Feeding your pet pig a Natural Diet
I frequently get calls from people who do not want to feed their pet pigs commercial pellets. Since I feed my pig a home made diet I thought it would be important to put something up on my site the reflects the pros and cons of a more 'natural' diet. The following information has been gleaned through trail and error, research, and the experience of many breeders and pet owners. Feel free to send me more information if you have something to add or disagree with anything posted.
PROS TO A NATURAL DIET: I have two main reasons for feeding a home-made diet and several supporting reasons.
The first reason I feed a home-made diet is because I KNOW exactly what is in it. I can read a label on a bag, but that does not tell me if the oats they used were fresh or moldy. The nutritional difference between first quality whole oats and second or third quality cracked, old, or rancid oats is enormous - they are both oats but contain totally different properties. I toured a feed mill in college for one of my livestock feeds classes and the take away for me was 'never use pelleted feeds'. This was not the message they were trying to send at the feed mill of course, but is the conclusion I came up with myself.
The second reason I feed a home-made diet is because my pigs smell better and have less waste to clean up. By waste I mean feces (poop). I have been amazed by how stinky some of the piglets I have purchase were compared to my own piglets. One time I purchase a piglet that was the same age as a litter I had in my living room. When I added that piglet to the bunch I was horrified by it's smell (not exaggerating here). The breeder had given me some of the food they feed (pelleted mini pig food) so I could adjust that piglet to what I was feeding. Since my piglets were in the same pen with the new one they all started eating a small amount of the commercial food at feeding time. Within a day or two all of my piggies smelled awful. As soon as they all went back onto the diet I normally feed they went back to smelling the way a clean pig should.
In addition to the above reasons I love home-made diets because I can adjust each pig's diet to match his needs. For example, if I have one pig that has itchy skin I can add more oil or if I have a pig that has oily skin I can cut back on the oil. Chubby pigs get the fats cut back in their meals and thin pigs get more protein and fat in their food dish. Another added bonus is that the pigs LOVE the variety of food and are quite healthy and sleek. They grown a thick, luxurious winter coat and shed out to a smooth, glossy summer coat each year.
CONS TO A NATURAL DIET: There are downsides to feeding a home-made diet. Below if a list of the cons in feeding your own piggy diet:
* Mixing your own food is more time consuming and can get annoying if you are in a hurry
* it can be more expensive, especially if you are feeding organic feeds
* You must be sure your diet is balanced enough
In order to make sure your pig is getting what he or she needs it is very important to constantly monitor his or her condition. Ask yourself on a regular basis if your pig is the correct weight, if he/she has a glossy coat and healthy skin, if his/her energy level is good.
FOOD MUSTS: Every pig needs the following in their diet, thought the proportion and quantity depend on the individual animal.
Protein: Protein is very important to a healthy diet. A growing pig or breeding animal will have much higher protein requirement while a mature pet that is spayed or neutered will not need as much. While protein is very important, too much is also very hard on the system and some sources are easier to digest them others. My favorite protein sources for pigs are: raw milk, raw eggs, cooked lentils or other type of bean (must be cooked), grains like quinoa and barley. You can feed meat, but I prefer not to since it tends to make your pig smell more.
Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates come in many forms and are in almost every kind of food. You should be feeding 'good carbs' and avoiding the 'bad carbs. Good Carbs include plant derived foods that have a lot of fiber and are not overly sweet. Examples of some good carbs would be vegetables, fruit, and grasses. Bad carbs are the refined and sugary foods that are not good for humans either. Examples of Bad Carbs would include pastries, fried foods, and refined breads
Oil/Fat: The right kind of fats are essential to your mini pig, but should be used sparingly. Good oils and fats to add to your pig's diet would include: olive oil, flax oil or flax seeds, or cod liver oil, raw cream, unsalted sunflower seeds, walnuts, fatty fish (I choose to go vegetarian but pigs are omnivores and do well with meat in their diet), Make sure you do not feed any oils that are spoiled or rancid*. Bad oils and fats would include trans fats, fried foods, pastiries, candy, and generally anything a doctor would tell a heart patient to avoid.
Fiber: While fiber is tied to carbs I had to put in a separate section on fiber because it is so important to your little pig's happiness and comfort. If you feed all of your pig's nutritional requirements in a handful of food he/she may be getting what is needed, but will act hungry and soon be constipated. Make sure you have some sort of bulk to your pig ration so he/she will feel full and content. Good sources of fiber are oats, barley, hay, grass, and root vegitables. These foods not only contain fiber and 'filler' but they also have protein and good carbohydrates.
Vitamins/Minerals: A good viatmin/minieral supplement is important to a healthy pig. Vitamins are generally taken care of if you feed fruits and veggies, but minerals should be supplemented since most food sources are lacking. You can feed a pig the same supplement you feed a child (halved for piglets) or you can purchase a supplement specifically for pigs. We feed our pigs the NuVet Plus Canine tablets. They are cheaper than children vitamins, have been specially formulated to be appropriate for miniature pigs and are still human grade quality.
Fresh Water: Pigs need a lot of water and should have a clean source. I like to use the hampster type water bottles made for dogs, but dishes work fine too. Do be warned, pigs like to play i
MY MINI PIG DIET:
I have been successfully feeding the following diet to my mini pigs for the past several years. My pigs are very healthy, happy, and have strong piglets at birth. I have altered the diet over time and change components from time to time.
Component 1 (Grain Mixture): I feed 1/4 to 3/4 cup daily with components 2 and 3
*1 part oats - rolled, steel cut, or oatmeal.
*1 part barley - steam rolled
* I part millet, quinoa, or brown rice baby cereal
* half part black oil sunflower seeds (unsalted uncooked)
Component 2 (choose 1 at each feeding)
* raw egg
* raw milk
* cooked lentils
Component 3 (feed 3-5 days a week)
*flax oil, olive oil, or ground flax seeds
*vitamins (see vitamin paragraph below)
Component 4
*good quality hay or non-fertilized grass (available all the time so they can snack if hungry)
*veggies at least once a day - peas, carrots, cooked potatoes, leaf lettuce, celery, etc.
*fruits fed as treats - apples, pears, bananas, dried fruit. Small amounts go a long way, apple cores, partial bananas or fruit pealing work great.
*nuts fed as treats - go sparing since they are high in fat, but pigs love them and they are very healthy. Acorns are controversial since most mammals cannot eat them in their natural state without a toxic effect due to the heavy tannins they contain. The exception are deer, squirrels, birds, and pigs. Yep, pigs have developed a strange resistance to acorn toxicity and mine have never had a problem eating them. I would not however feed them green acorns or green oak leaves.
FOODS TO AVOID: The following is a list of foods to avoid, but are not necessarily poisonous.
- salt (poisonous in large quantities or with limited water)
- sugars (fattening and addictive)
- alcohol
- chocolate
- corn (used to make animals fat, a pet pig should not be kept overweight if you want him/her to live a long life)
- raisins or grapes (a few are just fine, but too many can upset the stomach)
- alfalfa (a little is o.k. but too much can cause bloat and colic)
POISONOUS PLANTS: Below is a link to a list of common poisonous plants.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/earthkind/landscape/poisonous-plants-resources/common-poisonous-plants-and-plant-parts/
VITAMINS: We use and recommend the Canine NuVet Plus tablets. The pigs love them, they eat them right out of your hand, and they provide the vitamins and minerals your pig needs. If we get enough pig people ordering perhaps they will change their packaging to include pigs. For now the Canine tablets have been tested and are recommend for miniature pigs. These cannot be ordered in stores, so please use the order link below. Before I knew about NuVet Labs I killed a pig by feeding rancid cod liver oil I bought from a "discount" source.
CALL NOW TO ORDER NUVET Vitamins
800-474-7044
Order Code: 50271
Save up to 15% on Autoship when you order here: http://www.nuvet.com/50271
The AutoShip program allows you to receive a 15% discount on NuVet Plus®. AutoShip is an automatic refill of your NuVet Labs® supplements; the shipping frequency is calculated according to the number of pets you have and how many supplements they each receive per day. You will continue to receive the discount for as long as you stay on the program, and you may cancel at any time, for any reason, with no cancellation fees or penalties.
PROS TO A NATURAL DIET: I have two main reasons for feeding a home-made diet and several supporting reasons.
The first reason I feed a home-made diet is because I KNOW exactly what is in it. I can read a label on a bag, but that does not tell me if the oats they used were fresh or moldy. The nutritional difference between first quality whole oats and second or third quality cracked, old, or rancid oats is enormous - they are both oats but contain totally different properties. I toured a feed mill in college for one of my livestock feeds classes and the take away for me was 'never use pelleted feeds'. This was not the message they were trying to send at the feed mill of course, but is the conclusion I came up with myself.
The second reason I feed a home-made diet is because my pigs smell better and have less waste to clean up. By waste I mean feces (poop). I have been amazed by how stinky some of the piglets I have purchase were compared to my own piglets. One time I purchase a piglet that was the same age as a litter I had in my living room. When I added that piglet to the bunch I was horrified by it's smell (not exaggerating here). The breeder had given me some of the food they feed (pelleted mini pig food) so I could adjust that piglet to what I was feeding. Since my piglets were in the same pen with the new one they all started eating a small amount of the commercial food at feeding time. Within a day or two all of my piggies smelled awful. As soon as they all went back onto the diet I normally feed they went back to smelling the way a clean pig should.
In addition to the above reasons I love home-made diets because I can adjust each pig's diet to match his needs. For example, if I have one pig that has itchy skin I can add more oil or if I have a pig that has oily skin I can cut back on the oil. Chubby pigs get the fats cut back in their meals and thin pigs get more protein and fat in their food dish. Another added bonus is that the pigs LOVE the variety of food and are quite healthy and sleek. They grown a thick, luxurious winter coat and shed out to a smooth, glossy summer coat each year.
CONS TO A NATURAL DIET: There are downsides to feeding a home-made diet. Below if a list of the cons in feeding your own piggy diet:
* Mixing your own food is more time consuming and can get annoying if you are in a hurry
* it can be more expensive, especially if you are feeding organic feeds
* You must be sure your diet is balanced enough
In order to make sure your pig is getting what he or she needs it is very important to constantly monitor his or her condition. Ask yourself on a regular basis if your pig is the correct weight, if he/she has a glossy coat and healthy skin, if his/her energy level is good.
FOOD MUSTS: Every pig needs the following in their diet, thought the proportion and quantity depend on the individual animal.
Protein: Protein is very important to a healthy diet. A growing pig or breeding animal will have much higher protein requirement while a mature pet that is spayed or neutered will not need as much. While protein is very important, too much is also very hard on the system and some sources are easier to digest them others. My favorite protein sources for pigs are: raw milk, raw eggs, cooked lentils or other type of bean (must be cooked), grains like quinoa and barley. You can feed meat, but I prefer not to since it tends to make your pig smell more.
Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates come in many forms and are in almost every kind of food. You should be feeding 'good carbs' and avoiding the 'bad carbs. Good Carbs include plant derived foods that have a lot of fiber and are not overly sweet. Examples of some good carbs would be vegetables, fruit, and grasses. Bad carbs are the refined and sugary foods that are not good for humans either. Examples of Bad Carbs would include pastries, fried foods, and refined breads
Oil/Fat: The right kind of fats are essential to your mini pig, but should be used sparingly. Good oils and fats to add to your pig's diet would include: olive oil, flax oil or flax seeds, or cod liver oil, raw cream, unsalted sunflower seeds, walnuts, fatty fish (I choose to go vegetarian but pigs are omnivores and do well with meat in their diet), Make sure you do not feed any oils that are spoiled or rancid*. Bad oils and fats would include trans fats, fried foods, pastiries, candy, and generally anything a doctor would tell a heart patient to avoid.
Fiber: While fiber is tied to carbs I had to put in a separate section on fiber because it is so important to your little pig's happiness and comfort. If you feed all of your pig's nutritional requirements in a handful of food he/she may be getting what is needed, but will act hungry and soon be constipated. Make sure you have some sort of bulk to your pig ration so he/she will feel full and content. Good sources of fiber are oats, barley, hay, grass, and root vegitables. These foods not only contain fiber and 'filler' but they also have protein and good carbohydrates.
Vitamins/Minerals: A good viatmin/minieral supplement is important to a healthy pig. Vitamins are generally taken care of if you feed fruits and veggies, but minerals should be supplemented since most food sources are lacking. You can feed a pig the same supplement you feed a child (halved for piglets) or you can purchase a supplement specifically for pigs. We feed our pigs the NuVet Plus Canine tablets. They are cheaper than children vitamins, have been specially formulated to be appropriate for miniature pigs and are still human grade quality.
Fresh Water: Pigs need a lot of water and should have a clean source. I like to use the hampster type water bottles made for dogs, but dishes work fine too. Do be warned, pigs like to play i
MY MINI PIG DIET:
I have been successfully feeding the following diet to my mini pigs for the past several years. My pigs are very healthy, happy, and have strong piglets at birth. I have altered the diet over time and change components from time to time.
Component 1 (Grain Mixture): I feed 1/4 to 3/4 cup daily with components 2 and 3
*1 part oats - rolled, steel cut, or oatmeal.
*1 part barley - steam rolled
* I part millet, quinoa, or brown rice baby cereal
* half part black oil sunflower seeds (unsalted uncooked)
Component 2 (choose 1 at each feeding)
* raw egg
* raw milk
* cooked lentils
Component 3 (feed 3-5 days a week)
*flax oil, olive oil, or ground flax seeds
*vitamins (see vitamin paragraph below)
Component 4
*good quality hay or non-fertilized grass (available all the time so they can snack if hungry)
*veggies at least once a day - peas, carrots, cooked potatoes, leaf lettuce, celery, etc.
*fruits fed as treats - apples, pears, bananas, dried fruit. Small amounts go a long way, apple cores, partial bananas or fruit pealing work great.
*nuts fed as treats - go sparing since they are high in fat, but pigs love them and they are very healthy. Acorns are controversial since most mammals cannot eat them in their natural state without a toxic effect due to the heavy tannins they contain. The exception are deer, squirrels, birds, and pigs. Yep, pigs have developed a strange resistance to acorn toxicity and mine have never had a problem eating them. I would not however feed them green acorns or green oak leaves.
FOODS TO AVOID: The following is a list of foods to avoid, but are not necessarily poisonous.
- salt (poisonous in large quantities or with limited water)
- sugars (fattening and addictive)
- alcohol
- chocolate
- corn (used to make animals fat, a pet pig should not be kept overweight if you want him/her to live a long life)
- raisins or grapes (a few are just fine, but too many can upset the stomach)
- alfalfa (a little is o.k. but too much can cause bloat and colic)
POISONOUS PLANTS: Below is a link to a list of common poisonous plants.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/earthkind/landscape/poisonous-plants-resources/common-poisonous-plants-and-plant-parts/
VITAMINS: We use and recommend the Canine NuVet Plus tablets. The pigs love them, they eat them right out of your hand, and they provide the vitamins and minerals your pig needs. If we get enough pig people ordering perhaps they will change their packaging to include pigs. For now the Canine tablets have been tested and are recommend for miniature pigs. These cannot be ordered in stores, so please use the order link below. Before I knew about NuVet Labs I killed a pig by feeding rancid cod liver oil I bought from a "discount" source.
CALL NOW TO ORDER NUVET Vitamins
800-474-7044
Order Code: 50271
Save up to 15% on Autoship when you order here: http://www.nuvet.com/50271
The AutoShip program allows you to receive a 15% discount on NuVet Plus®. AutoShip is an automatic refill of your NuVet Labs® supplements; the shipping frequency is calculated according to the number of pets you have and how many supplements they each receive per day. You will continue to receive the discount for as long as you stay on the program, and you may cancel at any time, for any reason, with no cancellation fees or penalties.