Mixing your own pig food

Hello Permies,

I am raising 2 pigs for the first time and I am curious how I would go about mixing my own pig food for them and if it's worth it.

I have access to bulk corn, what else would I need to add in ? Does anyone have good reference information or even a recipe ?

Commercial pig food has so many ingredients I'm wondering if a frugal homesteader can get it done with a simpler mix.

Are the pigs going to have access to pasture? Will they get to forage for some of their own food?


I raised my pigs last year on only forage and wheat/barley which was soaked for 3 days in water with apple cider vinegar.
I would add some kelp meal to the food.
Plus they got all of the kitchen scraps.
I also got deliveries of food from a local restaurant.
Pigs grew fine!

The kelp has salt in it. I did not add any salt to the food.


For a while i was giving them 12% rabbit pellets.

In the fall they received all the apples i could give them.

Honestly the pigs got every possible food i could give them. I gave them chicken eggs along with their shells. Some times i gave them just egg shells with their food.
Ask a local cheese making place for some spent dairy or whey.
Ask whatever food place for spent produce.
consider all options!

They will have access to pasture, though it's not properly planted pasture (yet) so I can only guess what they'll find out there. Thank you for sharing your experience. This is the first year I am raising pigs and moving away from grain, at least partially, seems an obtainable goal as I gain experience.

That sounds awesome, and honestly pretty close to how we feed ours too. If they’ve got access to pasture and some foraging, you’re already off to a great start. Soaking grains with ACV is a smart move, and the kelp adds a nice boost of minerals.
We do something similar with kitchen scraps and whatever produce we can get from local spots. Never hurts to ask around. Breweries, bakeries, even fruit stands usually have stuff they’re happy to give away.
Eggs and shells are gold too. And apples in the fall? Our pigs go nuts for them.
The more variety you can give them, the better. They thrive on a mixed diet. You’re clearly giving them a good life and good food. Keep it up!