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Farming pigs is, it turns out, not that hard: You feed them and they grow into a marketable commodity. Bent into an arc, anchored to a solid point and draped with a cheap tarp, cattle panels make the perfect solution for temporary hog housing.

She gets cranky when hungry. I ran across graphs and equations for determining sow rations, all aimed at helping large-scale pork producers maximize profits. But because we prepare our own corn and soybean feed, I have another option available; we currently...

These treatments aren't free. I'm a sustainable farmer, and I feel your pain—even I don't know what the food label of the moment means half the time. Piglet tails are snipped at an early age, as close quarters and boredom would lead them to chewing...

What are some good pig breeds to raise on a small-scale farm? For more information, contact the American Kune­kune Pig Registry . The KuneKune's body is round and sturdy with short legs, an upturned snout and two tassels hanging from its lower jaw.

When a piglet is born, it has limited amounts of the mineral in its body and, unable to receive an adequate amount from mother's milk to sustain its rapid growth rate, needs it from another source.

Some years, oak trees in your woodlot will be abundant in acorns; the next year, it might be walnuts or persimmons. Be sure they have some source of water—whether from a hose, a movable water-storage tank or buckets hauled in—because if they're left...

Its name, in fact, means “fat and round.” Kunekunes come in a range of colors and have short legs and semi-lopped or erect ears. But do your homework before embarking on a heritage pork venture to make certain it's right for you.

When the day arrives for the door to close behind a few of them, they're already where they need to be. Our team grew adept at wielding pushboards and muscling pigs through particleboard loading chutes, but it was never easy work, and we were often dead...

When a breed is lost, a part of our agricultural heritage is lost forever, but eating meat from endangered breeds helps them survive. Take a booth to county fairs and farm expos in your area.

It's not required to give pigs grass, nuts and legumes, but they'll be healthier and happier (and their meat will be tastier) if you can. In rotational grazing , you're constantly moving them away from the parasites every few days or so.

If you live where feral pigs are present (and according to the USDA brochure “ Feral/Wild Pigs: Potential Problems for Farmers and Hunters ,” that's 39 of our 50 states), biosecurity is very important.

But then again, this is not a factory. Everybody know that pigs squeal. The jet-engine-like intensity of sound waves pummeling the ears of an attacker could be a life-saving strategy for pig survival.

Determine the direction of prevailing winds, and locate the animal area downwind, provided this doesn't negatively affect your neighbors. Housing Management The most important factor in keeping both pigs and farmers happy is the same as it is with other...

In future deliveries, I'll plan on closer monitoring and being available to help struggling newborns. I'll do my best with what I have. Add oatmeal after a week or so. When we were down to just three, we grabbed one that was obviously struggling and brought...

Your veterinarian may recommend preventative mite treatment for herd additions to be on the safe side. Prevent Another Infestation To reduce the chance of re-introducing lice or mites into your herd, keep a closed herd or examine herd additions closely...

“Bigger droplets of water or a slow trickle from a hose is better than using misters because it keeps the humidity down.” 4. “If pigs eat less of their winter feed, they aren't getting the nutrients they need,” Whitney says.

The disease is most often transmitted through fecal-oral contact, but transmission through aerosolization, aka inhaling or consuming vaporized liquids and solids that contain pathogenic particles, is also possible.

“The pigs will remember it and will be reluctant to go out the gate when it's time to go to the butcher.” Getting Starter Pigs Think about the best time to bring pigs to your farm.

Piglets have very sharp teeth from day one, so watch out! If you don't have a bottle, it is possible to teach piglets to eat out of a dish, but be warned that pigs love to root, and they will root up the dish and spill milk everywhere at least a few times.

Traditionally, it was as normal to keep a pig or two as it was to keep chickens in backyards, and equally common in the big cities as rural homesteads. Imagine your favorite pig the size of a full-grown bison.

Factors such as time to teat and birth weight (not to mention the occasional farmer intervention, warming up babies with towels and heat lamps) can help to steady vitals until piglets can warm themselves, but ambient temperatures have an inordinate effect...

Yet when her litters got smaller and, because of the presence of a second womb, unpredictable, we found a younger boar and put him with one of Hen Wen's gilts. It breaks the rules, but farming is hard, and, on days when the fox is stealing layers, piglets...

To our minds, the extra effort was sure to pay off in some as-yet-unidentified manner. Large Black: There's a lot to love about the Large Black, such as its sunburn immunity and calm disposition, but that love can die at the processor, where meat yields...

Ewart/Flickr Courtesy Travis B. Head over to our Facebook page through the month of April, where we'll be talking about all things baby livestock. Courtesy Ariel Waldman/Flickr Courtesy Mandy Patterson Courtesy Cameron Nordholm/Flickr Courtesy Cathy Stanley...

This means that a heat lamp or other heating is often needed in the piglets' creep. Pastured farrowing is much less expensive than any other alternative, and during the summer months, temperature concerns can be alleviated.

My wife grabbed another glove and delivered further assistance, but this time it wasn't enough. Hen Wen didn't die. The sow was due any day with what we hoped would be a sizable litter, and we were excited that the summer heat would remove temperature...

Though not as popular among larger farms as they used to be, they are becoming a popular niche breed for small farmers. History: Berkshire pigs are one of the oldest identifiable breeds.