Invest in a feeders that are large enough for your pigs to eat comfortably. We carry several styles of feeders, stainless steel or poly.
You can also use a watering trough for your pigs or choose an automatic watering system. Depending on your farming needs, you can select field waterers, auto-level waterers, field drinkers and nipples.
2. Pig Feed
Pig feed is one of the major expenses of your pig farming venture. You want to ensure that your pigs have high-quality feed for the best health. If you have space, you can grow your own grain and then add other ingredients to it.
Depending on their growth stage, the food your pigs need will vary. For example, whether your pigs are in the nursery, grower, finisher, gestation or lactation stages, they need specific mixtures of corn, soybean meal, oats and minerals.
3. Drenching Gun
Just like other first aid supplies, you want to have a drenching gun available for when you have to give medication or dewormer to your hogs. All you have to do is place the nozzle of the drenching gun beside the teeth and near the back of the tongue. Press the trigger and the fluid goes down your hog's esophagus.
Drenching guns are also handy for rehydrating your hogs if they won't drink or if they've been sick.
4. Heat Lamp
Even if you're planning on having your sows farrow during the good weather, that's not always what happens. You're bound to have some unplanned surprises when litters will need extra warmth.
Having a few heat lamps can help your little piglets survive the cold weather. Heat lamps are also good for helping your sick pigs with recovery.
It's a good idea to purchase heat lamps with safety cages around the heat bulb and always hang the lamps securely. Keep them away from the animals so the lamps won't get knocked over into the straw bedding.
Since the combination of heat and straw are fire hazards, check your heat lamps regularly to make sure they're working properly and they're secure.
5. Sorting Boards
Having a sorting board or pig board keeps your pigs moving in the right direction and keeps you safe from disgruntled pigs. A sorting board is just a flat barricade that you use to help direct your pigs, and it also works as a barrier between you and your adult pig.
You can find these in our online store. They're available in different sizes. Some are made of plastic while others are aluminum. This makes them lightweight for easier handling. You can also make your own out of plywood, but they're heavier to carry.
6. Bedding
Depending on your pig housing facilities, using straw for bedding decreases drafts, which helps your ventilation system. Make sure you change the straw regularly. It should also be free of seeds that your pigs could eat.
Hay is made up of dried legumes and grasses. You can buy poor quality hay for your hogs' bedding because they'll eat it if it's good quality. Hay decomposes and smells once it gets wet so you have to change it quite often to reduce bacteria levels.
Avoid using any type of sawdust or wood shavings as bedding. These materials can transmit swine tuberculosis.
When you choose your pig bedding, consider your labor, such as getting the bedding, dispersing it, cleaning it up and its disposal. Also, make sure it's readily available.
Another consideration is the expense. It's usually more economical to buy bedding around harvest time. You can also save money by purchasing your pig bedding in bulk if you have a storage facility.
7. Hog Housing and Steel Gates
The size of your pig housing depends on how many pigs you're planning to raise. The housing should be adaptable so you can increase the size as your herd grows. Each of your pigs needs a sleeping space of about one-third of your hog pen.
Use stainless-steel gates to form enclosures for each pig's sleeping area. These are strong and your pigs won't be able to chew threw them like they do with netting. Also, they're rust-resistant
Also, having slightly sloped, cement floors make cleaning up after your pigs easier. This helps prevent mud and standing water that can cause disease.
You can also consider slatted floors. With these, the manure falls through the slats into a catchment. This decreases the exposure your pigs have to parasites and bacteria.
The Right Pig Supplies Make Pig Farming Easier
Now that you know seven supplies needed for your farm, it will
make your start in pig farming easier. Once you work on raising your
pigs, you'll get to know which tools are best for your needs.
Contact us
for all your pig farming supplies. Our experts will answer your
questions.
