The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: alang on November 09, 2020, 07:19:47 pm

Title: Stone sucking
Post by: alang on November 09, 2020, 07:19:47 pm
Been working with pigs on a large scale for a number of years now and one thing i have never understood is the stone sucking they do. Does anyone have an answered as to why they do it?
Title: Re: Stone sucking
Post by: arobwk on November 11, 2020, 12:43:02 am
What ?  No piggy members offering any thoughts yet !?
Well, alang, this non-piggy member is going to suggest:

(a) minerals (even though sucking might involve only slight absorption compared to, say, a "lick") or
(b) um .. ah .. um;  I don't know  :)
Title: Re: Stone sucking
Post by: Rupert the bear on November 11, 2020, 01:28:15 am
Ah yes, my stone is better than your stone and your not having it.
I noticed on the unit That I worked on it was maybe 3 or 4 sows with stones they had
Found ,sometimes they could be quite possessive over them,always amusing to see them put them down when they
Entered the feeders then collecting them up as they left.
I was told that it was a way of stimulating the production of saliva.
Anyway better the sows running about with a stone than causing mayhem with an old sleeper or tractor tyre
In this shed !
Title: Re: Stone sucking
Post by: arobwk on November 12, 2020, 10:43:16 pm
And:  I have lost them both, but I did have two stones that I used to keep in various pockets so that I could play with them through my fingers as a sort of sensual calmer.  Their texture/shapes were so nice.  I wonder whether the piggies are doing the same (without pockets and leaving aside any nutrient benefits)!?


[I do not wish to suggest, alang, that your pigs are not happy with your stewardship.]
Title: Re: Stone sucking
Post by: Rupert the bear on November 12, 2020, 11:08:02 pm
And:  I have lost them both, but I did have two stones that I used to keep in various pockets so that I could play with them through my fingers as a sort of sensual calmer.  Their texture/shapes were so nice.  I wonder whether the piggies are doing the same (without pockets and leaving aside any nutrient benefits)!?


[I do not wish to suggest, alang, that your pigs are not happy with your stewardship.]

Oh gosh ! A Gentleman's "thing " .Thats making me laugh, but thats the way my mind works.
Title: Re: Stone sucking
Post by: arobwk on November 12, 2020, 11:29:03 pm
And:  I have lost them both, but I did have two stones that I used to keep in various pockets so that I could play with them through my fingers as a sort of sensual calmer.  Their texture/shapes were so nice.  I wonder whether the piggies are doing the same (but without side-pockets and leaving aside any nutrient benefits)!?

[I do not wish to suggest, alang, that your pigs are not happy with your stewardship.]

Oh gosh ! A Gentleman's "thing " .Thats making me laugh, but thats the way my mind works.

??  but may I suggest Rtb that you take a walk on a pebbly beach (or maybe up a gravely river or even across a field) and find yourself a pebble/shell fragment/stone that excites your finger tips !!  It might take quite a while to find one, but I can promise you it will be worth the search and you will know when you pick it up and play it through your fingers!!   :)   
I don't recommend that you should put any such findings in your mouth, but that's up to you !  ;) :D
Title: Re: Stone sucking
Post by: alang on November 14, 2020, 09:24:43 am
[I do not wish to suggest, alang, that your pigs are not happy with your stewardship.]

No offence taken. I am still amused by the stone sucking/chewing. The pigs generally dig down in the earth/sand for the minerals should they need it. The stones are normally deposited in their water barrels/trough and feed trough.
Title: Re: Stone sucking
Post by: harmony on November 14, 2020, 11:20:51 am
I don't know the answer to your question but as you'll know they do like to pick up things and investigate them in their mouths so it maybe linked to that.


My other half once lost a set of three keys from his work keyring between the drive gate and the house. They turned up outside the pig shed. Weaners had been running on the yard and picked them up.
Title: Re: Stone sucking
Post by: arobwk on November 16, 2020, 09:52:21 pm
Just to say I've found the smallest of my stones in the corner of a disused jacket pocket - it was the really slippery one and the best one ! :)