How fast pigs grow

Much of the available production information relating to these types of pigs is anecdotal or general. Even within a relatively well-known breed such as the Berkshire there can be large variation in performance between genetic lines. This factsheet focuses on production expectations for pigs representative of commercial pig production in the United States. Table 1 summarizes typical age and weight benchmarks for commercial pigs in the United States. Farmers considering raising heritage or rare breeds of pigs can use these values as points of comparison for planning purposes.

Pigs commonly farrow give birth to litters of 10—14 pigs. In the average number born alive NBA for U. Gestation length in pigs is usually about days or 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days. In systems where young pigs are weaned at 21 days of age, most sows will farrow multiple litters of pigs in a year—with 2. Reducing pre-wean mortality is a priority for all pig farms regardless of size.

In the U. A sow in the U. Several niche markets prohibit the use of farrowing crates and restrict the use of antibiotics.

In an analysis of production records from Midwest farmers raising pigs for these markets, Stender et al. Although weaning pigs at 21 days is an effective strategy for most of the U. Many small and beginning pig farmers also choose to wait to wean pigs until the pigs are closer to 6 or 8 weeks of age.

Delaying weaning allows the pigs to derive nutrition from the sow as milk for a longer period of time which enables feeding simpler and thus less expensive diets to the growing pigs once weaned. However longer lactations will delay the rebreeding of the sow and thus reduce the total number of litters per sow and thus pigs per sow per year.

Table 2 summarizes reasonable growth expectations for pigs in the United States. Young pigs grow rapidly. Pig growth is influenced by several factors. As discussed previously, genetics of the pigs plays an important role in growth performance. Three other important factors that influence growth and performance are health, thermal environment, and feed characteristics.

Healthy pigs grow faster and more efficiently than pigs that are sick or injured. Becoming familiar with normal pig behavior in order to quickly identify and treat pigs that are injured or sick is important for beginning pig farmers. A number of resources are available to assist the novice with identifying and correctly treating the compromised pig see resource list.

Thermal environment is the combined effect of air temperature, moisture, and air flow on a pig. The thermal neutral zone is the range of temperatures at which the pig can maintain body temperature through control of sensible heat loss. For small pigs the thermal neutral zone is very narrow, while larger pigs are comfortable within a wider range of temperatures. Table 3 summarizes the approximate thermal neutral zone for pigs at different stages of growth.

Shelter and bedding are used to help keep pigs warm, dry, and draft-free during cold weather. Shade, breeze, and water are particularly important during hot weather. During cold weather, preventing drafts on young pigs is essential and during hot weather encouraging air flow and evaporative cooling helps keep pigs comfortable.

Table 4 summarizes minimal space requirements for pigs with access to outdoor lots MWPS, You could get a smaller pig, I got four that were 25 pounds each a few years ago, when the price for pounders was more than I was willing to spend at the time. A smaller pig will need more time to grow and is less hardy than a bigger feeder pig. This is for pigs on full feed, other rations will take longer. Your pigs have the ability to grow to their genetic potential when you get them, if they have been well cared for up til now.

All five things are all needed. Neglecting one of them, any one of them, will cause you problems. For more specifics on raising feeder pigs click on When To Get A Feeder Pig , which is an article I wrote that gives estimates on feed and other expenses.

As long as you start out with good healthy feeder pigs your pig raising adventure should be a success. Keep in mind that the feeder pigs can only grow to their genetic potential and that will only happen if you do your part to make sure they have a happy life and plenty of feed and water.

Each breed of pig will grow a bit differently than another. This is no surprise but is worth remembering. Everyone seems to have a favorite breed that gives them the most traits they like and the least traits they do not like, but as will all animals no breed is perfect for everyone, every where. Best Breed Of Pig For Homesteaders will go over the common pig breeds you are likely to come across and help you find the ones that will work best for you.

The most common option is the crossbred feeder pig. This cross gives you a fast growing meaty pig. Hybrid vigor means that a cross between different breeds or breeding lines of pigs gives a stronger, faster growing feeder pig as a result. But consider using a commercial cross feeder for your first project , just to get the bugs worked out.

If you want to learn more about heritage pigs consider my article What Is Heritage Pork? Commercial cross feeder pigs will be just as hardy, likely to grow a bit faster and probably significantly less expensive just because they are more commonly available. How hard are they to kill with what? Very hard with a sling shoot or BB gun! Preferred rifles for pigs are 25 to 30 caliber. Archers typically limit their shots to yards to help ensure a clean kill.

What other animal would you liken their intelligence level to, and ability to learn to avoid traps? Wild pigs are one of the most intelligent species exotic or native found in the United States. They respond to human pressure via avoidance. What is the average cost of property damage they inflict in Texas? Total cost of annual property damage? This is indeed a very conservative estimate.

The total pig population in Texas has been estimated recently at 2. Some reports estimate total damage in the U. However, they are capable of moving great distances to find food.

A telemetry study of adult female wild pigs with sounders in east Texas resulted in home range estimates of approximately 2 square miles, or 1, acres.

The most sensitive environmental areas wild pigs damage are wetland areas and they can alter the vegetative community present. They compete with native wildlife for hard mast e. Their rooting can accelerate leaf litter decomposition causing the loss of nutrients which can impact seedling survival of trees.

Their rooting behavior can damage seedling tree growth and survival. Longleaf pine seedlings seem to be especially vulnerable to wild pigs. Research suggests that the pigs may actually root up seedlings of various tree species and chew the root system to obtain nutrients. They rub against individual trees pines that are capable of producing a lot of rosin presumably as they rub to remove ectoparasites on their skin. Rubbing of selected pine trees has resulted in girdling of some mature trees which can eventually kill the tree.

If you see a large wild pig traveling alone, times out of it is a boar. The mature boars become more solitary, or sometimes travel with a small number of other large boars. They only join up with sounders when a sow comes into heat. Within a few days of giving birth, a pregnant sow will leave the group in order to farrow.

They may remain apart for 2 to 4 weeks then rejoin the group. We have observed piglets actively feeding on solid food e. Pigs are completely weaned by about 3 months of age, although they have been observed eating solid food e. Young males disperse from the sounder at about 16 to 18 months of age. There is some research that supports the idea that sounders can become territorial— but not the individual pigs.

Wild pigs do a great deal of damage to net wire fences which are generally used to confine sheep and goats. One size does not fit all when it comes to baits. However, research by Dr. Many baits will and have worked and landowners are encouraged to vary baits among traps to find out what pigs find most attractive at a particular location or season. However, the more abundant the food supply, the more difficult it is to attract pigs to these baits.

Shelled corn is often used, but landowners have also been successful by fermenting corn, milo, rice, oats, etc. Others have used maple syrup on corn. Some recent research in the southeast has indicated that while catch rates were no different between shelled corn and soured corn, although we do know from experience that non-target species e.

Please note: We do not advocate the use of diesel on corn to encourage use by wild pigs and discourage use by non-targets such as deer or raccoons because we do not know the full impacts of diesel ingestion by the pigs—some of which many be destined for human consumption. Furthermore, the pouring or contact of diesel on the ground may create an environmental hazard. Why the seemingly sudden boom in population and fearless invasion of residential neighborhoods? They have steadily increased their range by moving northward and westward over the past 25 years.

Why the population explosion over this time? However, non-target species e. Population increases are not just a Texas phenomenon—for various reasons, populations have expanded in many states and now some 36 states have established wild pig populations. Pigs were domesticated some 8, to 10, years ago. There are believed to be multiple areas of origin in both Europe and Asia.

Polynesians brought domesticated pigs into the Hawaiian Islands around A. The first pigs were brought into what is now the continental U. Explorers used these pigs as a traveling food source.

After wandering around the southeastern United States in search of gold, his exploration party brought pigs into what would become Texas in All are descendants of a common ancestor-the Eurasian wild boar. In the United States, farm-raised pigs eat commercially made diets of mostly corn. In Europe, pigs eat barley-based diets. Pigs have sharp tusks that help them dig and fight. Farmers often take off the tusks to avoid injury to people and other pigs.

Sows give birth to a litter of young called piglets. They usually nurse the piglets for three to five weeks. Piglets weigh about 2.