Posted: 6/20/2025 8:40:23 PM EDT
[Last Edit: mr2143][Edited]
| Our kids are enrolled for the first time in 4-H. The county fair mandates that the pigs weigh in at 225-300 pounds in 5 weeks. Our pigs are roughly 130-160 pounds, and I would be so sad for the kids to not be able to participate because they didn’t make weight. They’ve put countless hours and so much effort into the project- hauling buckets of water hundreds of yards each day, moving electric fence around along with their hut, etc. Is there a recipes of sort for helping hogs gain a significant amount of weight quickly? Currently we are mixing our own feed: corn, soy, and a mineral supplement. Thanks for the responses. |
| When we want to put weight on quick, I would go and buy 50 lb bags of rolled oats at the feed store. Mix 50/50 with water and let sit for10-15 min so the oats absorb the water to make a slurry and feed about 10lbs a day. 5lbs in the am and 5lbs in the pm. They will put weight on quick. |
I'm not lazy, I just really enjoy doing nothing.
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Start playing a bunch of CNN and MSNBC. If you can get it to go liberal, it'll pack on the weight overnight.  But realistically, how much do you think you're gonna get it to gain in 5 weeks? You could maybe get a bunch of water weight in it. Get a bunch of sodium in them. That'll cause their body to retain water. Maybe good to pack on an easy 20-25lb. Otherwise, as much high calorie junk food as you can get them to ingest. Or get them on some of The Juice (tm). A little growth hormone here and there would encourage their body to grow. |
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For future reference, there are feed charts available. They lay out specifically how many days, how much food per day, and the type of food to reach future weight goals. Find one for the breeds your children intend to raise and show. The charts show the expected weights 150 days out, 120 days out, etc. So, you can make small adjustments long before the deadline and still reach the goal. It avoids this sort of problem. |
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It is more how you feed them! Make sure you pull the feed pan when the pigs are done eating so that the pigs are hungry for the next feeding and know they need to eat all of their feed when it is provided. Normal feed is good and avoiding too many additives is also good, but it comes down to managing the feeding process. Sometimes having multiple pigs in a pen vs only one can help. Also, as Mindfull said, adding a little water to the feed can work in some instances. |