We have 2 'rescue' pot belly sows. When we first got them they would barge down the fences and walk down the road and terrorise (well, maybe a bit strong a word) the neighbours, but now (a year later) they have settled in just fine and are in a fenced paddock with 3 ewes and 1 ewe lamb. They get scraps whenever there is any and a pot belly pig feed (that we get in 15 kg bags from the feed mill - oh, how long should this last?) twice a day.The sheep will try and get in on the food but the pigs eventually show them whos boss. As the days are now getting hotter i was wondering if we could take out one of their daily "pig feed" feeds and replace it with dog food that has been soaked in water for a few minutes. I read this somewhere (cant remember where) but just wanna check if its safe. Also, reading other posts here, people are saying how they are aggressive and will eat chickens etc, these pigs *i think* were brought up as "pets" and are now quite "tame", although they dont like being touched or moved all that much, they will come when we call them for their feeds and have never bitten etc also the eating chickens and new borns thing, our lamb was born in that pen and is a very small breed, they didnt take any notice. we also have a few spare roos that free range through that paddock and they dont take any notice of them either. sorry this is so long, just wanted to share my situation and see if it is suitable etc Thanks :worship:
Grover used to feed his poy bellies dry dog food with out soaking he just added some corn to it thats all.
Thanks, The only reason i was thinking of soaking it was because of the extra moisture in the heat, also with the scraps... they seem to like "sloppy" stuff more than dry
just a note, I do think it is possible to train a pig not to bite just like cats, dogs and children are taught. but just like cats , dogs and children~you may get bit anyway~ When my father was a boy, he had a hamshire sow that he let suck on his fingers from time she was weaned, he had carried her home inside his shirt, [if I recall correctly] so she was very young, [I think he earned her in trade for work done for the pig breeder] when he took her to be bred, his mother asked, how he would know which one was his, his answer was "simple, she will come up and suck on my fingers". Grandma had worried he might loose his fingers before he found his pig. This sow would also ride in the front seat of a car. and when she was little, he gave her a ticking clock and a shirt he had worn so she wouldn't be lonely at night.
I have 2 pot bellies 1 adult male and a 1 year old female my wife bottle fed ours graze with the rest of the animals and get a little sweet feed every evening. The male is a "free range" pig and he thinks he is a horse often visiting our neighbors horses but always comes home every evening and does not seem to bother anybody. He will eat from a bucket but does not like to be touched but the female "porkchop" loves to be petted and scratched.
Pig chow, and dog chow are unnecessary expenses if they are pastured. They will get their protein from worms, grubs and carrion. I just give mine treats of whole kernal (shell) corn at like 7 dollars per hundred pounds from the grain mill. For a swineherd of around 30 pigs they get a daily treat of three large coffee cans per day, 4 in the winter. It averages out to about 40 dollars per month. Shell corn is better than cracked otherwise the sheep will go wild for the sweets.
i have a rescue pig as well. if you pasture them in the summer, you don't need to feed them at all. i think you will find that they are really good at putting on weight, unfortunately, they get so big they can't do anything, not even walk to use the bathroom, then they have to be put down. it has happened to almost all the PBs i've known. if you mean to keep them a long time as pets, make them find their own food as much as possible, just like they would in the wild. it helps keep their weight down, which is the number 1 cause of early death. i love my girl, but she is soooo spoiled. and no, dog food won't hurt them. but it will fatten them quickly. it is hard to resist their begging, but for their health, you must resist.
most if not all of the rescue pigs have been neutered which increasses their propensity toward obesity. Intact ones are a bit better. pastured where they have to find their own food usually takes care of that. Mine are lean but healthy
