Any one raise pigs?

[jeffreynlila]

I am really liking raising our own meat birds and hens. I am planning to get a couple of pigs going soon. My question is right now a weaner is going for about $100 in my area, ogden Utah. Is there a season when they are generally cheaper? I am thinking about doing it in march or april so as the pig is growing we can feed it some of the surplus from our garden.

 

[nayeli]

I was looking at a piglet and in my area they go for around $50... just be careful pigs can kill and eat a live chicken, some don't some do!

 

[JJSS89]

Weaner pigs are pretty much sold year round in most places and don't vary in cost much. They might go up in price a bit in the spring/early summer because most people want to buy them then. This is because pigs gain weight more efficiently in the summer when they don't have to spend as much energy staying warm.

If you're going to raise pigs at all, best to get two or more like you said. They put on weight better with competition (same as chickens) and they are very social and hate their lives when they live alone. Plus they snuggle up and keep each other warm.

 

[nayeli]

I would also make sure you have good fencing... my mom just told me the other day how much she hated it when we had pigs "I don't know why you would want pigs, when we had them when you were smaller we spent half our time chasing the darn things! They were ALWAYS getting out!"

 

[jeffreynlila]

Thanks for the answers