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Author Topic: grow your own fodder?  (Read 2401 times)

County Dangler

  • Joined Aug 2013
grow your own fodder?
« on: August 20, 2013, 02:10:35 pm »
How viable is it to grow the most part of your pigs fodder?

I am looking at getting a couple of wieners to fatten up this coming spring and the resarch i have done suggests that a large part of the cost is feed. I have plenty of room to grow fruit and veg but there must be a good reason why many don't grow there own? i understand that there has to be a change in diet come fattening time and was thinking i could make the protein part up with perhaps fish?

Is it worth the hassle of growing your own fodder and if so what should i be looking at growing?

cheers
« Last Edit: August 20, 2013, 02:20:27 pm by County Angler »

Liam_86

  • Joined Apr 2013
Re: grow your own fodder?
« Reply #1 on: August 20, 2013, 02:53:20 pm »
its worth looking at, you can grow fruit and beg which means you will get extra tasty pork.

The feed is expensive, but this last time i fed my pigs on a 'general mix' from the feed mill. This is generally fed to cattle but the pigs seemed to like it and mixed with a good amount of fruit and veg the pork has turned out fantastic!!

The cost of pig nuts in my area is about £8 per 25KG sack...the general mix worked out at half that.

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: grow your own fodder?
« Reply #2 on: August 20, 2013, 03:28:32 pm »

It's a good idea to grow fruit and veg and give the waste / spare to the pigs - they'll love it and you'll taste it in the meat  :yum:

But in terms of growing and,mixing the entire ration yourself... You would need to look into the legality of using fishmeal as protein. You would also need a license for mixing your own feed.

Alternative protein sources include milk, peas, soya.

If you haven't seen it already, have a look at Prof Sandra Edwards' document on raw materials for feeding pigs.  You can download it from the BPA here
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

shygirl

  • Joined May 2013
Re: grow your own fodder?
« Reply #3 on: August 20, 2013, 03:47:37 pm »
laziness is the reason we never grew much for them! as we have to garden by hand.
if we had a little harrow, tractor etc then i would love to grow an acre of tatties, greens, neeps etc for them.
simples

Bodger

  • Joined Jul 2009
Re: grow your own fodder?
« Reply #4 on: August 20, 2013, 04:42:12 pm »
Fruit and veg is a tasty addition but you wont fatten weaners on them alone. As I say a tasty addition to a weaners diet but the majority of their food will still have to be grain based.

 

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