I would like to have a proper “homemade” diet to be made based on products I can get easily in my area. I have just a few pigs. Is it bad to feed them with discarded vegetables from the farm orchard and leftovers? Is there any vegetable bad for the health of pigs?
I have not yet found any human fruit or vegetable that is bad for pigs, but do be sure to provide a varied/balanced Homemade Diet or you could run into vitamin or mineral deficiencies.
You think will find this book useful:
"Small-Scale Pig Raising" by Dirk Van Loon & Dick Van Loon, see:
www.pighealth.com/smallholding.htm
for more information.
Hi, Carlos. It´s an interesting discussion about Homemade Diet. As Paul said - most vegetables should be fine to feed your pigs. It would also be a good idea to feed a small amount of grain (depending on what is avalible in your area) and other ingredients, to ensure they receive adequate amounts of other nutrients such as minerals. The most important minerals are Calcium and Phosphorous which are found in ingredients such as Di-Calcium Phosphate. Other ingredients which would be worth considering (if you have access to them) are protein meals such as Soybean Meal, Oil for energy and dust supression and a commercial Vitamin and Mineral Premix.
Homemade Diet
Dear Carlos,
Homemade diet for pigs are good and saves money on feed. One thing you have to keep in mind is boil and cool the kitchen waste your going to feed the pigs as these diets are having higher loads of e.coli and other harmful bacteria.
Hello, I am in the UK and find the price of feed very high. We are feeding on boiled potatoes, onions, carrots, parsnips, cabbage etc., etc., These vegetables come from a local farm, my family and I eat the same vegetables. I am in favor of Homemade Diet. I use the rule that if it is good enough for me it is good enough for the pigs. Pigs have a very similar digestive system to humans, so if you wouldnt eat it dont give it to your pigs. Kind regards, Eddie from Brookfield Nurseries, Lydiate, Liverpool UK.
Pumpkin would be an easily available vegetable (also the residues at pumpkin seed production). And for pig health and better performance you could add some Mexican oregano to the diet.
This homemade diet is rather not a balanced complete feed for growth and production but rather a feed supplement that contain mainly vitamins and minerals and roughage that aid digestion and absorption of nutrients.
pig required about 14-16% crude protien and propablly about 1800 kcal of energy for good productivity.this cannot be achieved with this so call home made feed.