I'm looking into raising pigs....

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I really don't remember much in the line of behavioral difference between any of the breeds or crosses we had.
We had 4 or 5 different pure breeds and mixes of those. I didn't see any differences.
Perhaps if you had one closely confined that could have affected their behavior.
 
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I'm looking at adding a pig on my farm this coming spring. My plan is to set up a fence with 2 hot wires. I'll have 4 separate paddocks so I can rotate them through every week, to keep from tearing up the ground. Feeders in my area go from $50-60. In my area, feed cost about $13/50#.
 
I got chickens for eggs not meat. If pigs laid bacon i would have a pin full. My dad raised meat rabbits. Meat animals not for me.
A friend got a shoat for $10. He was going to keep it for a few months until it was big enough for a Hawaiian luau. Well pork chop became a pet and made his back yard a pig sty, pigs stink!
I think they are like chickens. The younger and more you buy the cheaper they are priced.
 
Pigs are tough. You really have to crank up the juice on an electric fence to keep them in.
There was a dead animal in the forest right outside their range and the pigs wanted to eat it. They walked right through the electric fence without even a squeal to get to the carcass.

Here are the most popular breeds in the US right now.
https://www.porkcdn.com/sites/porkorg/library/2016/08/Breeds.jpg
We raised 6 of the 8.
 
cluckmecoop7 said:
1. How much does it cost to buy one?
2. How much does it cost to feed for a year or two?
3. Do do they need a lot of room?
4.Do do they need a lot of room?
5. What kind of shelter is good?

This is what I want: (I can't find what breed it is.) https://www.google.com/search?safe=...hUKEwip7r-n4tPlAhWmmOAKHWCEAfMQ4dUDCAY&uact=5
Click to expand...
definitely good things to consider before buying pigs

1. Depends on bloodlines/quality of said pigs. If you plan on keeping them just for meat i'd suggest looking on craigslist for cheap feeder piglets, Over here they can cost as low as $50 per piglet. But if you want to breed pigs (like i do) I would invest in some good quality (un-related)pairs. I paid $285 for my Duroc x Hampshire sow who's got champion blood lines and amazing conformation, and $150 for a Duroc x spot boar who's also got champion blood in him. And if you plan on selling meat i'd suggest looking into getting durocs. Their meat is pretty good quality. The link you shared looks like a Yorkshire, their meat is pretty good too but i've found that they aren't as hardy nor tasty as my durocs :drool



2. When i dont have my pigs on pasture i'd give them a full scoop of grain(4 quarts) per pig. They did just fine with that. 2 fully grown pigs go through a 100 lb bag in 3 weeks. a bag cost me only $17 but there's a 1000 lb. minimum where i get my feed from.
So grain for just the two adults alone would cost me around $500 for 2 years. But if you are raising them for meat they should be butchered around 8-9 months old.


3. Yes and no, depends on how you want to raise them. Certain pigs like to forage and when confined to a smaller enclose they tend to escape more often. I have 4 feeder pigs out on about 1 1/2 acres of forest, I don't grain them much so if I were to then i wouldn't give them that much space. My breeders have 12' x 12' stalls in the barn with 14' x 12' pens that let them go outside. Though of course they're only in there when i'm breeding them or expecting piglets. After that i have them out on pasture.

4. Pigs are very hardy, So if you're worried about them getting cold during winter i wouldn't worry too much. Certain breed like a Yorkshire will need lots of shade, Their skin tends to sunburn very easily. but as for their actual shelter? a simple A frame would work, This is what i have for my pigs
upload_2019-11-18_12-12-51.png
 

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MillersFarm said:
definitely good things to consider before buying pigs

1. Depends on bloodlines/quality of said pigs. If you plan on keeping them just for meat i'd suggest looking on craigslist for cheap feeder piglets, Over here they can cost as low as $50 per piglet. But if you want to breed pigs (like i do) I would invest in some good quality (un-related)pairs. I paid $285 for my Duroc x Hampshire sow who's got champion blood lines and amazing conformation, and $150 for a Duroc x spot boar who's also got champion blood in him. And if you plan on selling meat i'd suggest looking into getting durocs. Their meat is pretty good quality. The link you shared looks like a Yorkshire, their meat is pretty good too but i've found that they aren't as hardy nor tasty as my durocs :drool



2. When i dont have my pigs on pasture i'd give them a full scoop of grain(4 quarts) per pig. They did just fine with that. 2 fully grown pigs go through a 100 lb bag in 3 weeks. a bag cost me only $17 but there's a 1000 lb. minimum where i get my feed from.
So grain for just the two adults alone would cost me around $500 for 2 years. But if you are raising them for meat they should be butchered around 8-9 months old.


3. Yes and no, depends on how you want to raise them. Certain pigs like to forage and when confined to a smaller enclose they tend to escape more often. I have 4 feeder pigs out on about 1 1/2 acres of forest, I don't grain them much so if I were to then i wouldn't give them that much space. My breeders have 12' x 12' stalls in the barn with 14' x 12' pens that let them go outside. Though of course they're only in there when i'm breeding them or expecting piglets. After that i have them out on pasture.

4. Pigs are very hardy, So if you're worried about them getting cold during winter i wouldn't worry too much. Certain breed like a Yorkshire will need lots of shade, Their skin tends to sunburn very easily. but as for their actual shelter? a simple A frame would work, This is what i have for my pigs View attachment 1961661
Click to expand...
:woot....:frow
 

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