Pigs and Mast

As our three pigs continue to grow, their feed consumption has diminished. They eat about 2.5 pounds of feed per day, half what I would expect a growing pig to eat. (And a good bit less than the ridiculous 12.5 pounds a day our pigs last winter ate: but they were eating to keep warm, I think, rather like polar explorers and their need for chocolate. But I digress.)

The gallons of whey we get from neighbor Gail helps, I'm sure. Since mixing the whey with the feed kept clogging our feeder, we've tried various other methods of getting whey into the pigs. We fill their waterer with whey, and they do drink that, somewhat.

But for whatever reason, what seems to work the best is to dump a 5 gallon bucket of whey into a rubber waterer, and let the three guzzle it down. Maybe they feel the need to get their legs in the whey? I don't know, and it seems a bit gross to have brown whey from the dirt, rather than pristine whey in the feeder, but I suppose I'm not thinking like a pig. Pigs eat dirt on occasion, for nutrients, so maybe it's more palatable mixed with whey.

They get through about 10 gallons a day that way.

Today, though, I found the other explanation, and I rejoiced.

Acorns. The pigs are eating the acorns. Also known as "mast." Not all the acorns, for some of their pen has good acorn coverage. But the acorns I found right outside their pen and tossed to them, they devoured.

Jadon and Isaiah helped me gather some acorns, and Isaiah happily climbed in with the pigs to feed them. (Personally, I avoid going into the pen as much as I can. They nibble at my shoes, which is a very odd feeling!)

Buttercup, the lone female (and runt), came up first. While she didn't quite eat out of his hand, she did smell his hand.

Soon the boys joined her (see the photo at the top of this post). Her fellow Berkshire, Fox, almost visibly grows larger daily.