Pigs: breeds and planning

In short

• A pig hates being alone. It's best to fatten two together: they're calmer, eat better and grow faster.
• A commercial weaner of 25 kg grows to 110–130 kg in roughly 6–7 months and eats roughly 300 kg of grain and meal. Traditional breeds grow up to twice as slowly.
• African swine fever: never feed anything containing meat, never let pigs near wild boar or feral pigs, and report any suspicion at once to the vet.
• Before the first weaner arrives, register your holding (CPH in the UK, herd number in Ireland, premises ID in the US and Canada), even for one pig for your own table. Buy only identified weaners with movement papers.
• Trichinella: have the meat of every pig you kill at home tested before you eat or cure it.
• For a beginner: fatten bought-in weaners, not a breeding sow. Farrowing comes later.

What's inside

Chapters

1. What you want from pigs
2. Breeds for a small homestead
3. How many pigs and how much meat
4. Fattening, a sow or a boar
5. Buying weaners
6. Space, time and neighbours
7. African swine fever: what it means for you
8. Paperwork and duties
9. Pigs in the homestead loop
10. Costs and value
11. Your first-year plan
12. Common mistakes
13. Printable checklist

Worksheets

• Pig planning calculator
• Cost of fattening and setting up
• Comparing weaners and sellers
• Pig register
• Biosecurity before the first weaner
• Calendar from weaner to pig-killing day