Just checking to see if this is normal, we picked up three feeder pigs this last Sunday, the farmer said they had been weaned for over a week when we got them. They were all up and around, there were fifteen for us to choose from, I picked out three that were larger and very active and we took them home. We wanted them to help clear an area as they root, so I put them in an area 50x50, gave them feed & water. When we first put them in the pen they seemed excited to root. Well I leave for work before 6am and don’t get home until almost 6pm so all week all I have seen them do is sleep. My boys water them everyday so I’m not sure how much water they are drinking, but the feed has been eaten but not that much. So I guess I am just worried because all I see them do is sleep, I know all babies sleep a lot, that’s when they do their growing, but I just need to know there is nothing I should be worried about. Thanks for your input.
Will When you get home and find them asleep wake them up Get in the pen with them after you wake them and note there reaction! Healthy pigs are naturaly curious animals. Set and talk to them and see how they respond. Take them a treat or toy and see how they respond. Pigs that are not hungry or stimulated tend to sleep Mr Wanda Mike
I just got my first pigs too! When they first got here I had to wake them up, just as Wanda suggested. They didn't eat much at first either. Now, you can't feed them enough! Good Luck and happy pig farming!
What age are they? My little ones are weaned naturally and they are extremely active in the mornings and evenings but during the day it is too hot. I've two litters that are six weeks and one litter that is four weeks. They get out of their mothers' pen and roam all over It is cute to watch them. I am sure they can be completely weaned now but the sows are doing the work for me and still nurse once a day. They would probably need a few days to adjust away from this place. Maybe that is what is happening with your little ones. Good thing you have three together. They can keep each other company Make sure they get extra protein. Can domestic pigs be stunted? Wild pigs can be.
Thanks Mike, I did wake them last night when I got home, and they all ran from me at first, then I just crouched down near their food, sit still for a few minutes talking to them softly and they came around. They still wouldn’t let me touch them (yet) but they would eat with me right there. I don’t think they had too much human contact before I got them; I will be patient and let them get use to me. Thanks again for the advice, and thanks everyone for your input. Tango, I don't remember what kind he told me they were , they are white with faint black patches on their lower back and head.
Hi Will, My guess is that the little pigs are tanking up on all the green stuff in the pen, and ignoring the feed, if they look healthy, they probably are. (BTW, Lincoln was also a Lawyer....)
Here it's hot enough that the pigs aren't all that active by the end of the day. If you have pigs that don't "eat like pigs" and get full, that is a good trait to have in a warmer climate. Pigs that over eat in hot weather die of heat exhaustion
