Raising your own pigs is a cheap way of getting plenty of pork to feed your family. While it is not too difficult, there are several things you need to know about how to care for pigs before you begin to raise them.
1) Construct a large caged in area to hold the pigs. Give them plenty of room, at least 20’x 20′. They enjoy eating plants and digging up dirt, and they need enough room to get their second source of food from.
The fence needs to be very strong to care for pigs. When fully grown, pigs are extremely strong and muscular, and can surprise you with their brute strength. Poles need to be dug down into the ground, and large corner poles should be in place. Generally, they will not try to escape, but if they do, they are certainly strong enough to take down weak fences.
2) Provide enough shade while you care for pigs. Build a hut for them to get a break under from the hot sun. Pigs are sensitive to the sun if there are left exposed to it for long periods of time.
The hut should also be dug deep into the ground, and be very stable. Pigs are notorious for digging into the ground, and if the poles are not deep enough, pigs may be able to uproot your hut.
3) Caring for pigs involves feeding them daily. Get corn and powder feed from local granaries. Feed them enough so that there is just some left over the next day. It is near impossible to overfeed pigs, so give them plenty.
Another option is to construct a pig feeder, making caring for pigs easier. You can fill it full of feed, and it slowly dispenses it out the bottom.
It is hard to over feed a pig, they eat tremendous amounts, including the plants they consume. Do not skimp out on how much you feed them while you care for pigs. The more you feed pigs, the bigger they get.
The great thing when you care for pigs is that you can feed them your left overs. Any food that goes uneaten, toss it in a bucket for the pigs. Also, any vegetables in your garden can be tossed to the pigs if they go bad.
4) When you care for pigs, you must keep a generous supply of water available. Have one supply be fresh water that is changed daily for them. This is the water they will drink out of, and occasionally bathe in if given the chance.
Another thing you can do while you care for pigs is to create a water pool. Dig a small hole, about 5 ft. in diameter, and fill it with water. The pigs will thank you as they swim and toss in their mud hole. It helps them stay cool in the sun by getting wet mud on themselves. Fill the hole frequently by running water from a hose into the hole.
5) Be gentle when you care for pigs. When loading and unloading them from the cage, they can experience heart attacks if they are scared or over stimulated. This kills the pig and ruins the meat involved, leading to a complete waste. Be similarly gentle when they are in the cage. Do not chase them, as this can also lead to a disappointing heart attack. Caring for pigs is a gentle process and you can’t chance a heart attack with them.
