Q: My husband and I just got a 5 week old pot belly. What should we feed her?
A: Hi Sherril. Welcome to the world of pigdom!! Your new baby should have what they call "starter chow" food for babies. If you plan on feeding regular food than you ask your feed store for the very FIRST food for baby pigs.
If you plan on feeding potbelly food then you can find starter chow at HealthyPigs and she needs that till she is several months old. I'm assuming of course that this baby was weaned and not taken away from her mom without knowing how to eat the pelleted feed. If I'm wrong than e-mail me back OK?
Q: I got some new pig food today. I was getting 14% hog finisher, but today I got 36%. It is for weaned pigs which Mollie seems to like (we finally named her) but it's kind of like a powder. Is it OK for my big pigs? 36% protein is the highest they have here. Any ideas?
A: Kelly, what you got today is regular hog feed which is ground corn with supplements. Not what you want for a new baby and pigs used to pellets don't like the powder. She should be on a pelleted feed. If indeed this is really 36% protein that's really way too high. Most starter feeds for baby pigs is 18% to 20% and that is made for babies.
Did you ask for the first pelleted feed for baby pigs? Its called starter chow and is a slight bit higher in protein but not anywhere near 36%. Even for grown pigs that's too high. The ideal is something between 12% and 16% for grown pigs and 16% to 18% on babies. Are you sure that the stuff is 36% protein?
Q: Thanks Maryann. Does the feed not have salt in it? I feed the Mazuri elder PBP food. I'm glad you told me about the salt I had no idea. Shanna
Shanna, be careful with the discards. I don't even give my kids the skin from peeled vegetables because of the wax coating and stuff. Basically if it can cause cancer in people it can harm pigs too. My pigs like apples, watermelon or any melon, carrots, baked sweet potatoes. Sometimes I just put an extra potato on with our supper and give it to one of them with breakfast.
We try not to give animal protein to the house pigs. That can cause gas and it's just not right to eat cousin. Some people use unsalted treats like rice cakes. Try not to give salted treats because it can make them die. I think pigs can't sweat or get rid of excess salt so it just builds up and damages them. I just shared cantaloupe with Agnes AND the two little dogs. They all love it. Maryann
A: Mary Ann your right, pigs can get salt poisoning from becoming too thirsty and over drinking. But as far as snacks...moderation is the key. One pretzel will not hurt your pig. One potato chip will not hurt your pig. If your pig gets into turkey or chicken food...THAT WILL hurt your pig as the salt content is so high compared to other feeds.
As for chocolate...not a good idea but my house pigs have all tasted it at one time or another. It is like anything else...some dogs and pigs have an allergic reaction to it some don't. There's the time that Ann Daniel's pig Oink ate the whole bag of Hershey kisses...foil and all. He was fine and vet was more concerned about how he would handle the foil in his system. As I speak, Maggie is gobbling down one of the cookies that Ann brought. I'm sure its not to our liking, but these pigs even eat grub worms from under the rocks and stuff.
They can handle a lot of things, but it HAS to be in moderation. The outside pigs here only get goodies once in a while as I'm a firm believer that pig chow has what they need, was made for pigs and should be their basic diet, but heck everyone enjoys a break from routine sometimes.
No matter what we would like to think these guys are pigs and if different stuff was going to kill them than the old farmers sloping the hogs with dishwater wouldn't have had much to eat. Our pots in their own country ate much the same way. It's good to be careful, but not paranoid.
Maggie says Yep! She chokes on even wet food spread out over the floor so guess what...heaven forbid she is on dog food!! The old frozen pig that took two years to get on her feet again lived those two years on wet dog food, canned dog food, and Pig treats or anything else I could get her to eat. She is still alive and is now cruising the back yard looking for a man!!
Q: Hello, I loved your web site, but couldn't find anything on the net regarding my question about my pig and was wondering if maybe you could help. My pig is about 4 years old, in great health and not overweight. But sometimes when she is sleeping she will cough and up will come some water. There is not a lot and it doesn't seem like vomiting, it is just a few ounces of liquid.
She doesn't seem in pain or in any discomfort but it soils her bed and wakes her up. I was just wondering if there was anything I could do to help prevent this or if I should be concerned.
Any information you could supply would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time, Stacey
A: Stacy, some pigs do this more often than others. My first question would be are you putting water on her food? This tends to cause spitting up after they eat. What kind of food is she on and how long has she been doing this. How often does this happen?
Pigs are prone to ulcers that's why I ask all the above questions. I don't think she has them but would like to know what her daily diet consists of. Let me hear back from you OK?
Q: My pig's diet is oats, farina, grits or (once in a while) dog food for her dinner and snacks of vegetables, some fruit, nuts, but never sweets, salty foods or processed foods.
She doesn't do this coughing water after eating. It happens in the middle of the night, when her dinner is around sunset. It never happens when she is awake and standing, only when she is sound asleep. Like I said before, she shows no signs of pain or discomfort and seems surprised by this when it happens. She will be sleeping and then cough up the water. It's not like a dog or cat getting sick (and I know this is gross) because there isn't any motion prior to the cough.
It has only happened a few times and I was curious as to the cause. I searched and searched online but could not find any other similar questions or health concerns. I have since been putting less water in her food, thinking that her gobbling the water with the food might be the cause.
Have you heard of this before?
A: Hi Stacy, yes it's not uncommon for pigs that have water put on their food to do this. It is kind of like putting your whole supper in the bottom of a big glass of water that you have to drink to get to the food even if your not thirsty. If you are going to wet the food than just dampen it with enough water to moisten it and try that for a while.
I have to admit I have never heard of a pig eating the diet that you sent me, but then again if she is healthy guess it works for her. Though I would have to think that a good pelleted pig chow would be better for her since it is made with all that a pig needs in it. Pigs are omnivores which means they eat meat as well as grain and they can't make their own protein so it has to be fed to them.
That is why even the commercial pig chows have some animal protein added. Anyway give it a try without water on her food or very little water and let me hear from you.
Q: Could you tell me how much to feed Yorkshire pigs in order to keep them in good shape and not overweight? How much can I expect them to weigh? I am getting a couple Yorkshire piglets and want them as pets on the farm. I am not going to sell them for slaughter and want to keep them on a good diet. Any suggestions? Thanks Kurt
A: Hi Kurt, what you feed will increase as the pigs increase in size. I feed mine twice daily with a three coffee cans. They grow so fast that they need extra just to keep up with the growth rate. As they grow you will be able to tell if they are getting enough just by looking at them and feed them accordingly like you would your dog. I would never feed less than a three coffee cans twice daily but there are time I feed more.
The modern day Yorkshire pig is a lean animal usually until about their third year. Its the breeding that determines this and the fact that they were not bred to have to worry after the first couple of years cause by then they have gone to market...boo ..hiss..). The Yorkshire at three years is usually about 800 lbs and our Baby Henry was a thousand lbs when he was ten years old.
Q: I will try to answer your questions about what Miss Piggy is eating. We had been feeding her swine food. It was a maintenance food for pigs and then we finally located a place locally to get pot belly pig food. What they had was Mazuri Mini-Pig food, Youth. We got Miss Piggy from a woman who had bought her at a yard sale for her mother and she didn't want her and the daughter had already been abusive to her that afternoon. Miss Piggy was scared and it took a while to get her tamed.
We got her in July and we guess that she may have been 2 or 3 months old. I feed her a cup of food in the morning and another cup in the afternoon. We also have a garden and we raised broccoli, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, and Brussel sprouts this fall. I go out every day at lunch and pick the leaves and broccoli florets , usually a gallon bucket full and feed them to her. We had an Amish friend make her a hot pink harness and leash and I have got her used to it in her pen but she is still too wild to take out in the yard yet and now the weather is not cooperative.
She has also been eating persimmons because her pen is under 3 persimmon trees but they are about gone now. I would mix a handful of shelled corn in with her feed in the afternoon but Kathleen Myers said this might be part of the problem. She had mange mites a couple of months ago but we got medicine from a vet and it cleared up. Thanks for any help you can give. Sheryl
A: Sheryl, nothing wrong with feeding pig chow...we have 73 here that have had nothing but for the last 16 years since we started the sanctuary. I ask about what you were feeding cause there are some potbelly pig foods out there being sold that are not adequate in nutrition. These are companies owned by single individuals not the big ones like Purina.
I ask because I wanted to make sure she wasn't being fed one of those that might not have been giving her enough of what she needs but any commercial hog chow is complete in giving what a pot needs as well as the farm pigs. The Mazuri is good, but I can't say it's any better than the regular pig chow.
In any case diet does not seem to be the problem since it sounds like she gets a pretty well rounded diet. Most pigs that eat their own stool are pigs that have not had a good start in life. Sounds like she didn't have it too good till you got her. Some of these pigs do it because they are bored. Can't imagine that being under three persimmon trees!! Which leads me to another question:
What does she do with the seeds?? I ask because there have been several cases of pigs getting blocked intestines from the seeds in persimmons and peaches. Some pigs spit them out, some swallow them.
Have you noticed any change in her behavior or her digging a lot? Some pigs will eat their own stool (and dirt) when they are in pain. If this pig is acting normal in all ways and anxious to eat like a healthy pig than you can rule pain out as a reason. If you can do that then you might want to start her on a one a day children's vitamin. We use the generic Flintstones ones that come in flavors and they will eat them from your hand.
Also would ask if she started this AFTER you switched her feed or was she doing it before? And what area of the country are you located. If she didn't do this on the pig chow and is doing it on the Mazuri than the answer would be that Mazuri doesn't have the selenium added and your farm pig chow does. If you are in a selenium deficient area that might be your reason. If it started before than that is not the case.
I would rule out habit since this has not always been a problem for her and I can see no reason why she would be hungry enough to do this with what you are giving her so if we rule out pain (which you would know by watching her and how willing she is to eat). That means it has to be a deficiency in something she needs. I would try the vitamins for a time and see if this helps but get back to me on the questions I ask OK?
Q: I have a potbellied pig who lives with two miniature goats, I currently feed her dog "dinner" as it is the only thing the goats don't pinch off her, now I read that this is bad for her. What should I feed? And what is the ideal diet for a pig? I live in Belgium and there are currently no books available on potbellies. HELP!!!
A: I don't know if Belgium has commercial pigs that people eat or not but, some pigs are on farm pig chow...the maintenance formula not the grower stuff which can be found at most feed stores. This seems to be the choice for people that do not have access to Potbelly pig chow.
As for the dog food...that will not hurt her. Some pigs spend their whole lives on it and do quite well if not overfed. I would suggest putting a children's vitamin (we use a generic brand of Flinstone's chewable ) on top of her food and they think its a treat. Pigs are omnivores and they can't make their own protein so it has to be fed to them. The dog food has a high protein content so it covers that part.
If you give veggie treats like carrots and lettuce and any fruits then you are supplying what the pig needs. The vitamin will also help there. On another note...How do the goats do with the pig. We have had several e-mail's from people where the goat has butted the pig causing spinal injury to them. Seems to be only the pygmy goats that do this. Hope this helps you some and stay in contact OK?
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Q: Thank you for your reply, I was relieved to here that the dog food won't hurt my pig! She lives outside sharing a large stable and paddock with two pygmy goats, a castrated billy and his wife, plus lots of chickens and Guinea pigs, and until now they are one big happy family!
Only on occasion have the goats butted the pig usually if I scatter food around for the last few scraps, and sometimes in play and the pig is no innocent by-stander!!! She will herself start pushing into the goats and gives as good as she gets! If let into the garden she will happily run around (as fast as a pig CAN run!) with our four dogs playing, although the dogs get quite worried and are not quite sure what to make of her! Especially the Chihuahua!
I once read an article from an English newspaper, that said pigs needed company and it was cruel to keep just one pig. Do you think this is true? And is the companionship of the goats enough? (I'm not quite sure my husband would cope if I announced I wanted another pig! It took two days of me not speaking to him before he relented and bought me this one!!!) Many thanks for taking time to reply to my last e-mail. Hope to hear from you soon. Rachel.
A: Hi Rachel, I disagree big time with people that say these pigs need company. They are perfectly happy being an only child or having the goats and dogs for company. They fight each other terribly when you put two of them together. Whoever it is that keeps preaching that they need another pig has evidently not had to run one to the vet for stitches.
We have 74 of them here with a few being house pigs. It took two years before George would allow Arnold to sleep in the same area that he is in or even the same room. They are very territorial and unless you get two when you get the first one, I tell people to forget it. It isn't worth the battles that they go through.
Your girl is happy just the way things are and believe me if she could talk she would tell you...No more pigs. These pigs don't know the name of sharing and they really resent new ones brought in.
Q: Hi, It's me again. The move went fine and Max loves it here. He adjusted to the new house better than anyone - my husband, me and our cats. Max also has a real bedroom now that he thinks is pretty cool.
I have a concern though. We have a huge oak tree in our yard and I am worried that the acorns might be poisonous to Max. The tree is now getting new acorns and Max seems to like them. Are acorns harmful to pigs? Thanks, Tammy
A: Normal acorns don't seem to cause a problem other than the stomach ache that goes with eating too many of them, but the green ones tend to make them sick. A lot will depend on Max and his individual make up.
I have a friend in Texas that has a lot of ground with hundreds of oaks with millions of acorns and her pigs don't have a problem with it, but for a first timer you might want to rake them up like some people do so there aren't as many for him to eat. You can't possibly get them all but it just cut's the number down. They can be fattening so that's a concern too. Or you could find a part of the yard without the oak for Max to go in if that's possible during the time the acorns are falling.
Q: Toby will be 3 years old in Jan. He gets regular pot belly pig food 1 cup twice a day. He is an inside pet at our business. Toby is such a sweet guy and we care for him very much. Thanks for your help. Shirley
A: Ok, here is what I would do. A three year old pig doesn't need two cups of chow a day if he isn't out in the cold or doing a lot of walking around. His growth spurts are done so he needs a maintenance diet at this time of his life. Our house pigs (ten of them) get only one cup a day divided into two feedings...some get even less depending on their daily exercise.
You won't be able to do this all at once but a slow decrease over a week or so will do it. We also use oats to fill in if the pig is used to big meals. Not horse oats but the oats like Quaker oats that you eat for breakfast. They are non fattening and have no nutritional value either so we never go below one half a cup of the good ole pig chow at any meal.
You feed the oats dry and most pigs love it. If Toby was here he would be getting one half a cup of pig chow in the morning and when he was finished with that I would sprinkle a handful of the oats out on the floor and he would have to work to eat it. (you might want to let him get a taste of them in with his food first to make sure he finds that oats taste good.) He would get the same at night feeding. He could have a few pieces of lettuce if he likes that during the day or a few plain puffed wheat pellets for treats if he is used to getting treats.
I'm assuming that Toby does go outside for potty time? He needs a little exercise to make sure the muscle tone stays when he loses the weight. (helps keep the skin from sagging) So after you find out if he really likes the oats you might want to (weather permitting) take those outside when he goes and throw them scattering them in the yard so he has to hunt for them. With the onset of winter you will have to play hunt and peck indoors. With this you should see a pretty big change by Spring time. You can if you want, give him a one a day children's chewable vitamin once a day while he is on the diet. (we buy the generic brand of Flintstones at Walmart)
When Toby gets to the weight where he looks good and yet healthy too... we can re-evaluate how things are going and if any changes need to be made. Keep in touch ok...and give the big guy a tummy rub for me.
Q: My pig is now 4 weeks old and is used to the environment he also has already learned to eat out of a bowl. What I need to know is now what can I feed him. I mean what do miniature pot belly pigs eat. What type of solid foods also do I start him off on?
A: At four weeks your baby is still just that a baby. You can start now with putting some starter baby pig chow pellets in a bowl in with him....they usually will play with it but won't eat it just like that. They learn to eat pellets from mom and he hasn't had that time with her to learn so it will be slow going. There are brands of potbelly pig foods out there...Purina has one called Mazuri that a lot of people use. It is easy to get or order from your feed store...there is one called Manna Pro and others that say potbelly pig chow. At four weeks I would continue with his regular feedings and in two weeks or so if he isn't at least tasting the pig chow you might have to mix it with what you are giving him for a while and slowly go to the chow. It sometimes encourages them to eat it if you sprinkle a little powdered milk on the pellets...you don't have to wet them at that point...try it dry first.
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