Making Showpigs Grow

Over the years I have learned many things on getting a hog to grow fast.  I always get a call or two from a desperate parent on how can I get my child's pig to grow.  First let say having good, fresh feed, fresh water (warm in the winter time) and buying from a reputable breeder who knows his bloodlines, will let you probably prevent you from having the slow growing problem.  But sometimes you get one of those slow growers. So here is a few things you might do to help with this problem.  Also if you have a question give me a call at 918-520-6297 and I will discuss with you what might help. 

Clean, fresh water and warm water in the winter time is of upmost importance.  Good quality, fresh feed (check the label and see when the feed is made or call the feed manufacturer with the number on the sack and ask) sometimes it not uncommon for some of this feed to have been setting in the feed store for 6 months.  Maybe the stock wasn't rotated or who knows what.  Also a lot is made of these high dollar feeds, but a good quality feed with the right protein for your pig is all that is sometimes needed. 

B vitamin injections help with appetite.  A good milk protein in an extreme case will help alot, milk protein such as Ensure is great and sometimes you can find out-of-date Ensure that is cheaper. Also if the pig just doesn't want to eat try Purina High Protein dog food, sometimes they will eat this when they will eat nothing else.  This  works well on sows that have just farrowed will not eat as well. 

Get the pigs up as often as possible and get their heads in the feed trough, pigs nurse on the sow every hour when they are babies and if keep this schedule up it is amazing how fast they grow.   I have got up in the middle of the night and got the pigs up to eat.  If the pigs are sick, medicate them, just watch the withdrawal times. 

If you use antibiotics make sure to use yogurt to get good bacteria back in their gut.  A lone pig might need a mate and you use the competitive nature of the pig to get them to eat more.  But with boars this can be a problem.  Starter feed topdressed on their regular feed will sometimes help as well.  Feeding in a trough as well as having a self feeder is a must. 

Keep pigs warm in the winter and cool in the summer.  Have the kids cool the pigs several times  on those hot afternoons and see if they don't go to the feeder.  Strawberry jello in the feed helps with feed consumption as well, pigs like the strawberry favor, also jello can help with the joints.   Again if you have a problem pig give me call at 918-520-6297 and maybe we can diagnose the problem over the phone.   We have won many rate-of-gain contests and I have several people who thought they wouldn't even make weight a month before the show, end up with the Champion pig at the show.  Hope this helps and a good book on nutrition from Amazon.com can help you understand nutrition better as well.

Here is a book from Amazon - Swine Nutrition, Second Edition