The Beginner’s Guide to Raising Pigs
From setting up their housing to choosing their feed, discover everything you need to know about properly caring for pigs.
Learn how to properly care for pigs.
Embarking on the journey of raising pigs can be a very rewarding experience. Whether you’re a homesteader looking to expand your livestock or a novice intrigued by the prospect of owning pigs, discover the basics you need to start raising pigs.
From setting up their living space to ensuring their health and well-being, Blain’s Farm & Fleet is here to provide you with all the information your need to properly care for your pigs.
Housing
For the first four to six weeks, house your pigs in a stall or shelter of some sort. This will help protect them from predators. While in the stall, provide them with a natural bedding to lay on. We recommend using wood shavings.
Once they’re old enough, you can move them to their permanent home. The main component of this will be the pigpen.
To make the pigpen, you’ll need to install a sturdy wire fence that is “hog tight.” This means your pigs won’t be able to escape it. When planning out your fence, keep in mind that you should leave about 50 square feet of space per pig.
Although your pigs will likely spend a lot of their time outdoors, you’ll still need to provide them with some sort of shelter. If you don’t, pigs can get overheated and sunburned in the summer without some sort of shade. And they won’t have a place to escape the cold and wind in the winter.
For a shelter, we recommend a three-sided structure with a roof. The pigs should have at least 15 to 20 square feet of shade.
If you build a different type of structure, just make sure there is some sort of opening in it. So heat doesn’t get trapped in in the hotter months. In the wintertime, lay down hay or another type of bedding to help the pigs stay warm in the shelter.
Keep the shelter and pigpen as clean as possible by scooping the manure out daily.
Feed
The best way to provide your pigs with all the essential nutrients they need is by giving them a pre-mixed swine feed. This will ensure they have a well-balanced diet.
Pigs will eat just about anything. So as a special treat, you can give them food scraps, like fruits and vegetables. Just make sure you’re never replacing their feed with these other foods.
You should feed your pigs every 12 hours.
Water
Pigs consume a lot of water. They will usually drink about two to four gallons of it per day. So you’ll need to make sure they always have a good supply of fresh, clean water available.
We recommend providing your pigs’ water in a tub. If you go this route, make sure you secure your tub into the ground. If you don’t, your pigs will likely knock it over and spill it.
To keep your pigs from playing or laying in their water supply, provide them with a separate area to do these things. That could be a mud wallow or simply a kiddie pool.
Healthcare
Because pigs hang out in the mud and manure often, they’re prone to getting parasites. To prevent this, you will need to regularly uses a de-wormer to kill both internal worms and external parasites. Refer to the directions for your particular de-wormer to figure out how often you’ll need to give it to your pigs.
To find the right de-wormer to treat your pigs with, it’s best to speak with your veterinarian.
For more guides and how-tos like this one, visit our Farm & Livestock Blog.