Pigs are by nature, very clean and hygienic animals, but that’s not what history and name calling would suggest! So the next time you’re called a pig, reply with a “Thank You!”  Because we know that they dig in the dirt, to cool off and to protect their skin and pigs don’t sweat.  Now, they are legitimate “pigs” when it comes to eating!  Pigs are definitely sloppy eaters…so if you are called a pig at the dinner table…that would not be a compliment!

Feeding Time –

Pigs have great internal clocks and love to be fed on a regular schedule.  If you keep your pig with other pigs, it will be important to feed all pigs at the same time.  If pigs see others getting fed, they will squeal and stress out until they are fed.  At shows, it helps to feed your pig every two hours.  Take their normal daily feed portion and divide it into 5 smaller portions.  By feeding in small increments, they won’t care about the other feed schedules going on around them.

Watering Time –

Pigs normally drink soon after they eat and especially when they are hot. Besides drinking for hydration, they love to play with water! It is normal to see your pig drinking all the time.  So be sure to have plenty of fresh, cool water available at all times. As part of your socializing and training time, set a sprinkler out for them to play with.  It is normal to see them scamper around in the water.

Itchy Skin –

Pigs tend to have itchy skin and will create a mud puddle with the water faucet to daily bathe and wallow in. The mud on their body helps prevent heat stress and offers protection from flies and sunburn.  Despite the commonly used expression “sweating like a pig,” pigs do not have sweat glands and are therefore prone to heat stress, so wallowing and playing with water are very important for maintaining body temperature. Your pig will benefit by daily applying a skin moisturizer and fly spray.  See the article on Itchy Skin Lotion Remedy for more information. It’s important to treat itchy skin so that the pig does not cut or damage his skin by excessive rubbing.  As a daily treat, we would exercise the pigs, let them play in the water to cool them off and clean their skin.  Once they were ready to be fed, we would moisturize their skin and give them dinner.  It’s normal for pigs to be a little itchy.  If they are itchy excessively look at the Swine Health Assessment for other medical issues that may need attention.

Poop Area –

Did you know that pigs will designate an area at the opposite end of their bedding and food to poop & urinate?  That’s why your pen should be good sized to give your pig the opportunity to show you this trait! It can make for easier daily cleaning when it is all in one area.   But because they use one area, it’s easy for the dirt to become a muddy, nasty pit of dirt and urine.   This is the prime area for flies.  Periodically dig it out and replace it with fresh dry dirt or bedding to reduce the fly population.

Sleepy Heads –

Whether it’s cold or hot, pigs spend most of their days sleeping and relaxing.  Of course on cold days they like to snuggle up with other pigs in their bedding to stay warm.  But either way…there’s a lot of sleeping going on! When I would go out early in the dark morning to feed, the pigs wouldn’t get up! They’d lay in their shavings all snug and look at me with one eye like I was nuts for feeding so early! Again…they are sleepy heads! Sleeping quiet and relaxed is normal.

Take time to hang out with your pig to discover their personality. Knowing what their “normal” it will help to identify when things are not right and need attention! If you suspect that your pig is not acting normal, open the charts and perform a

              Daily Health Assessment and Daily Pen Evaluation

If you suspect a health issue,

• First, observe, write what you see and take a picture.
• Refer to the Daily Health Assessment Chart for detailed information to give to your advisor or vet.
• Contact your advisor & text your pictures and observation notes. From here, the advisor can use their resources to remedy the illness.  Early detection usually provides a quick recovery. If things are out of control, the vet may need to be called.

Take a look at the Swine Health section for more interesting articles on keeping your pig well! The more informed you are about the health signs of your pig, the better you will be at detecting health issues early!