My very naughty pig

[Ctaylordubois]

Can you get a bale of alfalfa? They are available at most feed stores, but they are usually 100 pounds.

Can you get a bale of alfalfa? They are available at most feed stores, but they are usually 100 pounds.

I can. I put hay out for him. He turns his nose up at it. I just bought some grass pellets and will try to put them out for him.

 

[Baymule]

Mr. Picky Pig! Perhaps he would rather have dog or cat food!

 

[Ctaylordubois]

Piggie minerals ?

I got Mr. Bean some grass pellets. He wasn’t fond of them. I soaked some in water and gave them to him in a bucket. I’ll check out the alfalfa hay option next. I was thinking about worming him as well.

 

[Baymule]

Buttermilk. Pour a little buttermilk over the grass pellets. Or mix the pellets with chopped boiled egg. Or both.

 

[blessedfarmgirl]

We have kunes, and I can't recommend hotwire enough for pigs. They respect it and it keeps everyone in, from our tiny piglets to our big boar.
As far as feed, I echo everything already said here. We give them a little alfalfa pellets in their feed in the winter, plus a lot of acorns and wild pecans we have been gathering. If you can find an oak tree or pecan tree, that's a great free way to add protein and fat to his diet, and it's natural forage pigs would get in the wild.

 

[Ctaylordubois]

We have kunes, and I can't recommend hotwire enough for pigs. They respect it and it keeps everyone in, from our tiny piglets to our big boar.
As far as feed, I echo everything already said here. We give them a little alfalfa pellets in their feed in the winter, plus a lot of acorns and wild pecans we have been gathering. If you can find an oak tree or pecan tree, that's a great free way to add protein and fat to his diet, and it's natural forage pigs would get in the wild.

 

[Ctaylordubois]

Thanks for the information. I will try the alfalfa hay next. I have also looked into setting up an electric fence but they are a bit expensive for my enclosure. I will have to save up for that. I am also not skilled at doing it. Hopefully after the first of the year I can put something up. For now he seems to be staying inside the fence. I put t-stakes every two feet around the enclosure so that he cant push under the fence. Ill keep you posted.

 

[Ctaylordubois]

Hi there! I have pigs and have successfully kept them in chain link by bordering the entire bottom of the fence with a board at least 6 inches wide by an inch thick and stapling the chain link to that board and securing the board to each post in the ground. More than likely with the plummeting temps he'll be wanting more food, mine certainly do! He probably wants to escape and eat the neighbors animals food bc he found something he really likes!!

Thanks for the information. Can you post a picture of your border? T-stakes seem to be working but they do not look very nice. I have also increased his pig pellets due to the lack in grass for him to feed on. What do you supplement your pigs with? I don't want to overfeed Mr. Bean, but I also want him to be happy and content.

 

[Ctaylordubois]

Questions..... What kind of pig? Male / female / or barrow (fixed male)..... HOW BIG ? What is he getting fed ? Until the basics are addressed there is no way to narrow down why he is getting out. Is he by himself? Pigs like company.... What is his purpose in life? Pet or food?
Where do you live and what are the local/city/county/state regulations??? If the pig is a nuiscance, can they confiscate him? Or worse, dispose of him? Not trying to be a jerk, these are legitimate questions that can have very different answers in different places. Asking for general location... Minnesota would have different suggestions than Florida....
Chain link is not good fence for an animal that has more power in their nose than some bull dozers if they are determined to "get out" .... solid around the bottom, like @Youngfarmer2019 is pretty much a given... and for many, a strand of HOT electric may be necessary....

Hello, Mr. Bean is a Kune Kune/potbelly cross. He is over 200 pounds but I don't have an exact measurement. We live in VA (zoned agricultural) so he is in a safe area. I let him graze in my back yard (about 800 square feet). Since the weather is now cooler in Virginia, the grass has thinned and he isn't grazing much. I have a heated pig house in the back yard for shelter and it is filled with straw for him to burrow under. He seems to use it quite a bit while he is outside. I feed him mini pig maintenance pellets, but my vet has warned that he does not need more than a few cups a day. I feed him about 1/2 cup per feeding 5:30 a.m, 3:30 p.m. (I work as a teacher so there is a break in his feeding time) and then 8:00 p.m., midnight, and then again about 2:30 a.m. Since he is inside with me at night, it is easier for me to get up and feed him, but it really disrupts my sleep every night. I didn't have to feed at night when he was grazing all day. I would feed before I went to work at 6:30 a.m., when I got home at 3:30 p.m. and before I went to bed at 10:00 p.m. He would usually sleep through the night without getting up but now is really challenging. I have secured the back yard with t-stakes every two feed on the outside of the chain link fence and my german shepherd stays out with him for company. This seems to be working. I am also giving him some melatonin at night to help him sleep and that is working ok but he is still waking up hungry more than I want. I have just purchased a bag on alfalfa hay (shredded) and will try to throw some in the yard to see if he will eat it. If it does I am hopeful that he will get through the winter with enough food to make him feel satisfied (although I know pigs will eat even when they aren't hungry). I am also going to seed the back yard this week in hopes that is comes back quickly when the warm weather returns. Let me know what you think I can do to improve his situation - I am open to suggestions. Have a nice Christmas!

 

[Ctaylordubois]

I can. I put hay out for him. He turns his nose up at it. I just bought some grass pellets and will try to put them out for him.

The grass pellets did not work. I am going to put out shredded alfalfa today to see if that works.