[nat2211]

Hello,

I am new to this site so not sure if my message will make any sense! I am also new to looking after pigs!. I have 6 saddleback pigs who are 11 weeks old. I have been feeding them pig creep until they were 10 weeks old, then moved onto grower pellets. I have been told they need to eat these pellets until they are 16weeks old is this true? I also feed them left over fruit etc twice a day. I am working on the information that they should not have more then 6lbs of food a day? I believe i have 2 males & 4 females, this is only a guess due to certain genital parts!  I really don't want to make myself sound stupid & i hope i haven't, but i have tried to research as much as i can on the internet but keep getting different information all the time! I don't not what to believe. I do not know any local pig farmers otherwise i would have asked for help.
I have lots of questions regarding these 6 pigs, they are very friendly & even allow me to scratch their bellies! But i have noticed their skin is very flaky is this normal? They seem to have quite a few scratches & bites on them from each other, is this because i have 2 males? Also do the females have to be a certain age before they start to mate? Again i apologise for my ignorance, but i am trying to make sure i am looking after them well!!
Any advice would be greatly received!!!!
Natalie  :pig

[BillyBerridge]

Hi Nat,

Welcome to the forum.

First thing I would say, is when you say someone has told you no more than 6 pounds of a food a day..  what do you mean by it, now or when they are mature?

The general rule of thumb is to feed just less than a pound of food per day per month of life up untill 6 months of age then keep them at 5 pounds of feed.
Its also important to take into consideration all the forage they are getting grass plants etc, and of course the fruit and veg you give them. You can supplement there diet up to 1 third fruit veg etc.
So make sure if your feeding both to reduce the pig nuts slightly.

The next question I would ask is.. and don't take this the wrong way, what do you mean you think you have 2 boars and 4 gilts? The difference should be pretty clear if you catch my drift!

There's nothing wrong with running boars and gilts together if you are bringing them on for meat. You should'nt have too much of a problem sexually before the age of 5-6 months.

That said you may find the boars will grow quicker than the gilts and may turn into bully's so keep you eye on them and if you see signs of ovbious agression or they are stealing all the food they should be seperated.

The flakey skin is proberly nothing, I would'nt worry to much about it unless the pigs look uncomfortable. Do you know if the breeder wormed the pigs before sale?

You should really buy some books they will be a gret help to you, One's to look out for are.. Starting with Pigs by Andy Case its a really good reference book for beginners and Andy's a really nice chap too!

The other to look out for is called Teach yourself Pig keeping by Tony York this ones a bit more indepth than starting with pigs also a great book for beginners!

Where about in the country are you?

[nat2211]

Hi Billy,
 
Thank you very much for the prompt reply & welcoming me to the forum What a great forum it is! I have ordered "Starting with Pigs" by Andy Case but since we have a postal strike i am still waiting for delivery. Hence my desperate plea on here, 

I am feeding them roughly 2lbs a day of growers pellets with some veg & fruit, they are being kept indoors (in a large stable) & are being kept for meat.

I realise how silly that sounded after i read it back to myself.  :'(Yes it is obvious that i have 2 males ( boars) & 4 females ( gilts) something new i have learned from you. Thank you! Is it OK for both boars to be kept together? There does seem to be abit of fighting as one gilt has a few war wounds on her. Is this a sign they need to be separated? Can the 2 boars be kept together if separated from gilts?

I'm not sure if the seller did worm them before sale, but i have not seen any worms in their poo but do you recommend i should worm them?
 
Thank you again for the advice

I am located in sunny somerset. 

[BillyBerridge]

Thats proberly about right amount of food if there fairly confined indoors...

But if were you I would build them a pen out side 6 weaners will soon out grow a stable and its most likely the cause of the fighting.

Traditional pigs (Rare Breeds) I.e saddlebacks will not flurish in that environment and the meat they will produce will be a direct result of the life they have lead,  meat wise you run the risk of very fatty meat.

Not to mention the other possible draw backs of keeping them in this way to name but a few possible on sets of pneumonia, fighting, tail biteing the list goes on!

All in all your pigs will not be the happyist they can be!

I really do urge you to get them outside as soon as you can.

If the time comes and you do need to seperate the boars from the gilts or even seperate them into different groups according to size they all still get on regardless of sex.

I definately worm them if your not sure aswell, theres many different types on the market my personal choice is an injection wormer worming in this way ensure 's each pig gets the correct dosage.

Theres loads of pig breeders round somerset/devon try looking some up on the BPA website British Pig accociation the vast majority will be happy for you to go and visit them for ideas and advice!

[Hilarysmum]

Please, please, please take B.B. 's advice and get your pigs outside as ap.  If you want to keep them indoors then you would be far better with indoor pigs.

[nat2211]

Hello,
 
Thank you all for your helpful replies, I very much appreciate all the help. The pigs are being moved outside over the next few days, i am just making sure the pig pen outside is secure as we are quite close to a main road.

Are there any pigs that are suitable for keeping indoors? as i have quite a few large barns & would like to rear for meat.

I just need to clarify, each individual pig should be eating 2lbs of food a day as they are 11 weeks old? I am feeding them twice a day whilst they are indoors?

I will add some photos of them & would appreciate any feedback on how they are looking.
 

[BillyBerridge]

Yes at 11 weeks your pigs will be fine on 2lb per day whilst they are inside.

When you take them out side a would increase it slighty to 2 and a half pounds but keep feeding the veg aswell.

When they go outside they will need that bit more because of the cold at this time of year, indoors they dont need as much because its warmer and there not moving around as much hence no using the energy.

If you want to go down the route of indoor pig rearing then there are lots of breeds suitable (landrace,large white, hampshire, welsh, duroc, pietrain crosses but thats if you can get your hands on any) however they will not produce the same quality meat and indoor pig rearing brings many challanges  it's nowhere near as easy as outdoor rearing. For example indoor rearing legally you must provide your pigs with activety I.e toys, you must ensure they get a certain amount os space per pig, you will be constantly giving them fresh straw, you need to ensure you have the correct amount of light going in, you need to ensure you have the correct ventilation and even on top of these factors you will always end up with far more health problems indoors, I.e rhinitis, pneumonia, joint problems of fast growing commercial pigs, tail biteing, bullying... the list goes on and on..

If were you I would try your hand at tarditional breeds outdoors before you venture indoors! Not mention the only people making any money in pigs at the moment are the people with rare breeds, although on the scale most people tend to rear rare breeds the money only just covers cost with a bit on top!

Do you have a market for the meat already and a buthcher lined up to cut it?

[kwillett]

Hi Nat,

Will be great to get your pigs outside, you will see a complete difference in them! Can I ask how you are doing your fencing? if you are near a main road you should have stock netting and electric fencing too, they can be very good at escaping!

There are a few pig breeds you can keep indoors Large whites, Hampshire etc just not Rare Breeds! it all depends on the type of meat you are wanting at the end of it?!

You should always feed your pigs twice a day, morning and evening, and always go by the rule of thumb that Billy said:- to feed just less than a pound of food per day per month of life up untill 6 months of age then keep them at 5 pounds of feed.
Its also important to take into consideration all the forage they are getting grass plants etc, and of course the fruit and veg you give them. You can supplement there diet up to 1 third fruit veg etc.

If you stick with that rule your pigs will do very well, just make sure they don't get too fatty!

 

[nat2211]

I have tried up loading photos but the file is to big so until i work out how to change that, i can not show you any photos as of yet. 

I have spent the day moving my 6 pigs into their new out door pen which i have used stock fencing & also electrice fencing!  When i said main road, i mean a country road, but tractors are up & down nearly every 10 Min's so do not want to risk causing an accident with a pig on the run. 

What a brilli rainy afternoon i have had, just watching my pigs outside, it was quite a mission to get them in to the pen as they were over whelmed by everything else around them, but once in their pen all the fun & games began. What a brilliant feeling it gave me to see them so playful, running around, playing in the mud, it was brilliant. Thank you all for the advice!

as you may guess i am becoming slightly attached to all 6, & have even named 2, i know you are not meant to but i am thinking of keeping a gilt & a boar back to maybe breed from? is this advisable & achieveable?  I think i will try outdoor rearing as this seems more practical especially for me being a newbie! 

As for the question of what happens when the times comes to say goodbye, this responsibility is being passed over to my partner who has already organised a butcher & market for the meat as i would never bring myself to say good bye

[Hilarysmum]

There are pigs that are "suitable" for raising indoors, but why would you do that?  If raising pigs free range out of doors you can charge a premium for your meat.  If you raise indoors all you will have is cheap meat that cant compete price wise with the big boys. 

All pigs should live outdoors, be able to graze and run around.  Thats the natural way.

[BillyBerridge]

glad to hear they arfe outside I bet you have seen big change in there behaviour already!

I dont mean to keep putting the holters on you but Its not adviseable to start breeding pigs with such little expereince learn to walk before you can run!

Breeding can be hard work and shouldnt be under taken until you are a little more expiernced!

The reason not to keep a Gilt & a Boar is they are proberly related! You dont want piglets with 8 legs and 2 heads!

[BillyBerridge]

Agreed but thats only possible in an ideal world which is far from the world we live in!

[kwillett]

Completly agree with Billy, their is alot to learn with pigs before breeding should even be considered. Try having a few different breeds for meat and see which you prefer for meat taste and also character, all breeds are different!

Glad they are outside now, I bet they are enjoying it

 

[nat2211]

Thanks,
i realise that breeding is for more experienced keepers, & hopefully one day i will achieve this but i am just going to take it one day at a time & see how i manage with these 6 first.

I agree that pigs should live & roam free as nature intended but i am limited on ground hence why i asked about indoor rearing.

These are all just ideas at the moment, i would not attempt to breed until i am more experienced so please don't worry, i am not going to sprint before learning to walk! I am just very eager. 

I will leave the tasting part to family & friends, can not bring myself to eat one of these little chaps!!

[MiriMaran]

If you are worried about your ground would it be possible to have the pigs in one of the barns at night and then let them out in the day or maybe just in the afternoon.  If the barn really is big and they have lots of veg to forage and toys to play with it could be feasible.