I finally located some feeder pigs. They have Hampshire and blue butts. Which is better for meat? Which is calmer? Can't find a 55 gal drum for a feed and water, any other ideas?
I am getting 2 tamworths next month. Around here people are using those big rubber feed bowls and nipple waterers for pigs when they are raising on a couple.
You going to breed them MissP ? I love pigs and when I get my own place after I am done school I want to get a sow or two bred of a heritage breed and raise the pigs up for meat. Thanks, Henry
These will be barrows (castrated males) to see if we like this breed. I am raising them for meat. I hope to feed them out and be ready for butcher by Late November. If I take a liking to them we will be getting a sow from the couple who raised these and they offered to help us with a male from another blood line to make sure we get good breeding stock.
I grew out a blue butt barrow. He was real nice. Got lots of meat without a lot of fat. The barrow grew faster and I think he carried more fat the the Hampshire gilt. The gilt seemed to be more lean. I didn't have any problems with them. They were real easy to handle. But I would like to grow out some Durocs. If I had to pick between the two, I would get two blue butt gilts. I used a large rubber tub for feed. They have lasted a long time. For water I used the flat sided plastic buckets double snaped to the hog panels.
Check freecycle too. I have seen the big rubber feeds for free around here too. I found mine on Craig's list = the big 2.5 gallon rubber ones for under $5 and that was for 4 of them.
Cool, you guys are an awesome wealth of knowledge. Do they knock the rubber feed buckets around? Oh, here's another question. Mash or dry food?