The Importance of Your Pig Chow

Once again we are seeing posts and receiving emails about what veggies to give your pig(s). This veggie vs, that veggie. So once again we thought it might be time to reiterate that these pigs are Omnivore not Herbivore. While vegetables and fruits make great treats they are not nutritionally sound for complete diet or even half a diet.

Vegetables and fruits do not contain the protein that your pig needs nor do they contain all the other things incorporated into a well-made pig chow that keeps your pig healthy.

Part of this idea of feeding veggies and fruits seems to be based on what we would like to think they eat on their own. Left to fend for themselves they would be eating worms, small animals and even dead animals along with the grass and seeds and nuts that they find.

In this manner they adjust their own protein needs with the roughage and fiber that they know is important to them.

Well, great news folks! That's why we have good pig chows! Many years of development, millions of dollars in research facilities, many years of testing have gone in to what it takes to keep a pig happy and healthy.

There is NO substitute for a well-made pig chow in your pigs diet. This is what the chow was developed for...as a complete diet for the pig!

Flower cleaning her bowl.

When a pig is getting too heavy here, we cut back on his feed, but we NEVER completely cut out the pig chow. That pig chow is and should always be the foremost and most important part of the pigs diet.

There are 8 pigs here that came from a sanctuary that never had anything but a well balanced pig chow for their main diet. Two of those pigs are now 17 and 2 are 16, the others 11 & 12 years of age. While, we do give a few fruits and veggies now when available, they are not necessary to keep them healthy...they are a treat.

Another humorous thought is how long would it take us to cut up enough veggies and fruits to feed ten pigs daily? We would have to start the day even earlier than we do now and even if we felt like digging up a bunch of grub worms to throw in, it still wouldn't be a balanced diet like the pig chow.

While my opinion on using veggies as a food source is a negative thing there isn't any reason that it can't be used for a treat or when it's available and you want to give them a bite.

Our house pigs have seen veggies  when we are cleaning them for us, but it is in moderation. What we are saying is that a pig that is on a well-balanced, well made pig chow can live it's whole life without ever having a veggie or fruit an still be a healthy happy animal. With that in mind it would stand to reason that the veggies and fruits should be considered as a treat and not as a food.

We receive lots of e-mail's on what veggies and fruits are good for pigs. Not that you are aware of how we feel about feeding veggies and fruits it will come as no surprise that as far as we can tell, it makes no difference.

Some veggies cause more gas than others like broccoli tends to do. You are the one that has to live in the house with your pig so if that doesn't concern you, then no problem.

Personally we feel that too much gas is not good for the pig so we don't feed it at all. Cucumbers are another one that we stay away from for that reason.

There is much discussion over types of lettuce fed to the pigs. Who cares if one is deemed more nutritious than the other? If our pig is on a good complete pig chow then it really doesn't matter what type lettuce you give them in moderation as a treat.

It is our opinion that we can not second guess all the years of research and testing done by professionals and scientists that go into making a well balanced complete pig chow. They did the work and we reap the benefits. That's as it should be.

Sounds - Which Ones Does Your Pig Recognize?

I'm not talking about the sounds that your pig makes, but the sounds that you make on a daily basis that they seem to respond to. We all know that they know the sound of a bag of chips, or food in their bowl, but what about other sounds that we make in our daily routine.

It was several years ago when living in NV that I noticed Chelie's reaction when I put on my winter coat. She had figured out the sound that it made when I put it on and knew that we were going outside. 

Lately I've been watching Porky and some of the other pigs to see which sounds they recognize. They seem to know the sound of the screen door opening, but only react when it is close to feeding time.
They do always seem to know when it's feeding time don't they?  Porky along with Rudy and Gracie seem to recognize the sound of the backdoor now and get all excited hoping that I will come over and let them out.

Most recently Porky has come to recognize the sound of the garage door going up/down. This isn't so bad most times when I'm leaving as he is usually still in his pen or far enough out in the yard, but I find myself racing to get the car into the garage and door closed before Porky when he is anywhere close by. You see he knows that is where the food is kept.

Porky guarding the garage.

Does anyone else have a similar experience?

Changing Temperatures and Your Pet Pig

Here we go into the blahs of cold weather once again. It is a time for fluctuating temperatures that go from one extreme to another, and that is not good news for the precious porkers that live with us.

Our porcine friends do not like change in anything and the weather is no exception. Pigs are prone to respiratory problems and drastic change in temperatures can cause them even more problems. How much is too much for a pig? It depends on the pig. Even house pigs have a problem sometimes going from the heated house to the outdoors for potty time.

Around here we start watching close anytime there is a twenty degree difference in temperature up or down. The outside pigs are not immune just because they live outside and the house pigs just because they live in the house. What can we do about it? Keep a close eye on the pig and its actions.

We don't leave our house pets out for any extended length of time to do their business when there has been a sudden change and we bed outside pigs very well when the forecast calls for a sharp change. This is the time of year when I urge people to make sure that they have some kind of antibiotic on hand for those weekends and late nights when a vet may not be available. A few hours can make a difference.

As always prevention beats a cure but we cannot always control the environment of the pig. We want to watch for any change in a pigs eating habits. These guys are not like dogs and cats that may just have an off day over food. When a pig does not eat at all, the pig has a serious problem. NEVER ignore the fact that a pig turned down a meal! If this should happen then take his temperature. As a rule a pig with respiratory problems will run a fever.

Call your vet and explain that your pig is not eating and has a temperature and tell the vet that you know that these guys are prone to respiratory problems. ASK for an antibiotic. If it's a time when you can not get your vet then use what you have hopefully gotten from him to keep on hand for emergencies. There are a lot of safe antibiotics that are tasteless that you can put in some kind of treat. We keep 500 mg. Ampicillin here for emergency situations.

If you catch it before it gets too bad the pig will usually take it in a favorite treat. If it is beyond that, then the only other solution is an injectable antibiotic or you go the hard route and put the powder from the pill, or crushed pill in a syringe without the needle on it, mixed with a little water and give it to them by mouth.

If treated early the pig should respond within twelve hours and they have been known to get up and eat a meal after four or five hours. If is so very important to catch this at the beginning and save yourself and your pig a lot of stress.

These little critters seem to be very hale and hearty most of the time, but it is amazing how fast this problem can come on. We have seen it happen from the morning feed where the pig eats normally to the evening feeding when he is uninterested, lethargic and almost down. It is far better to be prepared then to be on the phone at 2 am looking for a Dr. and or making a long trip to pick something up from him for the pig. Most vets won't have a problem with giving you a mild antibiotic for this purpose.

I do not advocate treatment of your pig without a veterinarians advice. What I do advocate is something to help the pig until the time that he might be taken into the vet for treatment. This is what this is all about, a way to get something in the pig in a time frame that might make the difference for the pig until he can be seen by a veterinarian. It is far better to be prepared and never need it then to be stuck in a situation where you do need it and it is not there.

So as the seasons change get prepared and keep one eye on the sky, and the other on your piggy friend.

New Year's Resolutions for Your Pig | 2019 The Year Of The Pig

It's 2019 and like most of us you have made some kind of resolution(s) for the new year. The most common are to get more exercise, eat healthier and save money. Here are just a few suggestions that might help you and your piggy succeed in 2019.

Eat Healthier: Since we control what our pigs eat, it is generally our fault if they are over or underweight. Though most pigs tend to be overweight there are those that are underweight as either the breeder or vet has told you to only feed 1/4 - 1/2 of chow a day. This is NOT enough for a pig, especially a growing pig during their first year of life when they need that feed to build a strong immune system and bones.

Flower getting every last bite of food.

We all love giving our pigs treats as we know how cute they can be and will do almost anything for one. Remember that a treat is just that "a treat". It must be earned, and not part of their daily meals. For those pigs that tend to "pig out" you might want to try our Busy Ball which is meant to slow our pigs down and the meal last longer. They are also getting some exercise at the same time.

More Exercise: Not to worry, I'm not talking about lifting weights or jogging, but making sure that your pig gets up and out at least twice a day. A nice walk around the yard or in the house on those rain/snow days will work just as well. This also helps with the pig that gets constipated. 

Oshay's version of working out!

Learn a New Trick: Our pigs love to learn new things so why not teach a new trick or take a behavior that they are doing naturally and turn it into a trick. Remember that when teaching new behaviors to keep the training sessions short and always end with a win for your pig even if it means doing a behavior that he already knows like sit. Lots of small treats work in the beginning, but remember to show lots of enthusiasm and praise. As the sessions go on; less treats and more praise and enthusiasm.

Mini obstacle course at the 2006 Pignic.

Save More Money: Our goal has always been and will continue to be to offer the highest quality products for your pet pig at affordable prices. Did you know that we now offer free shipping on most of our light weight products? Did you know that we offer monthly specials on our most popular products? Be sure to check back monthly to see if your favorite product is on special.

Happy New Year from all of us at Pigs4Ever!