Pigs!

[ChickyMama229]

Hi everyone! We are going to start our small homestead soon. I am trying to convince my family that a pig would be a good idea lol. No we don't want to eat it, so I am looking for other things the pig can do. I know that they will eat every single scrap we have except for meat. We wanted to rescue the pig from a pig farm and give it a better life. We really don't want to have to feed it pig pellets, but if we have to we will. Can they live off of things they find in our yard? Thanks!

 

[Welshies]

It should be provided pig feed. Or at least whole grains.
However... pigs are extreme scape artists. Be aware you will need to build them an 18" apron that goes inside their fence towards them, and one out. They'll try to dig out and a full grown pig is EXTREMELY powerful. I would much rather a goat than a pig. Or 10 goats. Or 100. Pigs are horrendous (I loved mine but they ruined my yard, my chicken pen, my chicken coop, etc... finally sold them as they made themselves "free range" by destroying everything. And I mean everything.)

 

[rosemarythyme]

I was told by a pig enthusiast that I just had to get pig(s), because my property is so heavily grown with bramble. They said they got a bunch of pigs to eat it/dig it up around their barn and keep it cleared. So if you have a problem like that, maybe your pig can be your weeder?

 

[hillbillyreefer]

Nothing wrong with a pigs life on a pig farm. They are livestock aka food.in fact with your lack of knowledge the pig may be better off where it is.

 

[Mylied]

Hi everyone! We are going to start our small homestead soon. I am trying to convince my family that a pig would be a good idea lol. No we don't want to eat it, so I am looking for other things the pig can do. I know that they will eat every single scrap we have except for meat. We wanted to rescue the pig from a pig farm and give it a better life. We really don't want to have to feed it pig pellets, but if we have to we will. Can they live off of things they find in our yard? Thanks!

Pigs are omnivores, so they can and love to eat meat, even pork. The only time you need to be concerned with giving them scraps is if you are selling the meat, but since they are a pet, let them be your composters. They are social, so you need at least two. If you get a pasture type pig (kunekune, American guinea hogs, etc) then they can survive and thrive on pasture, scraps, acorns, grubs, things like that, if you have a big enough area. If you have a milk animal and chickens, they'll eat milk and eggs too. They respect electric, so if you run a wire or two they won't get out. They love to root, so they are great for putting on a garden after harvest to clean and till it up. They can be very affectionate and love belly scratches if you raise them right. I would not suggest getting a farm pig. They get huge and are way stronger than you. They don't have as even a temperament as the other two I mentioned. And they're not afraid to get rid of the evidence if you fall down and they're in a mood. Julianna's are very small pigs and make good pets. Potbelly's make good pets but there is not such thing as tiny teacup or whatever. The only way you get a 30 lb potbelly adult is by starving it. They get medium-large dog size but solid. I have American guinea hogs that we raise for meat, but my adult female is a pet. She's around 3 and very sweet, even when she has babies. The boar I had raised from 6 weeks old turned on as at two as his hormones got worse so I'd definitely not recommend keeping an intact boar. Neutered males are called barrows and they have the best personalities and temperaments.