Pig Husbandry
Part of Animal Husbandry
Pigs are the most efficient converters of waste into meat in the animal kingdom. They eat anything organic — kitchen scraps, spoiled grain, root crops, carrion, even human sewage — and transform it into dense, calorie-rich pork in 6-8 months. A single sow produces 12-20 piglets per year across two litters.
Why Pigs Matter for Rebuilding
Pigs fill a role no other livestock can: they are biological waste processors that output high-calorie meat and fat. In a rebuilding community, enormous quantities of organic waste — spoiled food, crop residues, whey from cheesemaking, butchering offal, damaged grain — would otherwise rot. Pigs convert all of it into pork.
The numbers are compelling. A pig gains roughly 0.5-0.8 kg (1-1.5 lbs) per day on mixed waste feeding. Starting from a 10 kg weaner at 8 weeks old, a pig reaches slaughter weight of 90-110 kg (200-250 lbs) in 6-8 months. The dressed carcass yields 60-70% of live weight in usable meat and fat. Pork also preserves exceptionally well through salting, smoking, and rendering into lard — critical when refrigeration does not exist.
Acquiring Pigs
Feral pig populations exist across most temperate and subtropical regions. They are intelligent, aggressive, and dangerous when cornered — do not attempt to capture adult feral hogs.
Step 1. Locate feral pig activity — rooted-up ground, wallows, tracks, droppings. Pigs follow predictable paths between food, water, and bedding areas.
Step 2. Build a box trap from heavy materials — pigs are strong. Use hog panels, heavy gauge wire, or logs. The trap must withstand a 100+ kg animal charging the walls. Bait with fermented corn (soak corn in water for 3-4 days until it sours — pigs find this irresistible).
Step 3. Target young pigs (under 20 kg / 45 lbs). They tame within 2-4 weeks of daily feeding and handling. Adult feral pigs are dangerous and rarely become manageable.
Step 4. Alternatively, trade with other communities for domestic piglets. Two gilts (young females) and one boar is the minimum breeding unit.
Feral Hog Danger
Adult feral boars have razor-sharp tusks and charge without warning. They can outrun a human in short bursts. Never enter a trap with an adult feral pig. Use a catch pole or dart if available, or dispatch for meat rather than attempting to tame.
Pen Design
Pigs need containment that is stronger than you think necessary. A 100 kg pig can uproot fence posts, break through standard livestock panels, and dig under walls within hours if motivated.
Floor plan:
| Space Type | Size Per Pig | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Sleeping shelter | 2 sq m (20 sq ft) | Dry, draft-free, bedded area |
| Outdoor yard | 5-10 sq m (50-100 sq ft) | Exercise, rooting, wallowing |
| Wallow (warm climates) | 2x2 m mud pit | Temperature regulation — pigs cannot sweat |
| Feeding area | Separate from sleeping | Prevents bedding fouling |
Construction priorities:
Step 1. Fence first. Bury fence material 30 cm (12 inches) below ground to prevent digging out. Options ranked by effectiveness:
- Hog panels (heavy welded wire) — best if available from salvage
- Electric fence (2 strands at 15 cm and 45 cm height) — very effective, pigs learn fast
- Stacked railroad ties or heavy logs — labor intensive but nearly indestructible
- Stone walls — excellent but requires significant masonry effort
Step 2. Build a simple three-sided shelter with deep straw bedding. Pigs nest — they arrange bedding into a communal sleeping pile. The shelter needs to block wind and rain but does not need to be sealed. Orient the open side away from prevailing wind.
Step 3. Install a feeding trough that cannot be tipped over. Anchor it to the ground or wall. Pigs flip unsecured troughs within minutes. Build from a split log, a bathtub section, or a concrete trough.
Step 4. Provide a wallow in warm climates. Pigs cannot sweat and overheat rapidly above 27C (80F). A shallow depression that collects water or is filled from a bucket serves the purpose. Mud coating also protects against sunburn and parasites.
Step 5. Separate the boar from sows except during breeding. Boars are aggressive and can injure piglets.
Waste-to-Feed Systems
This is where pigs truly shine. Structure your community’s waste streams to flow through the pig pen.
| Waste Source | Feed Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen scraps (all types) | High | Vegetable waste, stale bread, spoiled fruit, meat scraps, bones |
| Whey from cheesemaking | Excellent — high protein | Feed 2-4 liters per pig per day; pigs love it |
| Brewery/distillery waste | Good — spent grain is protein-rich | Feed up to 30% of diet |
| Garden waste and crop residues | Moderate | Beet tops, squash, damaged root crops, fallen fruit |
| Butchering offal | High protein | Organs, blood, trimmings — pigs eat everything |
| Acorns and nuts | Excellent seasonal | Forest-grazed pigs on acorns produce superior pork |
| Earthworms and grubs | High protein supplement | Encourage by composting manure in the yard |
Never Feed Raw Pork to Pigs
Feeding uncooked pork or pork products to pigs transmits trichinosis and other diseases in a cycle. All meat scraps from pork processing must be cooked before feeding back to pigs. Other raw meat is fine.
Feeding schedule: Pigs do best on twice-daily feeding — morning and evening. A growing pig (30-90 kg) eats roughly 2-4% of its body weight per day. A 60 kg pig eats 1.5-2.5 kg of feed daily. Pregnant and lactating sows need 30-50% more.
Water: Pigs drink 5-10 liters per day depending on size and temperature. Water must be clean and always available. A pig without water for 24 hours begins organ damage.
Breeding
Gilts (young females) reach sexual maturity at 6-7 months but should not be bred until 8 months or 100 kg (220 lbs) — earlier breeding risks small litters and difficult births.
Heat cycle: Sows cycle every 21 days. Signs of heat: swollen vulva, restlessness, mounting other pigs, standing rigid when pressure is applied to the back (“standing heat”). Standing heat lasts 24-48 hours — breed during this window.
Gestation: 114 days — the old farmer’s rule is “3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days.”
Farrowing (birthing):
Step 1. At day 110, move the sow to a clean farrowing pen with deep straw. The pen should have a “creep area” — a section with low rails or barriers that piglets can fit under but the sow cannot reach. This prevents crushing, which kills more piglets than any other cause.
Step 2. Signs of imminent farrowing: nesting behavior (arranging straw), milk letdown from teats, restlessness, rapid breathing.
Step 3. Farrowing takes 2-5 hours for a typical litter of 8-12 piglets. Piglets arrive every 15-30 minutes. The sow usually manages alone.
Step 4. Ensure every piglet nurses within 1 hour. Colostrum is critical. Small or weak piglets may need to be placed on a teat manually.
Step 5. Watch for crushing in the first 72 hours — the sow lying on piglets. The creep area and rails save lives. Check every few hours initially.
Step 6. Wean piglets at 6-8 weeks when they are eating solid food reliably. Separate from the sow. The sow can be rebred within 5-7 days of weaning, allowing two litters per year.
Pig Manure Management
A single pig produces 5-8 kg (11-17 lbs) of manure per day. This is simultaneously a problem and a resource.
Composting method: Scrape pen floors weekly. Pile manure with straw/carbon material (1 part manure to 2 parts carbon) in a heap outside the pen. Turn monthly. Finished compost in 3-6 months — the most potent garden fertilizer available.
Biogas potential: Pig manure has the highest methane yield of any common livestock manure. A covered pit digester processing manure from 4-5 pigs produces enough biogas to cook for a household. This is a Tier 6 technology but worth planning pen layout to accommodate future digesters.
Parasite Transmission
Pig manure carries roundworm eggs that survive in soil for years. Never spread raw pig manure on vegetable gardens. Always compost fully (internal temperature must reach 55C/130F for 3+ days) before using on food crops. Alternatively, use pig compost only on non-food plantings.
Health Management
| Problem | Signs | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Internal parasites (roundworms) | Poor growth, pot belly, visible worms in feces | Rotational penning; pumpkin seeds (cucurbitin is a natural dewormer); wood ash in feed |
| Mange (mites) | Intense scratching, crusty skin, hair loss | Scrub affected areas with used motor oil or neem oil; clean bedding |
| Erysipelas | Diamond-shaped red skin patches, fever, lameness | No field cure; isolate, keep cool, hope for recovery; cull chronic carriers |
| Heatstroke | Panting, red skin, staggering, collapse | Immediate cool water dousing; move to shade; provide wallow |
| Foot injuries | Limping, swollen feet | Clean wound, apply honey poultice, provide soft bedding |
Slaughter Timing
Pigs reach optimal slaughter weight at 90-110 kg (200-250 lbs) live weight, typically at 6-8 months of age. Beyond this weight, feed conversion efficiency drops sharply — the pig eats more but gains less. The exception is breeding stock, which you keep indefinitely.
A 100 kg pig yields approximately 60-70 kg of meat, fat, and usable offal. The fat renders into lard — a calorie-dense cooking and preservation medium. Lard stores 6-12 months in a cool location in sealed containers.
Key Takeaways
- Pigs are biological waste processors — design your community’s organic waste stream to flow through the pig pen
- Containment must be massively over-engineered; bury fencing 30 cm deep and assume the pig will test every weakness
- A wallow or water-cooling is mandatory in warm climates — pigs cannot sweat and die from heatstroke
- Breeding is simple: 114-day gestation, 8-12 piglets per litter, two litters per year, weaning at 6-8 weeks
- Crushing kills more piglets than disease — build a farrowing pen with creep rails before the sow is due
- Compost all pig manure before applying to food gardens; raw manure transmits parasites to humans
- One sow producing two litters per year provides 600-800 kg of pork annually — enough to sustain a small community