# Size at 5 months??



## boothcreek (Nov 17, 2013)

Hi everyone,

first time Pig keeper here and I have a question and want to check if everything I'm doing so far is A-OK.
Yesterday I brought home, what I have been told, are two - 5 month old - DurocX pigs(they gave me a birth date so from that the math is sound).
Now, for a 5 month old pig they don't look very big to me. I haven't raised any pigs before(other than maybe a week or so before we processed them), had friends that did and I work at a small abattoir where I see all sizes/ages go through, so I think I have a somewhat in-line Idea of what they "should" be like....; They are both Barrows, the big one I am guessing around 80 lbs and the smaller around 65-70 lbs .
Does that sound right? Too small? 

The Lady I bought them from was getting rid of them cause she didn't want to feed them thru the winter, but she said they have been fed "Organic" but couldn't elaborate on what that exactly was.... me thinks table scraps and whatever they could scrounge in their pen, but what do I know.... Just kind of iffy to me when they cannot tell me exactly what food they are use to or show me a scoop-full of it to get an Idea. 

They were eating like starving last night when I brought them home, today they are eating much more leisurely(ok, I have a big assortment of feed more or less free-choice right now: hog-grower, rolled oats, rolled corn. Mixed some raw eggs, apple chunks and left-over pumpkin in too). Big Kiddie pool of water so they can't dump it right from the get-go, their stall has a whole bale of straw in the corner so they can go hide from the cold weather and in their outside run they too have some straw and alfalfa hay scattered around.

Very alert piggies. Nosy too, already met both our LGDs. Greet me at the door grunting and snuffling about.
Its pretty darn CUTE!
Once they are settled in I will put them on a course of dewormer in their water for a few days. I figure their system is pretty stressed right now so I will hold off on that for the next week.

What do you guys think?

Cheers,
Anna


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## Four Winds Ranch (Nov 18, 2013)

I think the size sounds about right for their age!!!
Sounds like they have a awesome home!!!  Luck pigs!!


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## larryj57 (Nov 18, 2013)

The last time i raised pigs I bought 3 Duroc-X at 12 weeks old, they were around 50-60 pounds i butchered them at 7 months old and the lightest one wae 225 lbs hanging weight. so in my opionion that sounds alwful small for a 5 month old.


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## OneFineAcre (Nov 18, 2013)

larryj57 said:


> The last time i raised pigs I bought 3 Duroc-X at 12 weeks old, they were around 50-60 pounds i butchered them at 7 months old and the lightest one wae 225 lbs hanging weight. so in my opionion that sounds alwful small for a 5 month old.



x2
Wife used to work at swine unit at NC State.  I asked her off the  top of her head what a DurocX should weigh at 5 months..  First thing she said was "crossed with what"  I said I don't know.  She said probably 200lbs.  If they are 5 months old and only weigh 65-80 lbs, then seriously too small.


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## boothcreek (Nov 18, 2013)

Kinda thought they are small. All the seller could tell me is that they are Duroc crossed with a big pink pig(guessing your average commercial pig?). The Lady bought the freshly weaned pigglets on a whim but decided they ate to much for her to feed over the winter.... Goodness she couldn't even tell me if they are fixed or not(she thought no, but I though at 5 months that would be real obvious if they weren't -right?-, don't look intact to me anyhow)
I am sticking to my opinion that she thought they would thrive fine as Garbage disposals with little else as food and was disappointed it didn't quite work that way.

These 2 are quite the rototillers, OMG I got home from work tonight and did a quick bed-check on everyone and when the flashlight went over their pen all I could do is stare in awe lol 
Who knew under all that packed-down, rock-hard moon landscape hid such beautiful dark soil! My stepdad is gonna be digging in there for his garden come spring.
Stuck my head into their barn and both popped out of their straw fortress(totally covered, didn't even see them) to greet me at the door. I could swear they have already grown some since I checked on them early this morning, but that may just be wishful thinking on my part, probably just got wider with their bellies full.

Will post some pics in a few days(whenever my next day-off is and I can see them in Day-light).


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## lovinglife (Nov 19, 2013)

I am going to say they didn't grow from lack of food.  We went in on three babies one year with some friends, they had them at their place and for some reason one of them didn't get to eat much, so we went and got her and kept her at our place all by herself, and by fall she was huge!  So they will still grow and get big with good feed.  I may have to do that again with all the milk I am going to get this next summer, good grief what did I get myself into!


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## Bossroo (Nov 19, 2013)

The operating words are "organic " as well as not saying what they were fed.  Since many of these types of rations are NOT properly balanced as well as this person bought them on a whim leads one to conclude that they were malnourished and underfed. Now that they are in much better ownership, they should improve greatly.  Good luck.


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## Parsnip (Nov 23, 2013)

It sounds small for a 5 month old piggie. But it really depends on the breed and the parents I suppose! All my hogs were fast growing 4-H hogs, SO by 5 months I think they were about.... 110-160lbs?
Mine were a bit on the light side though! I got them as weaner pigs, in March after weaning, and then the first weigh in was the beginning of June. So if they were born in Feb/March, and weighed in June, that's about 4/5 months.

You could try giving them a bit of gatorade too! That always helped with my pigs when they were stressed.
It's easy for them to get dehydrated. Kind of like people!

I have a picture of my three pigs on their way to the first weigh in. I had just washed them lol
They were about 5 months, give or take.


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