New to Pigs

[Mercibelle]

So through a certain set of circumstances, I have been given a piglet by my neighbor. His pig recently had 7 piglets and he offered me one in exchange for my help with his pig's pregnancy. I have a problem when it comes to animals and I couldn't say no. The piglet will come stay with us in 7 weeks when it is weened from its mother.

The problem is, I really have no idea how to care for a pig. I've heard they're relatively easy to care for as they really don't require much space in their pen and I'm working on an enclosure that's approximately 8 square feet. I'm also building a 3 sided shelter so that the piggy can escape the elements when it so desires.

The thing I'm very curious about is, what exactly do I feed this pig? The only experience I have with feeding a pig comes from Babe and Charlotte's web, and I'm more than sure I probably shouldn't feed my pig nothing but human food leftovers. I've done some reading about feeding, and really all I've found is don't feed a pig meat. Is there a specific type of food that I need to feed said pig?

 

[ButtonHoarder]

I’m not much of a pig person, but usually they’re fed mostly grain, in my area at least.

 

[cassie]

Go to the feed store. They can tell you what to get.

 

[cassie]

You might want to get a book. Storey's Guides are usually pretty good and not expensive.

 

[cassie]

I just read through your whole post. Why not feed a pig meat? They are omnivores just like us.

 

[SmiYa0126]

I just read through your whole post. Why not feed a pig meat? They are omnivores just like us.

Meat makes them aggressive.

 

[ButtonHoarder]

I just read through your whole post. Why not feed a pig meat? They are omnivores just like us.

It’s actually illegal in some places, I looked into it one time.

 

[NatJ]

I'm working on an enclosure that's approximately 8 square feet.

8 square feet is a space about 2 feet by 4 feet. I would strongly suggest a larger enclosure than that.

If you mean the enclosure is 8 feet long and 8 feet wide, that would be 64 square feet (a much better size.)

 

[Mercibelle]

8 square feet is a space about 2 feet by 4 feet. I would strongly suggest a larger enclosure than that.

I had read that pigs don't require a lot of room and that size enclosure would be fine, but now that you mention it, it does seem a little small for such a hefty animal. Lol

This is definitely going to be a learning experience for me, so I'm open to any suggestions or ideas.

 

[NatJ]

I had read that pigs don't require a lot of room and that size enclosure would be fine, but now that you mention it, it does seem a little small for such a hefty animal. Lol

Did your research say what age or size of pig would fit in that size pen? An adult pig would not even be able to turn around in that amount of space. If you expect the pig to just sit there, with food going in one end and manure out the other, it may work well enough (unless you have a pig that is literally longer or wider than the pen.) But that doesn't sound like a very pleasant way for a pig to live.

Square feet per pig (or per any other animal) can be misleading when you get to very small numbers. For example, 4 horses in one pasture can feel more spacious than dividing the pasture in quarters and putting each horse in one section, even though they have the same amount of space-per-horse that way. Or 6 people sitting around a table to play games is very different than having each one in a little cubicle that is 1/6th the size of the room.

Are you planning to butcher the pig at some point? Or keep it as a long-term pet? The longer you keep it, the bigger it will get, and the more you will probably care about keeping it healthy and happy. Exercise is good for pretty much any kind of animal, and bigger pens make that much easier (even if the pig does not run around, it will probably at least wander from place to place if it can.)

This is definitely going to be a learning experience for me, so I'm open to any suggestions or ideas.

Unfortunately, I don't have any actual experience with pigs. I keep reading about them, and thinking about getting some, and then deciding (several times so far) that I am not able to provide the conditions I think a pig should have at that time. So that means I have random bits of book knowledge and a bunch of untested opinions