Pigs....What did I just do? *GRAPHIC PIC*

[kryptoniteqhs]

Ok so I went to the auction last night to look at cattle, not buy, just look to see what they were going for and so forth. They were jumping around from beef to dairy to goats to beef to pigs to dairy to beef. Needless to say I watched the pigs go through. This last week I had been considering getting a piglet to raise. I thought that maaaaybe if something went cheap I might buy it. So these 3 young pigs went through (all together they weigh 98lbs). One of them had a HUGE tumor on its stomach. The bidding started and not one person bid. They went down to $1 for all three and still no one. So what did I do? Yes, I bought them, because Im an idiot. I figured Id at least get one or two decent ones out of the 3 and what the heck, it was only one dollar.
So, we go to load them up and of course theres one with a super huge tumor and turns out another one has one on his elbow and limps. The third is just small and thin. The other two look otherwise healthy (if you can even say that). So, now what? They have food, water, bedding and hay. Im going to pick up their actual feed tomorrow for now I just gave them a bit of the feed Ive been giving my Angus heifer. The two with tumors dont seem to be bothered by it. They are all eating and drinking. The one with the giant tumor, it actually drags the ground a bit. The one that has the one on its elbow and limps doesnt seem to be in pain either, I think the reason it limps is just because of the location of the tumor. It restricts its movement. They are all boys (figures). What can you do with piggies with tumors? I just want them to be comfortable, which they seem to be, but then what? Id like to figure out how old they are and then worm them and such. What else should I do? They stink so darn bad I want to give them a bath (mostly because I dont know where theyve been), but its too cold. The smallest one cant weigh much more than 20lbs. The others maybe 30 or so. Any suggestions? Feed? wormer? Sanitation? I feel like I should Sevin dust them like a chicken lol just to make sure they dont have any wierd parasites or bugs bc obviously I dont know where theyve been or what kind of conditions theyve lived in, but Im sure it wasnt pretty. Thanks and dont judge me, Im not stupid when it comes to animals, I catch on pretty quick, this is probably the only type of animal Ive never owned.

ETA: Oh and one of them (I think the one with the elbow tumor) was sucking on the side of the water bowl for a while before he started drinking it. You dont think they still could have been on their mothers do you? I think theyre a little to big for that.
&
AND my biggest question. Pigs dont have sensitive stomaches at all right? Because I have some left over rabbit feed (we just got rid of all our rabbits) and I was wondering if it would hurt to give them that?

 

[emys]

I don't have any ideas for you except that we have a sister site called back yard herds (see link at bottom of BYC page) you could post this on with a section on pigs.

Good Luck - hope you can get them healthy again.

 

[Barred Rocks forever]

im guessing these are for food correct ? im not much help but im sure a vet could remove them most doctors do surgeries on pigs before people if that makes u feel better i hope somone can help you you were trying to do a good thing buying them thats all that matters
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[fowler_chick]

i feed my pigs any thing left over from our bins, doesn't matter what it is!, just as long as it makes them big and fat, although i'd cull the ones with the tumors out.

 

[bburn]

We have four. One will go to market towards the end of November. The other we will keep and have bred this spring. Did I say four? Well my husbands SIL has two in the same pen and we feed them all. Let all the feed run out in the covered can while my husband was out of town and they actually BOUGHT feed. So, it worked and I still feed them all but they don't know it.....just keep my feed elsewhere. I'm having fun with it!

They will eat anything and everything. They know I show up with the kitchen scraps and they are really liking me! Other than that we feed them pig food and keep them in water! Lots of water. Trough....that was supposed to be drinking water they're laying in it. They wallow out holes in the pen and lay in them......especially if you water them or it rains.

And yes, pigs stink. Mine are right at 6 months old. Keep them far enough from the house that you can't smell them.

I actually really enjoy the pigs. I am looking forward to next spring and having babies. We will build her own pen for her and move her away from the others.

Have fun! I would have a vet look at the tumors and have something done if you can.

 

[Skip]

I raised pigs for a few years. They'll eat all your leftoves (ALL, even the rotten stuff) and are actually pretty easy to contain with hog panels, single-strand electric, or even wooden board fencing. Their poo, composted, does wonderful things to a garden. And they're so darn tasty.

The pig with the tumors... Well, everyone else pretty much said it.

One thing you have to remember: They will DESTROY any feeder or waterer you put in their pen. My family ended up not using a feeder at all (just dumping scraps on the ground... Piggies don't care) and using a 400 gallon stock tank that we had to refill with 5 gallon buckets EVERY DAY!!!!! So, set your waterer/feeder in concrete.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

Can we see pictures of the little darlings.

Thanks for posting this. I won't be going to the auction - just to take a look at anything. (I could possibly do the same thing).

 

[Bleenie]

Don't feel bad, I just did the same thing last weekend... We were gonna eat lunch and watch the livestock run through...NO plans to buy anything since we were in the SUV.......well we brought home a calf with a bum leg. Ended up being a dog bite and she is doing pretty well now..getting quite a gut on her and the swelling is going down and it's draining well as long as i soak and work it everyday(by bending her ankle).... I never thougth i would be happy about picking scabs off a cows leg

but I know where she came from so i know i saved her from a bad place and a big KONK on the noggin if she hadnt sold. I only paid $5 for her and she's around 3 months old.


As far as the piggies, can you feel the tumors? Are they fatty(hard feeling) or do they feel more fluidy? are you sure there are no old puncture wounds or any kind of scars around the tumor areas? If it's just a tumor on the surface most vets could remove it very easily on a small piggy.

As far as food goes they eat EVERYTHING. We fed ours all the leftover grains and house scraps. Most grocery stores clean up their produce section once a week and will usually just give it away if you ask about it. it REALLY helps on the feed bill too. our old pigs used to get stuff like that and Krispy Kreme donuts

... they were happy pigs, lol. Our big pigs favorite treat was carrots though, he was trained at his previous home with them.

Good luck with your new babies and keep us updated

 

[kryptoniteqhs]

heres a pic of the piggie with the tumor.....pretty big huh?

.

btw, turned out not to be a tumor its just a hernia so he should be quite tastey!

 

[redhen]

Thats pretty gross.. thanks for the lovely picture..