Pigs can contribute a lot to your homestead whether they’re eating your food waste and scraps or clearing invasive vegetation.
If you’re considering buying piglets for your homestead, you might be wondering how much they cost.
In this article, I will provide you with some key information on what you need to know about keeping piglets on your homestead.
Let’s get into it.
There are a variety of benefits associated with raising piglets on your homestead. These include but are not limited to:
Piglets Produce Meat That Is Free-Range
The piglets that you raise for meat will live good lives on pasture.
The difficulty with buying meat from the grocery store is that the animals often suffer with disease, are pumped full of medication, and are treated inhumanely.
That being said, raising piglets on your homestead for meat allows you to get rid of the middle man and, as a result, you know exactly what feed they consumed and the type of life that they led beforehand.
The less stressful their lives are, the more nourishing their meat will be!
Piglets Consume Your Food Waste
There’s no denying that humans can produce a lot of food waste. Piglets need a lot of sustenance, and will eat all of your leftover vegetable scraps that would usually end up in your compost bin.
This means that you’ll also be saving on the money that you spend on their feed, whilst also making sure that you’re reducing the amount of food you waste on your homestead.
How Much Do Piglets Cost?
The price of a piglet can vary hugely depending on the type of pig that you opt for.
If you’re planning to raise piglets on your homestead for meat, this is an important consideration. For instance, a lot of homesteaders prefer American Yorkshire piglets over Duroc pigs, as they tend to grow faster and provide leaner meat when it comes to it.
Generally speaking, you can find Duroc and American Yorkshire piglets that cost around $50 to $100 which is relatively low on the market.
However, registered piglets will cost a higher price of about $200 per piglet.
How Much Do Piglets Cost To Raise?
There is no simple answer to this question, as the cost of raising piglets will come down to a variety of factors, such as the breed and feed costs.
Pigs with access to grazing pastures or foraging generally don’t require as much commercial feed as a pig that doesn’t.
In addition, pigs that have access to fresh water and live in sanitary conditions will be much healthier overall, and will therefore be cheaper to raise than a pig that is constantly sick due to poor health.
As a result, it’s your responsibility to ensure that the living conditions for your piglets are as good as possible, to make sure that they’re as healthy and as happy as possible.
It is possible that your food costs will be cheaper if you are able to supplement your piglets diet with vegetables that you grow on your homestead, or feed that you grow like oats and barley.
However, if you intend to feed them primarily commercial pig feed, then you can expect to spend around an average of $3.50 on feed for each pig per day.
However, it’s important to mention that this price can vary significantly depending on the food that you buy.
Generally speaking, you won’t slaughter your pig until they are around 290 to 300 pounds. It will typically take a pig around six months to get to this size, depending on the breed.
So you can expect to keep feeding them until this size and choose your food in accordance with that information.
Considerations Before Getting Piglets
Before you commit to buying piglets to raise on your homestead, there are some considerations that you should bear in mind.
Pigs Are Incredibly Intelligent Creatures
Pigs are smart creatures, and will figure out a way to escape their pen if you give them half a chance to do so and are very difficult to catch once they’re out.
Bearing this in mind, you will need to make sure that you are prepared with a strong enclosure that is secure on your homestead to prevent them from getting out.
Pigs Produce A Lot Of Waste
While you might think that you’re prepared for the bottomless pit that is a piglet, you might not be prepared for the amount of waste that they produce.
Due to the fact that they poop a lot, their pens can really smell on a hot day.
So, you will want to make sure that you’re prepared for mucking out their pen and that you’re aware that your homestead is likely to smell on occasion because of this.
Pigs Need A Place To Wallow
Piglets grow quickly, and will always need a place to wallow to ensure that they remain cool, especially during the hotter months.
You will need to ensure that their needs are met as they grow.
It Can Be Difficult To Say Goodbye
When you raise a piglet and they grow up, when it comes to giving them up it can be tough to say goodbye.
Naturally, when you nurture them from young, it can be tricky to keep a mental detachment from them. However, this is vital when it comes to sending them off.
If you know that you’re going to become attached to your piglets and will want to treat them as if they are a pet, then this is a big consideration to keep at the forefront of your mind.
While you might want to name them as you would any other pet, you need to keep your intention of raising them to live a sustainable lifestyle in mind the whole time.
In Summary
After reading this article, it is likely that you know whether raising piglets on your homestead is a good idea.
Always make sure that you do your own research and that you’re prepared before buying piglets.