What to feed?

Every once in a while a conversation about feed comes into play. I have addressed the issue on my website and it really needs to be updated. The topic makes me crazy and on my website i have basically said:

"Pigs are just that, pigs. You would not feed cat food to your dog nor should you feed dog food to your pig. People way smarter then us have scientifically developed feed which contain the correct nutritional value , minerals and vitamins they need.
Over feeding or feeding the wrong food can cause so many medical problems I can't begin to address them all here.
Pigs who develop too much fat around the head causes blindness as the fat closes in over their eyes. They will also go deaf as the fat smothers everything.

Too little feed or the incorrect one will not keep your pig small, it will just cause development problems and you will have a starving pig in varied stages of malnutrition. "

Sadly many still think they are doing right as they have followed advise from the feed stores and they may be the biggest problem here. Some people take there jobs seriously and educated themselves so they can represent the product they merchandise on behalf of the animals they stock food for, some do not. I think some merchandisers will sell you anything to make the sale for various reasons. Maybe they don't bring the correct feed in, they can't be bothered too or they make more money selling you a bag of cheap rabbit pellets then they would on a bag of specialized feed.

The base for many of the grazing farm animal feeds is the same, for example it maybe hay based or alfalfa based. It will have added selenium,vitamins and minerals for example to support the species it is being milled for. What i am saying here is that you may see many of the same things listed on your feed bags from one animal to the next. However the ratios for different species is totally different , these feeds are NOT the same or good enough.

I can't get my head around how people can buy hog grower , horse pellets , rabbit pellets or chicken feed for there pigs. The key clue here is what it is being milled for and states that right on the bag. It is being formulated for that specific species ONLY.

Your pigs need the correct nutritional value and the ratio of food , vitamin and mineral content to keep your animal healthy. Everything you eat or you feed your animal should be about optimum health for long life. This equals good skeleton growth to organs and what the feed is formulated to do.

A low protein diet formulated for rabbits for example is the wrong feed ratio requirements for a pig.

Hog Grower is milled to

increase speed growth

for these doomed pigs to ready for slaughter. Do not ever feed your pet pot bellied pigs this formula.

Rabbit food is high protein do not be fooled that thinking a 12% protein designed for rabbits is a low protein diet for pigs because it is only 12%. Same as horse, chicken or big pig feed. These percentages are calculated ratios for the specific breed. Rabbit feed is too high of a protein no matter what percentage it is as that percentage is calculated by what is required for rabbits not pigs. Not only will this add fat it will cause liver and kidneys to work harder to filter /process incorrect feed ratios.

Also i will point out here that pot bellied pigs are prone to kidney stones and the feed has additives to help alleviate the probability of your pigs getting them. Male pigs die from blocked urinary tracts every day , it is why feeding the correct food and protein levels for the correct species is so important.

Please buy your pot bellied pig feed that is being milled for pot bellied pigs. It took years for scientists, professors , nutritionists , behaviorists and veterinarians to come up with the right formula to keep your pot bellied pigs at optimum health.