Hogs and Hay

[Anonymous-0]

Heard a old timer talking at the sale barn about when he used to feed his hogs grass hay. Has anyone done this? Are there any health risks involved. Thanks

 

[phillipd]

I don't doubt that he really did,but hogs don't have the digestive tract to handle the stuff.Grazing animals usually have some part of their stomache with microbes that break down hay and grass.Cows have them in their rumen,horses have a ceacum,or however it's spelled,I assume sheep have the same as horses?

 

[phillipd]

I don't doubt that he really did,but hogs don't have the digestive tract to handle the stuff.Grazing animals usually have some part of their stomache with microbes that break down hay and grass.Cows have them in their rumen,horses have a ceacum,or however it's spelled,I assume sheep have the same as horses?

 

[Chris in MO]

We've got some milking goats that we feed alfalfa hay to in winter. They are not crazy about the dusty leaves which fall into the trough under the hay rack, so they tend to accumulate. We scoop them up periodically and mix them in with the grain we feed the hogs. No ill effects and they seem to do well on them. When we have grass hay that other animals reject, throwing it to the hogs always sets of a feeding frenzy.

As to hogs digestion, they have basically the same digestive system that we do. I don't think anyone could suggest that we would fare well on nothing but grain and protein supplement. If greens are good for us, then hogs will benefit, too.

Hogs are not ruminants and therefore cannot get as much out of hay, but they can still benefit from it.

For an eye opener, look up some old agricultural books in the library or a used bookstore, something from before 1935 or 1940. Look at how both hogs and chickens were raised back then and you will get some interesting surprises about what these animals are capable of.

Sorry to run on at the mouth.

Christopher


Christopher

 

[akb]

I have fed them alfalfa hay and always throw in grass and what ever is growing by the pen if they dont like it they wont eat it.Had a pumkin grow up over the fence and they would not touch it.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Up until the mid to late 50's most Ag Universitys as well as USDA highly reccomended running hogs on legume pasture and feeding legume hay in winter. This was to both save on protein supplement and to provide vitamins and minerals. It is still fairly common to see home raised butcher pigs in my part of the deep south on pasture or mast, just make sure you feed grain with the pasture or hay and don't turn white hided hogs out in lush, wet crops due to scalding their hides.

 

[shawnspeed3]

Yes , you can feed them hay ,grass or legume , and no their are no risks that I know of ...my sows are mad if they don't get a flake of hay at nite when I water them in the winter...and they love a mix of field peas , oats and grass in the spring and turnips/rape in the late summer /fall....they also like cleaning up the sweet corn patch & garden...Shawn

 

[Floyd A tn]

I give my hogs plenty of hay to bed down in and eat.. Most of the time they eat less grain if i keep hay in there..

Through the winter months I keep a roll of hay in there for them...

Another thing added to tomorrows list while feeding..

 

[Walt(EIA)]

Here"s a link to an older article from the Practical Farmers of Iowa on the subject of pasture raised pork.
Hogs might be the ideal grazers

 

[banjo]

Mine wouldnt eat the pumpkin either but would eat the seed cavity if i broke it open for them.

 

[Too Far Gone]

Its not a big deal.My family has always rung'em and turned'em on good pasture if corn got high.A hog will eat anything from a garden pea to a dead goat.

 

[kilroy]

we put pigs into weedy pasture, with a ring in their nose, and they do just fine. Hogs are omnivors and can eat about whatever they get. as for not being able to digest plant material, how do you keep a grain fed hog alive long enough to butcher it? grandad pastured hogs since the 30's, supplemented with a little grain and bone meal for protein, and they all lived long enough to butcher. for what its worth

 

[JBruce]

You people are gonna laugh, but when I raised several hogs-90 head of sows, I would grind my mixer almost full of whatever kind of hay I had on hand and then a little corn and fill the feeders. Vary the corn according to the sows weight to keep them in good shape. When I went thru a gate could leave it open and the hogs would lay out there and just watch us instead of trying to get out. When they were milking just kept putting in enough more corn to keep them in good shape. Even put some hay in the finishing ration. After I started doing this never usled any antibiotics again. Go ahead and laugh-that,s what the vet did.