You can learn how to raise a pig! I did it, and you can do it. In 2009 my partner and I moved from the suburbs of Atlanta to rural Tennessee. We put in a little garden and got a few chickens, but one of our big dreams was learning how to raise a pig. Well, two pigs, because pigs need friends! Learning how to raise a pig was a lot of fun, very satisfying, and now our freezer is always full of delicious meat we raised right here on our own property.
How to Raise a Pig
- GETTING STARTED RAISING A PIG – This article covers many initial considerations like:
- Reasons to raise a pig
- Types of pig operations
- Space needs for pigs
- Food and water for pigs
- Pig health
- Pig processing
- HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO RAISE A PIG? – This is an all important question as you start learning how to raise a pig! This article covers:
- Infrastructure costs like feeders, waterers, and shelter
- Fencing costs (I swear by electronet fencing. Aff link.)
- Price of piglets
- Feed prices
- Bedding
- Healthcare costs
- Transportation and fuel costs
- Processing fees
- HOW MUCH MANURE DOES A PIG MAKE – You don’t strictly need to know this, but it’s one of the interesting questions that arises when you raise pigs, and this guest post plays around with the numbers a bit.
- FIRST PIG SLAUGHTERED AT THE WALLOW – As you learn how to raise a pig, you will come to the choice of whether or not to do your own processing. This post is 44 pictures of the entire process start to finish of slaughtering a pig and butchering it into halves.
- HOW MUCH MEAT FROM A PIG – This is one of my most popular articles. Whether you are learning how to raise a pig yourself or you are participating in a pig share, and the end of the day everyone wants to know how much meat they will get. In this article you will learn:
- Pig processing terms
- The cuts of meat you will get
- The non-meat parts you will get
- How much storage space you will need (A cooler about this size per pig. Aff link.)
More Information on How to Raise a Pig
For more information on raising pigs, these two books are both excellent sources – How to Raise Pigs and Storey’s Guide to Raising Pigs. (Aff links.) I used both of them when I was getting started. Whether you’re raising pigs for pets, getting started raising a 4H pig, or going purely for yummy pork, either of these books will help you out in getting started.