what would you do??

[FL.Boy]

My FNL and MNL have 17 piglets that are 5 months old and 30-60 lbs way under weight, there feed a 12 % allstock feed that in my opinion is no good. It say's right on there feed bag that its a supplement for hay or pasture. I got 3 piglets off them about 3 months ago and my 3 are 120-150lbs. i have been feeding mine a 18% pig grower and on pasture. I talked them in to using the same feed as me but they mixed very little of it with the allstock the pigs were starting to gain a little, but then they stopped using it. My FNL gives them water at night when he feeds them but they knock it over and so they go with out water for 10 to 14 hours a day. me and my wife drop hints all the time that they need to get rid of them. Would just say out right how you feal and maybe ---- them off or just not say anything?

[Jennifer L.]

Doesn't sound like they are interested in caring for them at all. Could you take them all on and raise them for them? They are losing money hand over fist the way they aren't raising them right.

Jennifer

[uncle Will in In.]

Homesteaders over 100 years ago would say you can't starve a profit out of livestack. A 5 month old pig should weigh 200 pounds if cared for properly. Why do they have pigs??

[FL.Boy]

Originally Posted by Jennifer L.

Doesn't sound like they are interested in caring for them at all. Could you take them all on and raise them for them? They are losing money hand over fist the way they aren't raising them right.

Jennifer

No i couldn't take them all. Yes they are losing money hand over fist but they seam to be asleep at the wheel if you know what i mean.


uncle Will in In. Homesteaders over 100 years ago would say you can't starve a profit out of livestock. A 5 month old pig should weigh 200 pounds if cared for properly.

That's what i been saying that they should be around 200 lbs.

Why do they have pigs??

Well i talked a long time about getting pigs but was doing as much home work as i could before i started. They had goat's and looking at getting cows next thing i know they got pigs

Like i said i got 3 from them when they were 2 months old and mine are 120-150 lbs still a little small but they are growing unlike there's. They see mine all the time and the big picture is still not sinking in.

They penned there goats up about a month ago and with out hay and pasture and just that junk feed the goats are now looking rough.

[FL.Boy]

It's also a sweet feed and the flies are so bad.


It gets me a little upset

[Danaus29]

I'd say it right out front. Tell them to get rid of the animals. This is cruelty and has no excuse. If they won't give the animals food and water I would call the Humane Society.

[FL.Boy]

They feed them just in my opinion the feed is not putting weight on them.

[fin29]

What about worms? Have they been wormed? That might be causing some of the problem...

[fantasymaker]

Originally Posted by Danaus29

I'd say it right out front. Tell them to get rid of the animals. This is cruelty and has no excuse. If they won't give the animals food and water I would call the Humane Society.

Just cause they chose to raise them slow isnt cruel. It may not be the most effciant but not cruel. Didnt you read the post? They are getting food and water.

What I dont understand is why they chose the much more expensive way to feed them.Id rather buy a small amount of expencive food rather than alot of cheep feed but some people are so stupid they cant see past the price on the bag.
Now WATER is cheep, everyone should know water is the cheepest weight you will put on them and most encourage hogs to drink all they will.

[luvrulz]

I'd speak up about it and tell them what I thought........! JMO, but they don't deserve animals if they're not going to be providing the very best they can, under the circumstances.

[Lilandra]

if you are close enough - you feed them. tell your inlaws that they are loosing money on the poor dears (including their goats) and you will take over the chores. have them give you money to go buy feed and buy the best you can and make sure they have water with electrolites in it to boost their health. check out grocery stores for spoiled produce and see if you can supliment their diet with that.

good luck - you do need to step up and care for these poor animals or its all going to be a very wasteful and expensive harvest of poor quality meat in the end

[homesteadforty]

I'm with you Fantasymaker. It often seems that folks on these various forums are selective in their reading and understanding... many are also quick to judge and recommend the most Draconian measures before/without understanding the whole issue.

Before I would jump to a judgement and report someone for animal cruelty I would have to at least ask what breed of pigs they are... so I could have some rudimentary information regarding what their weight should be.

There also seems to be a rampant attitude that: if you ain't doing it the way I do/would... then you ain't doing it properly.

I'm not saying that anyone is right or wrong, merely that I for one don't have enough information to judge.

[bumpus]

.
Young pigs need 18 % to grow and about 12 % to finish.

Right now the worms are eating and growing better than the pigs are.

Without the right % they will take longer to grow.


bumpus
.

[themamahen]

Originally Posted by Wind in Her Hair

those shoats are stunted and going nowwhere -They're malnourished and slowly being starved to death and will never amount to anything! I'd call a spade a spade and recommend they stop throwing money into them and unload 'em off the feed bill as soon as possible.

At 5 months - they oughta be in prime slaughtering weight - 220-240 pounds or better. If the ones you have are only 100-150 pounds, YOURS ain't doing so well neither!

Maybe because they were already stunted when he got them.

[Patt]

Originally Posted by FL.Boy

My FNL and MNL have 17 piglets that are 5 months old and 30-60 lbs way under weight, there feed a 12 % allstock feed that in my opinion is no good. It say's right on there feed bag that its a supplement for hay or pasture. I got 3 piglets off them about 3 months ago and my 3 are 120-150lbs. i have been feeding mine a 18% pig grower and on pasture. I talked them in to using the same feed as me but they mixed very little of it with the allstock the pigs were starting to gain a little, but then they stopped using it. My FNL gives them water at night when he feeds them but they knock it over and so they go with out water for 10 to 14 hours a day. me and my wife drop hints all the time that they need to get rid of them. Would just say out right how you feal and maybe ---- them off or just not say anything?

Well first I'll say yours sound fine to me for pigs on pasture with supplimental feed. We pasture grow ours and we don't get pigs over 200 lbs by 5 months. Longer slower growing on more natural food and on grass produces much better tasting meat. Ours don't go hungry and they have plenty of water and wallow areas.

I assume your in-laws are on a dry lot? In that case my first strategy would be to do something about their watering system. Get them something that can't be knocked over. I think the idea about offering to get their feed when you get yours is a good one. Tell them they are going to lose money in the long run and the best thing they can do at this point is fatten them out and get them sold.

Are they planning on selling the hogs or the meat?

[bumpus]

.
All store bought feed does is raise animals faster.

Pig slop, table scraps,. can do just as good if not better.

Hogs can fatten on nothing but what is in the woods, weeds, grass, roots acorns, water, dirt, etc.

They don't need feed or corn.

bumpus
.

[Otter]

Originally Posted by homesteadforty

I'm with you Fantasymaker. It often seems that folks on these various forums are selective in their reading and understanding... many are also quick to judge and recommend the most Draconian measures before/without understanding the whole issue.

Before I would jump to a judgement and report someone for animal cruelty I would have to at least ask what breed of pigs they are... so I could have some rudimentary information regarding what their weight should be.

There also seems to be a rampant attitude that: if you ain't doing it the way I do/would... then you ain't doing it properly.

I'm not saying that anyone is right or wrong, merely that I for one don't have enough information to judge.

Unless they are potbellies, that is way to small for that age. And even for potbellies, that's kind of small. I don't care how you are raising them. There is a difference between slow-grown and barely-enough nutrition-to-stay-alive. Those animals are definitely stunted from starvation.

[Otter]

Originally Posted by FL.Boy

My FNL and MNL have 17 piglets that are 5 months old and 30-60 lbs way under weight, there feed a 12 % allstock feed that in my opinion is no good. It say's right on there feed bag that its a supplement for hay or pasture. I got 3 piglets off them about 3 months ago and my 3 are 120-150lbs. i have been feeding mine a 18% pig grower and on pasture. I talked them in to using the same feed as me but they mixed very little of it with the allstock the pigs were starting to gain a little, but then they stopped using it. My FNL gives them water at night when he feeds them but they knock it over and so they go with out water for 10 to 14 hours a day. me and my wife drop hints all the time that they need to get rid of them. Would just say out right how you feal and maybe ---- them off or just not say anything?

They are being starved. I would tell them to look at the difference between yours that are fed and theirs and ask them to let you have the animals before someone reports them. Say it like your doing them a favor. "Hey, let me save you the trouble...etc"

[bumpus]

Originally Posted by FL.Boy

My FNL gives them water at night when he feeds them but they knock it over and so they go with out water for 10 to 14 hours a day.

If they are knocking it over it's because they have drank the water and are not thirsty.

If they have a mud hole they are drinking out of it.

bumpus
.

[soulsurvivor]

And my question would be, what's the general health of your in-laws? Are they physically capable themselves of maintaining livestock? Judging from what you said, I'd have to investigate that before proceeding any further.