Learning how to raise your own pigs for meat is a great option for any homestead or farm wanting to become more self-sustainable and without the level of commitment of raising beef cattle.
We have been raising pigs on our farm for well over 10 years. We began raising just a few piglets for our own consumption and now actually breed piglets for sale and raise milk fed, heirloom pork for customers, which is the main venture on our farm.
I really think pigs are one of the easiest animals to raise on a homestead. They mature quite a bit faster than a beef cow and render way more meat (and lard) then a chicken or rabbit (and frankly pulled pork and fresh bacon are just amazing!!!)
So maybe you have thought about raising a pig (or two) and don't know where to start? Here are some tips and pointers I hope will help you on our way to raising your own delicious pork.
1. Buy piglets – For someone interested in just raising a few pigs a year for meat its easier to buy piglets than raise breeding stock. Piglets vary in price due to location, time of year (they are more expensive in Spring when kids in 4-H are trying to find them) and by breed. In my area piglets run about $125/each but they can be as low as $75 depending on market demand.
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2. Age matters – we sell our piglets at 8 weeks of age. The industry standard is 6 weeks of age but we find that piglets allowed to remain with the sow those two extra weeks have stronger immune systems and do not need to be fed starter feed. Of course, that means we have to feed the sow extra to keep up her condition but we think healthier piglets are worth it. If you can find piglets that have been allowed to nurse a bit longer its worth the extra cost.
3. Space Considerations – Before you bring home piglets you need to have a pen and some sort of shelter. I will talk more about fencing in a minute but there are some considerations to take in account when planning your pen. If the pen is small, the piglets will grow faster because they will not have as much room to exercise. However, in a small pen the ground can be really destroyed. Also, in a smaller area, parasites have more of a chance to grow. Finally, a small pen in the Spring when the weather is wet can result in a great big mud pit. We prefer to use rotating areas in the warmer months and really large areas closer to the house in the colder months (we actually put pigs on our garden areas during the winter so they can till them up in preparation for Spring planting).
4. Fencing – When piglets are young, its better for them to be in a cattle panel, hog panel or pallet pen. Electric netting, string or wire don't work well with small piglets because they can get out (spoken from lots of experience and a piglet that took off for two weeks in the surrounding woods of our property). We keep piglets in a small cattle panel pen with electric wire on the bottom until they are about 12-15 weeks old and then we transfer them into pens made with electric string or wire. Usually by this age they are trained to the electric and are large enough not to mess with going through it. Its good to have an exit way or gate that is not electric, however. Pigs can be so well trained to electric fencing that when we want to move them they will not go near a place that there USED to be electric fencing.
5. What do I feed this pig? – There are lots of possible ways to feed your pig. The easiest is to buy a commercial hog grower. Pigs grow fastest on this type of ration. Unfortunately, most commercial hog grower formulas contain corn and soy which is probably GMO. A lot of them also contain medications. Another option to is to make your own feed from a grain and protein source or find a natural pre-made feed in your area. In addition to pre-made feed, pigs love all types of produce. You can even grow crops specifically for your pigs like mangels, forage turnips, beets and pumpkin. On our farm we feed a locally sourced barley and peas combination with added swine minerals. Our pigs also get lots of fresh milk, table scraps and local apples and pumpkins. Please do not feed your pigs bakery scraps and the like and expect a healthy pig with great tasting meat. You eat what your pig eats so quality matters.
6. Demand vs measured feeding – Another thing to consider when raising pigs is whether to set up a self feeder and let the pigs eat whenever they want or feed them a set amount each day. There are pros and cons for both. Demand feeding makes the daily workload smaller except on the day when you have to fill the pig feeder. Also, if pigs always have food available they will be less likely to root as much and so your ground stays in better shape. Pigs who are demand fed also tend to grow faster so your time to maturity is less. The problem with demand feeding is that pigs can eat a LOT of food and this can get expensive, especially as the pigs get older. We have found that if you are only raising one or two pigs demand feeding is the way to go. Its when you are raising 10 or more that it can become cost prohibitive. We give each of our piglets 5 lbs of their grain mixture each day. In addition to this they get milk, table scraps and produce. This allows us to have market weight pigs at around 8 months or so.
7. Medicines and de-worming – I am not a fan of chemical de-wormers because of the mutations and resistances they create. On our farm we have found garlic to be a much more effective de-wormer anyway. We add approximately 1 lb of garlic granules to one ton of feed. In addition, oregano oil is also superb at fighting parasites and infection. Finally, we keep geranium essential oil handy for bleeding (pigs can get in scuffles) and tea tree oil for cuts and scrapes.
8. To castrate or not? – Castrating pigs is a controversial issue. There are many who find the practice cruel and unnecessary but others who say it needs to be done to prevent boar taint. If you are raising two male pigs you will need to determine whether you want to have this procedure done. However, when you are raising piglets of opposite sex its wise to go ahead and castrate. When we first started raising piglets we were told they wouldn’t start to breed until they were 9 months old. Since we butcher at 8 months we didn’t think we needed to castrate. Bad advice and we ended up with pregnant market pigs. We now castrate all male piglets raised for meat. We have found Bach’s Rescue Remedy very helpful in the process – it keeps both pigs and the person doing the castration calm.
9. Breeds matter – Different breeds of pigs have different qualities, including differences in size, meat quality and temperament. These are things you will want to investigate when choosing your piglets. We raise heritage breeds of pigs (Gloucester Old Spot, American Guinea Hog, Tamworth) because of their docile and friendly temperaments and excellent meat quality. The American Guinea hog is a much smaller breed of pig and will not yield a conventional carcass weight but because of their easy handling ability and chef quality meat it’s a tradeoff we are willing to make.
10. Butcher weight and hanging weight – Most pigs are butchered when they weigh around 180-250 lbs live. This will result in a hanging weight (meat and bones minus the head, feet and organs) ranging from 160-225 lbs. How much meat you end up with in your freezer is totally dependent on the types of cuts you choose during processing.
11. Should you call the butcher? We have butchered many a pig on our farm. Once you learn to do it its not that hard. The whole process takes about 3 days. The first day is the kill and hang, the second is skinning and cutting up the pieces, the third is usually sausage processing. A downside to butchering yourself is that unless you know how to cure bacon and ham you won’t end up with those cuts (you will have fresh ham which is really good but not like traditional cured ham). The benefits of butchering yourself is the know-how and the cost savings. Traditionally, having a hog butchered costs anywhere from $150-$250 depending on processing and curing.
12. Taste is superior – Finally, why would you want to go to all the work of raising your own pork? By raising your own you control what they eat which makes for a healthier product for your family. Also, raising pigs is a lot of fun and I love to watch their antics. However, I find the best reason for raising homestead pork is the taste. Once you try it you will never want supermarket pork again..:) Happy pig raising!!
Do you have a question about raising pigs? You can email me at homefarmsense@gmail.com.
Amy is is a wife and mother of 18 children. In addition to parenting and homeschooling their mega family, they also run a small family farm, which we affectionately call “Autumn Creek Ranch.” They love the work of Joel Salatin (me, too) and have patterned much of what they do by his example.
Thank you for all these tips, Amy! We’re getting some Ossabaw pigs this August and this will be our first venture into pigs. So much to learn and this was so helpful!
You’re welcome Tessa! Ossabaw is a heritage breed isn’t it?
Is there a risk for bacteria in the garden area if you allow the pigs to stay there over the winter? I am very interested in moving them around, if possible! Also, we live in a very hilly area; what are your thoughts on letting them run up and down the hills?
Thank you ! I just bought my 2 acre farm last February brought our first two feeders home today. They are7 week old yorkshire and Duroc cross and appear to be extremely healthy.
I want to do the best by them. Your artical is very simple and easy to understand. i will be following your suggestions. Again< a huge Thank You!
I’m aseu Michael from Uganda I have started small piggery farm but I have like much of your profile I would like to get more advice from you on how to run piggery farm.because my target is to be one of Uganda’s largest piggery farmer but I need alot of support advice from the experienced farmer’s
Thanks so much for the info of raising your own pig..we are in the middle of it now…good to know I’m doing a pretty good job.
What is your opinion on feeding non GMO corn? I’ve been doing good that along with a pig feed and fresh veggies and fruit from the garden
Bobbie,
If it’s nonGMO corn than I think it’s fine to mix in with their feed. I like to have a balanced mixture of things we feed, so fresh veggies and fruit are awesome!
Thank you so much for sharing all of this information. I’m going to be getting a pig or two in about 8 weeks and I’m looking into feeding them as healthy and cost effective as possible. I was wondering if you sprout the peas and barley mixture you mentioned. And I’m also wondering what swine minerals you use. Yours is the only article I’ve found so far that mentions milk in the diet and no commercial feed. Id love if you could share any more advice and info 🙂
WE HAVE FAMILY THAT WANTS US TO SHARE THE COST OF THE PIGS THEY HAVE RAISED TO EAT !! ITS THE FIRST TIME, FOR THEM !! DO I HAVE TO WORRIE ABOUT IS THE MEAT SAFE TO EAT ?? CAN WE GET SICK ?? WE ARE 75 YEARS OLD !! THANKS GAIL
Gail,
As long as the meat is handled properly at butchering time it should be fine. We use a natural herbal wormer for our pigs. I’d ask them questions about the practices they’re using with the raising if you’re concerned.
Hi – we are raising two meat pigs for the first time. We are hesitant to use most de-wormers on the market. What herbal de-wormer do you use?
Is there a big difference about the weight of the pig when they travel from 1 place to another. .
This refer to when we sell the pig live weight basis. Thanks
[…] 2. Buy 8-week-old Piglets […]
Thank you for the easy to understand tips. I am hoping to start raising a couple of piglets next spring.
Thanks for a great article. I have been thinking about creating a homemade ration for our piglet. Would you mind expounding on this? Thank you!
I need information how to butcher pigs.
Used to raise pigs when I was young. I still dislike most commercial pork as a result. You just can’t beat home-raised. Here’s a secret ingredient: sing to the pigs. They love the music and attention, and it helps keep their stress levels down.
What kind of pig do we buy?
We’ve been raising Hereford pigs for five years now and really like them.
I did not realize that it was so important to feed your animals the right foods so that they grow correctly. The idea of demand feeding seems like a good way to keep the workload light and to help your animals grow as big and strong as possible. When raising animals for food, the kinds of food that they intake becomes a very important subject. Like you said, raising animals on your own makes the food much more enjoyable and healthier for your family.
Hi Amy, we are raising our first pigs this spring. They will be 8 weeks when we get them. Live in Oregon, weather has been cold this year. Do we need to use heat lamps or are they old enough to be in outdoor pen
Cathy, how early are you getting your pigs? We live in Washington state and get ours the end of April. We don’t use a heat lamp at that time, but we make sure they can have a small stall (we use pallets to create a three sided shed with a roof) and straw so they can burrow in with one another and stay warm.
What is the brand of feeder that you use? Where can I buy one?
When you say that you feed the piglets 5 pounds of feed per day, is that per piglet?
18 children ,
buy a tv!!!
wow congrats given.
home schooling, great our public schools are a mess
and my guess is God is also taught!!!
Thanks for sharing. We just got our first 3 pigs. So much to learn but, you have been very helpful.
As a child on the farm, we had pigs, we scraped the hair on the pigs when butchering them.
My son got a pig & he skinned it, that was a first for both of us.
We do not have a butcher house, so he took the meat to a processor.
Who told us about the Brucella which causes Brucellosis.
We got over 200 pounds of finished meat.
Thanks a lot for sharing , wish you can come over here in Uganda and educate us on how to keep pigs..I have about five so far but I really want to make it a real business
what percentage of profit would raising 10 pigs bring me after spending most of my money on feed and other necessarry stuff..? am a begginer and i want to know how worth.
That depends on how much you spent on the pigs, your feed costs, and the going market rate in your area.
Hi – we are raising two pigs for the first time. What herbal de-wormer have you been using? We don’t want to use the chemical de-wormers on the market.
we started to raise american guinea hogs, love this breed very docile friendly..we have a litter of 4..and just on july 30 another 3..no bites on selling any..do you have any suggestions.. i put ad in shoppers guide and craigslist not one call…i have never tasted meat of them yet..what are you raising and any hints you can give me..thanks have a great eve…dennis
Have you ever heard of trembles? We bought 4 pigs and 1 seems to have them? We were told she had some trauma when they seperated and weaned from their Mom.
I love your tips and I wish to become a pig farmer
Helpful… Thanks..
Hi, Thanks for the great article. I notice you start in the spring and butcher in the fall. Is it ok to buy in the fall or is it more expensive to raise through the winter months?
Just bought a mini farm and want to raise my children with chores and understanding where their food comes from.
Excited to get started.
Thank you,
Bobbie
Pigs need heat during the winter months and you’ll spend more on feed, plus they use more of their food to keep warm than they do growing so most folks do spring and butcher in the fall.
Putting the pigs into your garden area implies that the pigpen is nearby. Do you have any problems with then trying to get into the garden during the summer growing season? I envision a group of hogs planning a jailbreak for fresh corn.
When the pigs are piglets we kept them near the garden to till up new ground for expanding the garden. Once they’re larger, we move them to the pasture. We’ve never had them get into the garden.
Thanks for your assistance in pig breeding
How much area do I need to fence for like 10 to 12 pigs area like two areas are three to have a garden area and then move them to another area
For 10 to 12 pigs you’ll need a decent sized area. Rule of thumb is at least 50 square feet PER pig.
I’m wondering how to market your raised pigs.
Amy, thank you for the info. I would love more homesteading info. Do you have a newsletter or something similar.
What minererals do you use for the hogs?
New to raisin hogs I’m about to be ready to bring my hog to the bucher. Is there anything special that i need to do before they go like feed wise or anything
Thank you for all your valuable information. My husband and I are starting the adventure of raising our own pigs for meat and this was very helpful.
Thank you!
#1 thing you can do to TRULY improve quality of meat is to give them ROOM to move around. We gave our 4H hogs a full acre to move around in & the quality improvement of the meat was SHOCKING. We did it because we had the room. We did nothing else different than standard approach. We didn’t find out until later that that was the big improvement factor.
We are considering converting our chicken mansion into a pig pen. It is a 8×16 foot structure with metal roofing and 1/3 of it has walls and the other 2/3 chicken wire. Do you think this structure would be sufficient? Or do we need to add a larger gated pen around it? We would like to not only feed them as healthy as possible, but let them live humanely.
18 children. Wow, my hats off to you.. 5 was enough for me. Thanks for the tips on pigs. Raised them on the farm when I was a child , but I was not really involved in the process.. I started with 2 this year and it certainly is a learning experience. That meat better taste really good, because I’m not sure how cost effective this venture with turn out.. thanks again. Best regards, Robert
very interesting and l know how to raise pigs.