June 12, 2015, 07:02:15 pm
Space -pretty much what you want to give them. We have an area about 15m x 20m which we use as our pig paddock - we generally raise 3 or 4 weaners, starting off with a smaller area and then increasing the range over the time. Essentially the smaller the area the more it will get trashed.... :roflanim:
Feeding wise - the rule of thumb is 1 lb hard feed for each month of age - generally divided for feeding in 2 lots each day. IE a 2 month old weaner will get 2lbs food a day.
Caveat - some people feel that the max amount to feed is about 5 lbs a day otherwise they can run to fat (depends on space/breed/other food they can forage)
Enjoy!
Title: Re: Raising 2 weaners, Advice please...
Post by: WoodlandsDevon on June 13, 2015, 08:59:52 am
Ok, thanks for the advice.
Is there any other food apart from pig pellets I can feed them? Maybe potatoes bought from a wholesaler or hay??
Title: Re: Raising 2 weaners, Advice please...
Post by: harmony on June 13, 2015, 09:22:11 am
Pigs need pellets. You can supplement the pellets with vegetables but nothing from your kitchen. Hay is not pig feed. If you have a veggie plot they will love anything spare. Pound for pound you need a lot more vegetables than pellets.
Title: Re: Raising 2 weaners, Advice please...
Post by: kate7590 on June 15, 2015, 11:10:59 am
Sorry to hi-jack, but do you need to feed veg or can they thrive on pellets alone?
Title: Re: Raising 2 weaners, Advice please...
Post by: Small Plot Big Ideas on June 15, 2015, 12:19:40 pm
Pellets alone is fine as it provides a properly balanced diet


I always feed mostly pellets but I've been working on the principle that you can swap some of the pellets at a ratio of about 4:1 - i.e. 1 kg of pellets can be replaced by 4 kg of fruit/veg


Some veg may not be suitable though so be cautious but a good mixture with not too much of any one thing should be okay - for example I've read that parsnips may cause ulcers or pregnancy problems.