Pig forums

[Indiana hens]

Quote:
how old are they in the pic

She was right around 8 months total at that picture. Freckles was butchered right after that picture. The other 2 we bought at the same time were butchered in November. That pic was in January. * no steroids though!

 

[partimer]

Looks like an acre of field corn would feed a few animals. One acre in good production can produce about 500 bushels, so $500.00 that's a buck a bushel. Fast growing veggies is also a good supplemental feed if you got room. cabbage, carrots lettuce squahes melons, piggies, chickens and cows will eat it all up. Grass clippings is another. In hard times, you'll find more they will eat. Can't wait to get mine going

 

[Up-the-Creek]

Glad to see the topic of PIGS!

We raised some last year and my kids LOVED it. One was sold the other in the freezer. Helps bigtime with the grocery bill,....and it is VERY satisfying to raise your own food!

 

[firefighter9208]

Quote:
Yeah!!! That's 500 bushels of ear corn or 30,000 ears if you have a plant population of 25,000 to 30,000 plants per acre. I'll plant in 32" rows so I'll probably have in the lower 20,000 to 25,000 plants per acre.

My question is can I feed them only corn and the shucks/cobs, or will I have to add some commercial feed to their diet. I definitely plan on feeding vegetables, but not meat slop.

Chris

 

[partimer]

It don't hurt to feed some commercial feed with a mixture of other grains and like molasses. You are going to pasture and feed grasses too I hope. Plenty of clean water and grasses with the minimum of grains until the later part, or find the balance for more grain (corn). Suggestions only, but if you got the corn, feed corn It'll fatten em up fast. Got to be your choices;

 

[firefighter9208]

I plan to feed them out like you would in a feed lot. I don't plan on letting them graze. I don't want the "grass fed" taste.

I have a cousin that fed out two steers. He placed them in a feed lot with a round bale of hay (no grass). He started when they were 9 months old (550#) and fed them out for two months (950#). They got that one round bale of hay and then grain. When the hay was gone grain only.

It was the best tasting and best marbling you've ever seen or tasted.

He didn't feed a lot of corn, because of the expense. I was hoping to use mostly corn, because I hope to have plenty of it.

As far as the pig goes, I would feed vegetables, scraps (no meat) and corn. Then I would change over to grain or corn only the last few weeks to "finish" it off.

How does this sound.

Chris

 

[partimer]

Sounds great, like you got a plan. Like I said your choice. I didn't mean to think you would feed meat stuff to the animals. In commercial feeds they do incprporate meat stuff, bones etc;; I like raising my own, it's much better food . Good luck and have a bumper crop of corn;

more corn please

:cd:cd:cd

 

[firefighter9208]

Gotcha!!! I know a lot of people "slop" the pigs with meat and everything. I plan to not.


Chris