[David @ Hector Blooms]

Hi all, I'm very new to pig rearing and going along the organic, I have three GOS weaners (Cagney, Lacey and officer Petrie) and thanks to Mandy at Fowgill Farm for the piggies, lots of advice and support, it's a really enjoyable experience for me and my piggies.  I am feeding them sow and weaner nuts but also intend giving them veg/fruit to supplement their diet, only tried carrots (they like them) but not savoy cabbage, lol.  Other than alum type veg, any suggestions?

Support and advice always accepted graciously, thanks 

[Eastling]

You could try cooking the cabbage. You can also feed potatoes but they must be cooked. (OBVIOUSLY NOT IN YOUR KITCHEN)  Ours like squash, courgette i think its a case of trial and error, try them on what you are growing but most things sweet seem to go down well.. Strawberries also go down very well.
Good luck and enjoy can't beat GOS but i'm slightly biased   
Mandy is lovely and very helpful

[David @ Hector Blooms]

Thanks Eastling,
I will try some of the things you suggested, GOS were my first and only choice,  read about different temperaments and traits of other breeds, having small children opted for these.
Mandy is lovely and talks about her GOS with such passion, suppose it's like anything in life, the more you put in the more you get in return  I too have become biased about the GOS breed 

[Ina]

I seem to remember pigs used to be fed (at least partly) on fodder beet/turnips... Possibly cooked, too. (At least  that's what friends of mine fed - they grew all their own pig feed; mostly barley and turnip.)

[HappyHippy]

Any kind of fruit will be much appreciated  They're not so keen on citrus and you don't want to give them loads of any one thing (moderation and variety) But mine LOVE melon, banana's and kiwi fruit - no need to peel or chop either 
Sweet potatoes (boiled outside) are a hit with mine too.
HTH & good luck with your piggies 

[Ina]

Mmh. I think I'll come back as one of your pigs in my next life. They seem to be fed better than I am!

[Eastling]

HH Mine must be fussy as they don't like banana skins, they had to be peeled 

[Bodger]

Mine love bananas and really appreciate the occasional skin that accidentally gets thrown into them from time to time.

[HappyHippy]

HH Mine must be fussy as they don't like banana skins, they had to be peeled 

What spoilt piggies you have  We peel the banana's for the youngsters though too 

[David @ Hector Blooms]

Thank you for all your suggestions, I was going to get kiwi the other day but didn't cos I was prompted that I shouldn't, why did I pick that time to listen to advice, lol 

[Ina]

Be careful if you feed non-organic banana skins, though. Bananas are one of the most sprayed crops of all, and then the entire hand gets dipped in chemicals before transport.

[Button End Beasts]

Peeling bananas? Mine "peel" their own if they dont like the skins!
David - you'll find one lot of pigs like something and then another lot wont like the same thing! It always amazes me how different pigs like different things. Before keeping pigs, I'd always assumed that all pigs ate EVERYTHING. For instance, found a few potatoes from the allotment lurking in the shed. Some we ate, the other tiny ones which were starting to sprout we threw (uncooked) into the pigs. The OSBs wouldnt touch them, the Kunes loved them!
Another thing the OSBs hate is aubergine and red pepper! Considering their run looks like the somme, youd think theyd eat them up!

[Fowgill Farm]

Hi David
Thank you and the others for your kind words, been off-line for 24hrs as we had a massive power outage which totally wussed the computer! As everyone has already said its a bit trial and error on what they will & won't eat. All mine seem to have sweet tooths if thats any help.
Just one word of warning.... be careful by calling anything 'organic' even if you do as i do and follow the organic principles of keeping pigs you cannot call any of your meat or pigs 'organic' without paying a very hefty fee to the soil assosciation and their accreditation can take upto 3yrs to get. We tend to use free range and traditional as descriptions.
HTh. Hope the girls are behaving themselves, i do miss our cuddles but sure they're havingloads at yours.
All the best
Mandy
 

[Ina]

be careful by calling anything 'organic' even if you do as i do and follow the organic principles of keeping pigs you cannot call any of your meat or pigs 'organic' without paying a very hefty fee to the soil assosciation and their accreditation can take upto 3yrs to get.

Please note: The Soil Association is only one of many different accreditation organisations! They are the biggest in the UK, and would dearly love to be the only one (they are certainly the ones who shout loudest) - but they aren't.

And, of course, you are not allowed to feed anything that's been in your kitchen!!! (That's got nothing to do with organic, that's for everybody. So only feed bananas straight from your shopping bag, without taking them into  the kitchen first. Or veg straight from the garden. As we all do, of course.  )

[David @ Hector Blooms]

Brilliant, lots of info and reading it suggests that little piggies can be pretty much like us, fussy eaters, lol.  Will look for other "organic"  associations Mandy, I do remember seeing a list of them somewhere, quite a few though and yes, they are getting cuddles, nudges and belly rubs, they even come up and lay by my feet in anticipation of tickles
And thanks to you Mandy, they have such a calm temperament, I'm enjoying this as I thought I would and more