• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com pie forums private forums all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • r ranson
  • Nancy Reading
  • Carla Burke
  • John F Dean
  • Jay Angler
  • paul wheaton
stewards:
  • Nicole Alderman
  • Pearl Sutton
  • Anne Miller
master gardeners:
  • Christopher Weeks
  • Timothy Norton
gardeners:
  • Nina Surya
  • Matt McSpadden
  • thomas rubino

Its weaner time again

 
rocket scientist
Posts: 6525
Location: latitude 47 N.W. montana zone 6A
3395
cat pig rocket stoves
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Last year due to heavy snow I was not able to get piglets until may 11th.  This year was a heavy snow year again but not as late in the season as last year. On april 10th I brought home this years herd of piglets.  I was unable to get the berkshire/durock/hampshire cross that I have been raising for years.  I had to go on the hunt for baby piggys this year.  I thought I had located some Tamworth piglets in missoula... but they were all sold out. Three other sources were also already sold out!  4H & FFA kids are buying them all up. I finally located some folks with purebred yorkshires, and was able to pick 3 girls up. All white piggys... how will I ever tell them apart?  You can tell these piglets were raised around people , they have no fear... you can walk rite up while they are laying in bed ... squat down and scratch their noses. None of my weaners have ever been this tame before!  There was over 50 weaners where I got these girls and competition for food must have been fierce, all three have chewed up ears. Once they found the grain feeder here, they just knew they were in piggy heaven!  Now if it would just stop raining MAYBE their paddocks will green up!
DSCN0180.JPG
[Thumbnail for DSCN0180.JPG]
wake up lazy piggy
DSCN0192.JPG
[Thumbnail for DSCN0192.JPG]
piggy heaven
DSCN0179.JPG
[Thumbnail for DSCN0179.JPG]
nap time
 
thomas rubino
rocket scientist
Posts: 6525
Location: latitude 47 N.W. montana zone 6A
3395
cat pig rocket stoves
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
So after much debate... the new weaner's  now have names. Do to the fact they all look the same. We have eenny, (the smallest one) meanie, (shes the friendliest one) and mighty (shes the big one) Maybe I should have gotten one more, a barrow and called him Moe....
DSCN0183.JPG
[Thumbnail for DSCN0183.JPG]
lining up for a drink
DSCN0185.JPG
[Thumbnail for DSCN0185.JPG]
quick check for grubs
DSCN0190.JPG
[Thumbnail for DSCN0190.JPG]
gotta stop at the food bowl
DSCN0176.JPG
[Thumbnail for DSCN0176.JPG]
and now for a nap
 
Posts: 55
Location: Near Missoula
11
kids pig homestead
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Any updates?
 
thomas rubino
rocket scientist
Posts: 6525
Location: latitude 47 N.W. montana zone 6A
3395
cat pig rocket stoves
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Well due to the fact that the rotational pens have not greened up yet.  There is lots of grain eating and sleeping.  They do recognize the compost bucket when I bring it down.  
All three are growing well.  meanie is still the friendliest, eenny is still smallest (but catching up fast) and mighty is still the largest... she is also the only spooky piggy .
Adding lots of diamatetious earth to their feed to control parasites.
Heading up to fisher farms in columbia falls to get #3000 of feed.
 
Anthony Cooley
Posts: 55
Location: Near Missoula
11
kids pig homestead
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Depending on where you are, and how much you spend on grain feed, there is a local guy a little North of Missoula who grows and mills his own non-gmo, corn and soy free feed. saves his own seeds and everything. I pay $11/50lbs by the bag because I don't have anywhere to put it in bulk, but it might be worth the drive at #3000.
 
thomas rubino
rocket scientist
Posts: 6525
Location: latitude 47 N.W. montana zone 6A
3395
cat pig rocket stoves
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Hi Tony;  I'm up in Trout Creek about 2 hrs plus from Missoula, Kalispell or Spokane.  60 miles to the nearest stop light and its over in Sandpoint Idaho.
I might be interested in your feed guy. Where is north of missoula ?  Up towards Arlee or towards potomac ? Does he sell in bulk ? I pay $160 per #1000 or $480 for #3000 at fishers.
Is it  a pig grower with minerals ?  
 
Anthony Cooley
Posts: 55
Location: Near Missoula
11
kids pig homestead
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
here's the contact info. they have a FB page and advertise through Clist: https://missoula.craigslist.org/grd/d/non-gmo-corn-soy-free-feed/6538278253.html

They sell in bulk from the farm in Potomac, but I don't have a rodent free way to keep that much feed so I don't remember the price he gave me. @ $11/50# a ton would be $440 in bags, so I would guess it would be comparable. Minus the travel costs, but if you are coming to the Missoula area for something already.
 
thomas rubino
rocket scientist
Posts: 6525
Location: latitude 47 N.W. montana zone 6A
3395
cat pig rocket stoves
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Hi Tony;   Thanks,  I  have a message into him for his bulk price.  Wish he was up arlee way instead of out in potomac. I'm thinking its farther there than up to fisher farms.  Hope his  price comes down a lot for bulk, $660 for #3000 by the bag is cost prohibitive.
As far as storage goes.  I get 2 large sacks of apx #1500 each.  They sit in a covered 3 sided shed with a deer proof gate. The deer & elk would decimate those sacks if they got in .  The mice... not worried about the little they would eat, (the pigs would happily eat them if they found them in their food bin)  I spill plenty on the floor and the mice seem to eat there instead of finding a way into the feed sacks.  When I have a couple hundred pounds left in the shed after the piggy's meet the butcher, THEN by spring the mice have found a way into the large sacks...   The pigs eat it anyway...  that's the thing about piggy's ... if they don,t like something .... they eat it last...
Each weaner pig will eat apx #1000 to get to slaughter weight.  
You might consider buying in bulk yourself.  

Thanks for sharing,  that's the permies way!
EDIT)  Just heard back from john.  Bulk price is $200.00  per. thousand pound, versus $160.00... Guess i'll be going up to columbia falls later this week.

Regards   Tom
DSCN0842.JPG
[Thumbnail for DSCN0842.JPG]
all's good in piggy heaven
 
This tiny ad isn't wearing any underwear - WOO!
Permaculture Design Magazine
https://permies.com/wiki/237407/permaculture/Permaculture-Design-Magazine
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic