Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Feed your pig correctly
• Method 2 of 3: Adjust your pig's environment
• Method 3 of 3: Keep your pig healthy
• Tips
• Warnings

To increase the weight of a pig, you need to feed it the right food. If the pig is not gaining weight fast enough, you should reduce its fiber intake and add fats and sugars to its diet. Choosing the right sources of protein and grains are also important parts of making your pig put on weight. In addition to the right diet, keeping your pig healthy and comfortable will also lead to an increase in weight.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Feed your pig correctly

1. Feed your pig food that is low in fiber. Since fiber requires more energy to digest, the pig will consume more calories when it eats fiber than when it eats low-fiber foods. In other words, a high-fiber diet reduces the amount of calories the pig absorbs and converts into fat.
   • Avoid feeding soy hulls, wheat feed flour and DDGS (Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles.
2. Feed your pig food with a high fat content. Fat in pig feed comes from poultry, pig, tallow, vegetable oils and mixed animal or vegetable fats. The type of fat in your pig's feed will have little effect on weight gain. Feed your pig the high-fat food he likes best and you can afford.
   • Low-fat milk, yogurt, and dairy products will also increase the amount of fat in your pig.
   • Sweet foods with high sugar content - donuts, candies, and cupcakes - will also quickly add to your pig's weight.
3. Select a protein source. Meat scraps are a good source of protein. Soy flour and oil are also an option. Give your pig a mixture of different types of proteins. Check out what your pig likes best and mainly feed it that type of protein.
   • Combine soy flour with a corn diet, this provides your pig with a well-balanced amino acid value.
4. Choose a grain for your pig. Whatever you choose, 50% of the food should be yellow corn. The rest of the feed should be a mixture of barley, wheat and sorghum. Give your pig different grains and see which one he likes best. Use the favorite cereal in abundance to increase weight.
   • Avoid bird-resistant sorghum, pigs don't like it as much as normal red or white sorghum.
5. Increase the amount of food your pig eats. An increase in weight results only from the intake of excessive calories. If a pig does not eat enough, it will lose weight. If a pig eats more than the amount of calories it takes to maintain its current weight, its weight will increase.
   • Increase nutrient intake while increasing the amount of food. Take your pig to the vet or nutritionist to have its blood tested and nutritional analysis performed. The vet can tell you if your pig is suffering from nutrient deficiencies and which supplements can fix this.
   • Adequate nutrient intake helps your pig to absorb calories more efficiently.
   • Vitamin B12 is an important addition to your pig's diet. It can help improve food intake, reduce stress and prevent your pig from getting sick. B12 injections are the easiest. Talk to the vet about how much B12 your pig should be getting.
6. Add supplements to your pig's diet. You can choose to add fats or proteins to help your pig gain weight. Fat and protein supplements (sometimes called energy supplements) are available in many different types, with fat and protein contents of 30 to 70% or more. Some have a lot of protein as well as a lot of fat, while others have a lot of one of these things.
   • Decide how much weight your pig needs to put on and then incorporate fat supplements or fatty foods into your pig's diet.
   • Typically, pigs weighing less than 70 kg are given about a quarter to half a kilo of supplements.
   • Always follow the directions on the supplement packaging.
   • Young pigs should have about 17% protein in their diet. Older pigs should have about 15% protein in their diet.
7. Make the food more attractive. Resources are available to make your pig's food taste better. If your pig likes what it eats, it will eat more of it and gain weight. Try several of these to see which one is most appealing to your pig.
   • Add water to the food. When your pig's food is wet, it will be softer and easier to eat. Pour some water over the food to make it into a watery mass or paste.
   • If your pig really likes one type of food, but not other foods at all, buy the food it likes. Tasty foods will be eaten in greater quantities and with more enjoyment than foods your pig does not like. This will lead to weight gain.
   • Feed your pigs different foods. Just like humans, pigs get bored when they have to eat the same thing over and over.

Method 2 of 3: Adjust your pig's environment

1. Make sure your pig has enough space. If the facilities for a pig do not meet its needs, its appetite will diminish due to stress. Pigs need 2-4.5 square feet of space in their pen and at least 9 square feet of outside space to move around. You can give your pig more space in several ways, such as:
   • Remove pigs from the pen and place them in a separate, more spacious area
   • Sell ​​pigs until you have several that have enough space in the pen
   • Make the loft bigger
2. Make sure your pig has access to his food. If it is difficult for your pig to reach its trough or food point, help it. For example, if your pig has to eat with others in one pen, it may be pushed away by larger, more dominant pigs. If you only provide the food for a limited period of time, some pigs may eat less than others.
   • Consider adding a food dosing system, or adding extra food bowls for pigs that are underweight.
   • Always give your pig fresh water. Even if you add water to the food to make it softer, you should provide a container or trough with water. Change the water regularly. The water should be cool, but not cold. Pigs need 2-4 liters of water for every kilogram of food they eat.
3. Regulate your pig's temperature. If it is very hot (35 degrees Celsius or warmer), your pig will want to eat less. Temperature and humidity affect how much a pig likes to eat. Low humidity increases interest in food.
   • Keep air circulating in the pigpen by opening the windows and doors. Place fans or a large, inflatable pool in the area where your pigs live. Make sure there is plenty of shade.
   • Make sure your pigs don't get too cold. If your pig's body temperature is below 15 degrees Celsius, it may be too cold to eat. Make sure the loft is well insulated in winter. Use a heater to keep the temperature in the loft between 15 and 24 degrees Celsius.

Method 3 of 3: Keep your pig healthy

1. Monitor your pig's health. Sick pigs will not eat much. Even if a sick pig does eat, it will process nutrients and vitamins much more quickly to ward off the infection or disease.
   • Check your pig's body temperature with a rectal thermometer. The temperature should be around 39 degrees.
   • If your pig has a fever, take it to the vet right away.
   • Watch for signs of illness in your pig. If your pig is lethargic, screeching like he is in pain, has diarrhea, or is not eating, he may be sick. This can have one or more causes, including viruses, parasites and malnutrition. Take him to a qualified vet for a check-up.
2. Deworm your pig. Regular deworming (every 30 days) keeps your pig healthy and removes parasites that steal nutrients and calories. You don't have to take your pig to the vet for deworming. You can just buy a commercial wormer from the local farm store and give it to your pig. Most drugs should be given for 3 days. Always follow the directions on the packaging of the wormer.
   • You do not need any assistance to apply dewormers. Simply add it to your pig's feed, usually at a ratio of 1 cubic centimeter 22 per kilo of body weight. In other words; if your pig weighs 45 pounds you will need to add 2 cubic centimeters of medication. Always adhere to the prescribed dosage when applying medication.
3. Check your pig for injuries. If your pig has recently had surgery or been injured, it will not want to eat much.Check your pig's legs and abdomen for sores and check his paws for sharp objects. Treat minor wounds. If you find serious wounds, take the pig to the vet as soon as possible.
   • Take a new pig to the vet before placing it with the other pigs. This prevents it from transmitting parasites to the other pigs.
   • If you see strange behaviors, such as lethargy, difficulty walking, or lack of appetite, he may have internal injuries or be ill. Take him to the vet for an examination.
   • Pigs must have a vet check-up at least once a year.

Tips

• If you want to fatten up your pig for slaughter, don't rush it. Give your pig time to reach its maximum weight before slaughtering it.
• Do not buy foods or supplements that will not increase your pig's weight.

Warnings

• Ground feed may need to be purchased in bulk, which can be quite expensive for someone with a low number of pigs.
• Don't let your pig get fat too quickly. Intestinal bleeding (HBS) causes pigs that gain weight too quickly to die, not much is known about it. Using DDGS in your pig's diet can reduce the likelihood of HBS.