Loren Cordle

I sprout whole grains as fodder for my pigs and chickens and they LOVE it. I harvest my sprouts when they are about an inch above root level, Some people wait until they are several inches longer. I would say that I get at least 150lbs of sprouted fodder from 50lbs of grain. This makes up about a third of their overall feed during the winter when there isn't much to be grazed. Barley is best, but hard to find so I have been using feed-wheat with good success. Black oil sunflower seeds also make great sprouts, but it is hard to find them for a decent price without being full of stemmy (spellcheck is telling me that this is not a word ..) bits which then turn to mush and promote mildew. A lot of folks say that their hogs do well on hay. I don't have any experience with this but you can always try it out. I imagine you would want a softer leafy hay as oppose to a thick stemmy hay since they are not ruminants.
Good luck,
Loren

Thank you Walter for the great information. He definitely will be culled. We are trying not to use any commercial feed if we can help it. We are feeding a variety of fruits and vegetables, milk, and oats. He is out on pasture and has access to wooded areas with lots of fallen nuts and acorns. Fingers crossed we can avoid taint with good management like you suggested. I still have the issue of preventing inbreeding since he can't be castrated. Unfortunately it seems I will have to separate them soon.

Hi Mia, I'm just now seeing your post. How did your hatch go?

Hello all,
Does anyone have experience with monorchid or cryptorchid boars? I have a 4mo KuneKune/AGH cross boar that has only one descended testicle. ( I did not want a boar to begin with because we are raising him as a feeder, but through a complicated series of events I ended up with him and now I have to figure out wth I'm going to do with him.) I bought him with his sister and want to keep them together for company, but what to do with his testicle(s)? Should I assume the other won't drop and go ahead with castration? Or just separate them now and harvest him early? Just so you know, I hate the thought of cutting this fella now, I don't generally agree with castration after the first week of life. I'm trying to weigh out what will be best for his well-being while keeping in mind that we are going to eat him. Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks!