Fussy Eaters

Triphammer

Does anybody else have fussy pigs?
I bought a pair of what seem to be Yorkshire piglets 5 weeks ago, 8 weeks old, and started them on Nature's Match pig & sow complete. & they're doing well. I picked up a bag of another feed as I was in a different feed store and they won't go near it. Not too big a concern. I bought a bag of pelleted sweet feed & they won't eat it, not even mixed with their Sow & Pig. They won't eat lettuce or broccoli from the garden but will eat grass & weeds cut from the hard. I pulled out a pear tree sapling that wasn't doing well and they stripped that clean. I trimmed a Mulberry tree and they ate every leaf. Oh and they love roasted salted peanuts.
Any ideas? or just live with it. They're putting on weight, they look great! I've just never had spoiled pigs before.

Stevie G

Triphammer wrote:

Does anybody else have fussy pigs?
I bought a pair of what seem to be Yorkshire piglets 5 weeks ago, 8 weeks old, and started them on Nature's Match pig & sow complete. & they're doing well. I picked up a bag of another feed as I was in a different feed store and they won't go near it. Not too big a concern. I bought a bag of pelleted sweet feed & they won't eat it, not even mixed with their Sow & Pig. They won't eat lettuce or broccoli from the garden but will eat grass & weeds cut from the hard. I pulled out a pear tree sapling that wasn't doing well and they stripped that clean. I trimmed a Mulberry tree and they ate every leaf. Oh and they love roasted salted peanuts.
Any ideas? or just live with it. They're putting on weight, they look great! I've just never had spoiled pigs before.

If they are growing and look good I wouldn't be too concerned. As seen they will make up there own minds.

Mountain

I have never fed my hogs, hog feed before, so I have no idea whether they would have eaten it or not. I always feed wheat/lentil mix boiled, or soaked for a couple of days in water. I also have fed a fair bit of barley mash that I get from a local micro brewery, they do not care so much for that, but if I feed some with the boiled grains they eat it. My hogs are in a large pasture so they eat a lot of grass and grass roots. I also chop up apples from our trees and feed apple pulp when in season, as well as some plum. I also feed a bit of soaked or boiled cracked corn the last month or so before slaughter. As for vegetable tailings, I always run them through the food processor before putting them in the hog bucket and then I pour the boiled grain over them to feed.

My hogs are eagerly awaiting there feeding times and eat everything I give them always.... I currently have a 665# boar I bought a month ago at the sale for $6.65 and I have been feeding him 6 to 8 pounds of boiled wheat/cracked corn each day mixed with about 8 pounds of apple pulp, that hog is in heaven.... He wasn't sure what to make of it at first but he soon discovered he really liked it. He has put on about 1/2 inch of fat in the month he has been here, ready to slaughter now...