The trick on how to make a show pig gain weight fast is to increase the amount of protein and fats you give to your show pig. Give your hog whey or liquid protein as an allowance for every meal. Or you can give them a few eggs for each meal, which supplements them with proteins as well.
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What to feed a show pig to gain weight?
It may be a little bit challenging to raise a show pig. However, the trick to gaining weight lies in proper food.
Once you have known this, that’s when you’ll see it’s a simple method.
Here are some things you should feed a show pig to gain weight:
Adding consumption booster
You can boost its consumption by adding protein to the food you’re giving.
Indeed, it’s ideal for these animals to eat a protein-rich food. However, you can take it up a notch by adding more protein.
You can add half a pound of whey, milk replacer, or even protein supplements to each meal.
Eggs
We all know that eggs are one of the best sources of protein. If you don’t want any specific protein supplement, adding some eggs would suffice.
Add two eggs to each of its meals. It’ll give high amounts of protein for gaining weight.
Fresh water
Freshwater doesn’t directly influence a pig’s growth. However, it improves feed intake.
At the same time, growth performance is related to water intake.
By having fresh water all the time, you can boost your pig’s consumption and appetite.
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How much weight will a show pig gain per day?
A show pig has an average daily gain of 1.7 pounds. Of course, it will vary in little amounts, depending on the feed it takes in.
For instance, if your pig’s ideal weight is 265 lbs, it must weigh 78 pounds during the section time. That is if you have 110 days before the show.
Of course, the weight gain per day can be lower, like 1.5 lbs, or higher like 2.0 lbs. For this reason, you should always observe the weight of your pig so that you can have some control over it.
It’s important not to overdo feeding, though. Most show pig owners tend to feed to the extreme to gain weight.
At the same time, they reduce it drastically when it goes over the ideal weight.
Give it the daily nutrients and meals it needs. Add more or less, but do it only weeks before the show.
How do I get my show pig to eat more?
Pigs won’t eat if it’s full, and you cannot feed it as much as you want, especially when it doesn’t enjoy it anymore.
Still, you can do something to make your show pig eat more, that is, stimulate its appetite.
All kinds of pig love wet and soft food. Thus, you may add water or soak the feed in the water. Doing so will help improve appetite, and they can eat more than their regular diet.
Soaking the feed with water makes it softer and usually more palatable. Adding water to make a wet feed can encourage your show pig to eat.
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Holding show pig weight
Now, instances can happen when your pig gets to grow faster than you thought it would.
The best way to hold a show pig’s weight is by hand feeding.
Hand-feeding means you get to determine how much feed the swine will receive daily.
By doing so, you can control how much food they need to gain mass and lessen it if you wish to hold a certain weight.
Of course, it doesn’t mean you’ll starve these animals by drastically reducing their feed.
At least allow it to grow at an average speed until it’s 150 lbs. Also, don’t feed it less than the amount it needs daily. Doing so would be underfeeding.
Underfeeding will result in unhealthy growth, and it can take a toll by producing an underweight swine. It may even result in low-quality muscles and body condition.
Feeding the adequate amount of feed per day is key to ensuring that your swine gets the proper nutrition.
Underfeeding below 150 lbs prevents healthy growth and can even cause complications.
You can try to control the feed as soon as it reaches a stable age.
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What makes a good show pig?
A good show pig shows promising signs, not only through weight but also in the other aspects of its health and body.
Judges usually look for the ones that have a good build and perform well.
For this reason, it’s not enough to observe a muscle shape in a pen. You should also get it out and evaluate how it makes a sound and how it moves.
Good show pigs have stout legs and have broad toes pointed forward, aligned in the same position.
Of course, weight is also vital for a show pig. Having an accurate mass for the show is crucial.
For this reason, it’s best to maintain steady and healthy growth in its early days.
As soon as it reaches a stable weight and age, that’s only when you should do something to control it.
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Summary
By feeding the right feed and proper feeding, you can make your show pig gain weight fast.
Show pigs look very challenging to raise. However, knowing these few things will help improve its growth.
Of course, these animals can gain weight on their own, but having a few extra cares can help turn them into ideal show pigs.
Resources
Image credits – Photos by Austin Guhl and Fabian Blank on Unsplash
