What to Feed Your Pigs: Diet Nutrition and Water Requirements
Pigs will eat almost anything. That is a fact. Historically, they were called “mortgage lifters” on dairy farms because you could feed them leftover whey and scraps, fatten them up, and sell them for extra income. Pretty smart system.
But here is the thing: just because pigs can eat something does not mean they should. Chapter 4 of Backyard Farming: Raising Pigs by Kim Pezza gets into what pigs actually need to stay healthy and grow well.
What Goes Into a Balanced Pig Diet
A proper pig diet includes several components:
- Grains and corn for energy
- Protein from both animal and plant sources (soybean meal is a common one)
- Dried skim milk or whey especially for piglets
- Fats and oils for calories and coat health
- Vitamins and minerals to fill nutritional gaps
- Feed additives as needed
If you want to mix your own feed at home, talk to your vet first. Getting the ratios wrong can cause real problems. For most backyard farmers, a commercial feed from your local feed store is the easiest and safest option. The staff there can help you pick the right formulation for your setup.
What the Author Actually Fed Her Pigs
Kim Pezza used non-medicated commercial feed as the base of her pigs’ diet. On top of that, she supplemented with:
- Fruits and vegetables
- Old bread (but never moldy bread, that is important)
- Hay
- Grass clippings
- Dog biscuits as treats for her breeding animals
That last one sounds funny, but breeders need a little extra sometimes, and dog biscuits are an easy way to give them a reward.
How Much to Feed
Here is a practical rule: give your pigs whatever they will eat in 20 minutes, two to three times per day. If there is food left after 20 minutes, you are giving too much. If they clean the trough in 5 minutes and are still looking around, give a little more next time.
In winter, pigs need more food to stay warm. The general guideline is 1 extra pound of feed per animal for every 20 degrees below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. So if it is 20 degrees outside, that is 40 degrees below 60, which means 2 extra pounds per pig per day. It adds up fast when you have multiple animals.
Feed Stages: Different Food for Different Ages
Not all pigs eat the same feed. What they need changes as they grow.
Starter feed has about 20% protein. This is for the youngest piglets, from about 7 to 10 days old through weaning. Baby pigs are growing fast and need high protein to support that growth.
Grower/Finisher feed drops to 15 to 16% protein. You switch to this when pigs hit about 50 pounds and keep them on it until they reach market weight. This is the longest feeding stage for meat pigs.
Sow and Lactating feed runs about 16% protein. A sow that is nursing a litter of piglets is burning through calories and needs good nutrition to keep up milk production.
Adult maintenance pig feed is 14% protein. This is for adult pigs that are not pregnant, not nursing, and not being fattened for market. Just keeping them healthy.
Sow Body Condition
This is something a lot of new pig owners do not think about, but it matters a lot for breeding. The author describes five body condition levels for sows:
- Emaciated - ribs and bones visible. This is a problem.
- Thin - ribs easily felt. Needs more feed.
- Ideal - ribs can be felt with light pressure. This is where you want her.
- Fat - ribs hard to feel. Cut back on feed.
- Over-fat - ribs cannot be felt at all. This causes breeding problems.
An over-fat sow will have trouble conceiving and trouble delivering. An emaciated sow will not conceive at all. Getting that ideal body condition is a real balancing act, and it takes practice to get right.
Feeding the Boar
Boars eat similar amounts to a gestating sow, but the author recommends using a limited sow lactation diet for boars rather than a standard maintenance feed. This keeps them in good breeding condition.
A boar needs about 5 to 6.5 pounds of food per day. More during heavy breeding periods, slightly less when not actively breeding.
Water: The Most Important Nutrient
Here is the part that too many people overlook. Water is the single most important nutrient for pigs. It makes up about 80% of a piglet’s body weight at birth. That is a huge number.
Pigs must have free access to clean water at all times. Not “water when you remember.” Not “water twice a day.” Always available.
Here is how much they drink:
- Nursery pig: about 1 gallon per day
- Finishing pig: about 4 gallons per day
- Sow with a litter: about 8 gallons per day
A sow nursing piglets is drinking 8 gallons of water every single day. If you do not plan your water system for that kind of volume, you are going to have problems. Dehydration in pigs leads to serious health issues fast, including salt poisoning (which we will cover in the next post about diseases).
Keep It Simple
Feeding pigs does not have to be complicated. Get a good commercial feed that matches your pigs’ life stage. Supplement with kitchen scraps, fruits, and veggies. Make sure they always have water. Adjust amounts for cold weather.
That is really it. The pigs will tell you if something is off. If they are growing well and look healthy, you are doing it right.
Book: Backyard Farming: Raising Pigs Author: Kim Pezza ISBN: 978-1-57826-621-0 Publisher: Hatherleigh Press, 2016