# OMG how time flies and pigs GROW!



## EggsForIHOP (Oct 9, 2010)

So...we (mostly paranoid me) found a local buddy a few months back to offer mostly emotional support with the raising of our 2 pigs.  Brought them home the second week of June and today...for the FIRST TIME...I actually did the thing where you measure them to get their weight and all I can say is WHOA!

First...I hadn't been out there all week, DH had pig duty as he is off right now.  May even have been closer to 10 days because I have been busy babying my mare and her abscess in her hoof that made her miserable all week long - nerve wracking for me, spoiling her rotten!

So...I walk out there today and I swear overnight those babies doubled in weight!  If I'm doing this right I am getting 165 and 135 approximately!  WHOA!  I swear like 3 weeks ago they weren't even 100 pounds yet! Maybe barely a 100 according to DH.

Hard to believe how close it's getting to ham time!  Actually, my best friends daughter was with me, and she's 6 and blunt.  She said it best with "It's a good thing I like bacon and the chickens lay eggs now to go with it!"

Where has the summer and my cute little piggies gone?


----------



## Shootingstars (Oct 9, 2010)

HI, what are you feeding them? 

I got our weaner pig very early July and today with the string thing he weighs around 140 pounds.  I am not sure how accurate this but I am looking at late November / early December for his date at the butchers.  They do grow fast!


----------



## DoubleVLegacyFarms (Oct 10, 2010)

we use the string method to measure all our pigs to gage when to send to the butcher. The method is usually very accurate,  We gage using plus or minus three % so when the "minus 3% weight" is equal to 230 lbs we take them in. Our weights are usually between 230 and 250 when we use this method.

Works great!


----------



## DoubleVLegacyFarms (Oct 10, 2010)

Oh though I should mention that we have only used this method on the cross bred Hamp's we raise so I cant say definitively how it works on other breeds, should be close though. Try it once and ask your butcher to give you a live weight before butchering, Rail weight is usually  73-78% of live weight depending on breed. Ours are closer to 78%


----------



## EggsForIHOP (Oct 11, 2010)

Shootingstars said:
			
		

> HI, what are you feeding them?
> 
> I got our weaner pig very early July and today with the string thing he weighs around 140 pounds.  I am not sure how accurate this but I am looking at late November / early December for his date at the butchers.  They do grow fast!


They get pig food (maybe 13% protein?  IDK...my feed store only carries one kind of pig food)  just started 2 or 3 weeks ago adding corn 'chops' WHICH THEY LOVE  - mix it 50/50 with the pig food and they are in heaven   AND LOTS AND LOTS OF PANCAKES!  I usually get at least two 5 gallon buckets a weekend (one each night) of pancake/hashbrown scrappings from work.  Plus a couple half full ones during the week.  This is split between the pigs and the chickens as the chickens loves them some pancakes too! Not the only thing they eat, more of the icing on the cake at breakfast, but they REALLY love it.  Maybe wrong...idk...not a pro by any means...but it seems to be working  This is my trial run in the pig world.

Oh yeah, I know it's not accurate like a scale with the string, but MAN!  They HAVE to be at least that big!  And I did round down a little when I measured and such just to safe and not sorry later - 39 1/2 inches was just 39 when I did the math, etc... I can't believe how fast they have sprouted recently - they have like 3 chins now I swear!  Chunky sturdy things these piggly wigglies!  And they STILL insist in sitting in their little wading pool!  I think I will be sad to see them go...but it's what the deal was from the start....they are so tame it's pitiful.  Tame but tasty my husband says...


----------



## TheSheepGirl (Oct 11, 2010)

The feeding sounds good to me. We only feed about 10 pounds of feed per pig a day and also about 50 pounds of scraps to split between the four pigs we have. we have two 800 lb sows, a 600 lb gilt, and a big boar.

We feed ours a mixture of layer pellets for chickens, which is 16% protien and sometimes some alfalfa pellets. Pig feed is generally between 13 and 16 percent depending upon the brand and the type of feed.

We ended up keeping our first gilt. Her name is Pig Pig. We just couldn't stand the thought of eating her, because she was the only one we had due to a tragic accident. She became our first breeding sow.

This was about a year ago and now we have four pigs. We have her mom, Patty, Patty's friend, Candy, and our Boar, Cledis. 

If you have a gilt and have the space, you may be able to convince your Hubby to let you keep her. Just talk about all of the bacon you can have if you breed your own pigs.

Just remember that pigs get BIG!


----------

