Whether you’re taking on the task of a couple of feeder pigs in your backyard to feed your own family or trying to start your own small hog farm so much of success lies in the details; the little things than no one thinks to ask before they dive in feet first. Beyond the fences, the feed, and the shelter there exists a wide band of gray area between surviving with pigs and thriving with them. Here, a few of the things we’ve learned (some the hard way) and hope others don’t have to:
1. Don’t Feed The Pigs. At least not by hand. I mentioned in an update on our How Pigs Become Pork series that young pigs tend to be a bit skittish. Because they’re also highly food motivated it can be tempting to feed them from your hands in an attempt to get them “tame” faster. While this technique can sometimes work, it also more often than not backfires later on, teaching the pigs that it’s okay to nibble directly on you and try to forcibly take things from you as they grow. A nibble is cute when your pig weighs twenty pounds, but is not so cute when they reach two-hundred. We’ve found that the pigs …show more content…
Be The Boss From The Start. Similar to number one, where a pig biting at the backs of your calves, or squealing and body checking into your boots at meal time when he weighs twenty or thirty pounds can be cute, the antics become frustrating and dangerous quickly. Even a fifty pound pig is a force to be reckoned with. Teach your pigs manners from day one. Don’t allow them to nibble on any part of you or your clothing, do not allow them to swarm you when you enter their pen, don’t allow them to jump or jostle or push you for any reason. Pigs are very intelligent animals so if you teach them manners when they’re young and of a manageable size they will remember those manners when they are older and much bigger and stronger than you. A pig’s snout is very sensitive, a quick tap on the snout and a firm “No!” or “Ahht!” is very effective to teach them which behaviors are not
1. Don’t Feed The Pigs. At least not by hand. I mentioned in an update on our How Pigs Become Pork series that young pigs tend to be a bit skittish. Because they’re also highly food motivated it can be tempting to feed them from your hands in an attempt to get them “tame” faster. While this technique can sometimes work, it also more often than not backfires later on, teaching the pigs that it’s okay to nibble directly on you and try to forcibly take things from you as they grow. A nibble is cute when your pig weighs twenty pounds, but is not so cute when they reach two-hundred. We’ve found that the pigs …show more content…
Be The Boss From The Start. Similar to number one, where a pig biting at the backs of your calves, or squealing and body checking into your boots at meal time when he weighs twenty or thirty pounds can be cute, the antics become frustrating and dangerous quickly. Even a fifty pound pig is a force to be reckoned with. Teach your pigs manners from day one. Don’t allow them to nibble on any part of you or your clothing, do not allow them to swarm you when you enter their pen, don’t allow them to jump or jostle or push you for any reason. Pigs are very intelligent animals so if you teach them manners when they’re young and of a manageable size they will remember those manners when they are older and much bigger and stronger than you. A pig’s snout is very sensitive, a quick tap on the snout and a firm “No!” or “Ahht!” is very effective to teach them which behaviors are not