what should I not feed my pigs?

[animalfarm]

Double post. Sorry.

 

[Cornish Heritage]

I have been known to throw some dirty or cracked raw eggs in their direction rather then risk breaking yet another egg in my pocket on the eventual trip back to the house.

LOL! How many times have we done that! The kids will come running up to me with an egg they are so proud of, I stick it in my pocket, forget all about it & a few seconds later I feel something wet - UGH! Our aim here is to eventually feed a hundred plus eggs a day to the pigs (not each but to the herd!) & at that point I will do my best to cook them but for now with the eggs so spread out I rarely bother. And yes like you, I throw ours to the pigs if they are dirty - no point wasting time & energy try to wash all the dirt off when there are plenty of clean ones that just need a wipe.

Liz

 

[sixofus09]

Thanks for the info guys. My 3 little girls and 1 boy have been enjoying a lot of leftovers from the 17 preschoolers. No meat has been my #1 goal. Can they have a lot of dairy? I'm talking about half a gallon of milk for the four of them (skim) , a day.

 

[Cornish Heritage]

Can they have a lot of dairy? I'm talking about half a gallon of milk for the four of them (skim) , a day.

A gallon of milk between the four of them is actually NOT a lot and yes dairy is a great food for pigs. Our aim here on the farm is to eventually switch from grain to feeding all milk & eggs. We have the cows - just haven't started milking them yet & by next spring should have around 250 eggs a day, if we can find the eggs. Chickens love playing "hide & seek" with us.

All the best & glad you are enjoying your pigs,

Liz

 

[zimmerman]

Raw taters

Really? They need cooked?

 

[Cornish Heritage]

Pigs have a digestive system very much like a humans so they can eat pretty much anything. I personally do not like to eat raw potatoes but every time I am cutting up raw potatoes my kids will "steal" them & crunch them as if they are candy! I am always amazed but it certainly doesn't do them any harm. In all things, it is important to have balance. Yes if you fed a pig 50lbs of raw potatoes at one sitting it would probably have an upset stomach but them so would you if you ate the same! Feeding them a few potato peelings or some old potatoes from your garden is not going to do them any harm.

Liz

 

[arabianequine]

I give raw eggs all the time in shell and all...they eat it all. Never been a problem.

 

[that's*satyrical]

pork products

 

[PFSfarmer]

Raw eggs, boiled are fine.

We feed our pigs raw eggs regularly & never had a problem. (Many other pig breeders do the same.) Now some folks out there say that cooked are better as the pig actually gets more nutrients out of them but there are times when I don't have time to cook them. If we get a load then I will cook up a big potful & mash them with the potato masher. Now of course I am talking here about eggs from here on the farm. I make ice cream for us with raw eggs & it is delicious but I always caution folks when purchasing eggs from the store - that is a totally different matter - goodness knows what conditions those eggs have been in!

Liz

Ice Cream.... Raw Eggs.... Interesting. Are you supposed to do that? I dont remember, but home made ice cream was rare and long ago.

 

[Cornish Heritage]

Ice Cream.... Raw Eggs.... Interesting. Are you supposed to do that?

LOL! Our bodies actually need some raw food every day - full of good enzymes. Cooked food has most of the enzymes depleted & we are only born with so many in our body - once they are gone, that is it! Of course the government would have us all believe that everything should be processed to the hilt. Hence the "scare" on drinking raw milk.

NOW saying that, would I use raw eggs from the grocery store? NO! The eggs we use are freshly laid here on the farm. And yes we drink raw milk here all the time from our own cows - absolutely delicious. When I make ice cream it is made with raw eggs & raw cream. Yum! Yum!

Some foods are better for you cooked. It has been proven that alfalfa sprouts are actually not good for you raw so do your research.

Liz