Basic nutritional needs
- Hay (80-85 % of daily intake)
- Pellets/nuggets (5% of daily intake)
- Vegetables and fruits (10-15% of daily intake)
- Fresh, clean water
What do American Guinea hogs eat?
American Guinea Hogs are considered grazing pasture pigs, so they will eat some grasses and will forage for nuts when they can. However, because the Guinea Hogs took so long to grow we were in the dead of winter for their last few months, which meant our grass was dormant and even veggie scraps from the garden were long gone.
What do you feed your guinea pigs?
Then, when the garden is plentiful, we feed the pigs any extra veggie scraps we can get from friends, family, neighbors or grocery stores (we get what the store considers “seconds”). American Guinea Hogs are considered grazing pasture pigs, so they will eat some grasses and will forage for nuts when they can.
How to care for American Guinea hogs?
As with all livestock, American Guinea Hogs require constant access to fresh water. Some people supply it in water tanks or even kiddie wading pools. What works best for us are food-grade water barrels outfitted with a pig nipple waterer. This lets the pigs access their water when needed and prevents them from making it filthy.
What is guinea pig meat good for?
Guinea Hogs are known for their tender meat and firm and abundant fat content, which makes them ideal for lard and sausage production. American Guinea Hog pork stays succulent no matter how much you cook it, and high-end chefs are increasingly seeking it out for charcuterie.
Do American Guinea Hogs eat hay?
While there are as many different feeding regimes as there are farmers, they have one thing in common; these pigs live primarily on pasture and/or hay, and get supplemented with what the farmer has on hand or prefers to buy in.
How do you raise an American Guinea Hog?
6:4610:32American Guinea Hogs: Are They Really the Perfect Homestead Pig?YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIf you grow them slower. And let them get the exercise and graze and stuff and spend the year and aMoreIf you grow them slower. And let them get the exercise and graze and stuff and spend the year and a half to two years I'm raising them you're gonna get a lot. Less.
At what age do you butcher American Guinea Hog?
Although the guinea hog is slow growing, they are excellent foragers and gain weight easily. This means keeping them around for a year (or more) to reach a desired weight is not an issue for most homesteaders. We have butchered them from as young as 6 months to 5+ years old.
Will hogs eat hay?
For a pig, hay is a low-calorie meal, and they benefit best from leafy hay with some protein in the mix—legumes such as clover and alfalfa are great for growing pigs, so seek out hay with plenty of extras for your herd.
How fast do American Guinea Hogs grow?
While they reach sexual maturity earlier, Guinea Hogs will reach their full size at about 2 or 3 years of age, topping out at approximately 200 to 300 lbs. Guinea Hogs can live a fairly long time, with some alive today at age 13 or 14, and possibly older.
How long do American Guinea Hogs live?
10-15 yearsThe expected life span of the American Guinea Hog is 10-15 years.
Do American guinea hogs taste good?
AGH pork is often described as sweet and buttery. It is moist and tender—even when reheated. The American Guinea Hog is a lard hog that produces extraordinarily-flavored pork suitable for traditional cuts and enough fat to create excellent charcuterie!
How much meat do you get from American Guinea Hog?
Some breeds produce large amounts of meat (130 to 150 pounds per pig), which may be too much for a small family's needs. A small breed such as the American Guinea hog may be the best choice for many homesteads. One Guinea hog will yield 60 to 80 pounds of pork.
Is guinea hogs good to eat?
It has outstanding flavor! Chefs have begun to sing the praises of the Guinea Hog from South Carolina to Chicago. One chef called it the Kobe beef of pork. It is especially popular with chefs who want to use the whole pig from snout to tail, and it makes excellent charcuterie.
What is the best hog feed?
Farm grains are the most common and best source of food to feed pigs. Most typically corn-based feeds are used because they are high in digestible carbohydrates, low in fiber, and cost effective.
Are alfalfa pellets good for pigs?
Alfalfa also contains tannins and sapponins— anti-nutritional factors that reduce the growth rate of pigs. Alfalfa can be a valuable feed for dry sows, but less so for younger pigs. Sows have a greater capacity for fermentation in the hindgut that allows for greater fiber digestion and improved energy utilization.
What should you not feed pigs?
It's ok to feed pigs uncontaminated fruits, vegetables, bread, grains, dairy, eggs, and vegetable oils. Do not feed pigs meat, fish, or their bones, oils, or juices, or ANY food that has touched these substances.
How much space does a Guinea Hog need?
Shelter for American Guinea Hogs Plan on ten square feet per pig of shelter space, and ensure it contains deep straw bedding for them to root in. One benefit to pigs compared to goats or horses is that they leave their shelters to go to the bathroom, which makes your maintenance responsibilities easier.
Are American guinea hogs good for meat?
The American Guinea Hog is a lard hog that produces extraordinarily-flavored pork suitable for traditional cuts and enough fat to create excellent charcuterie! It is also an amazing pig for your pig roasts, it is said that they self-baste while roasting!
How much meat do you get from a Guinea Hog?
Some breeds produce large amounts of meat (130 to 150 pounds per pig), which may be too much for a small family's needs. A small breed such as the American Guinea hog may be the best choice for many homesteads. One Guinea hog will yield 60 to 80 pounds of pork.
How often do pig breeders feed?
Some breeders feed once a day after the pigs have browsed all day, and other breeders feed twice a day. Most or all breeders provide grass hay during winter, or when there is no pasture.
What do farmers eat?
One farmer provides pasture and/or hay daily, and also feeds a variety of foods that vary from day to day, including garden produce, kitchen scraps, chicken culls, eggs-too-dirty-to-use-in-the-kitchen.
What do sheep eat?
There are a variety of feeding systems or styles, none “better” than the other, but merely a matter of personal preference on the part of the breeder. Various feeding systems, in no particular order: 1 One farmer provides pasture and/or hay daily, and also feeds a variety of foods that vary from day to day, including garden produce, kitchen scraps, chicken culls, eggs-too-dirty-to-use-in-the-kitchen. Especially in winter, a bit of COB is given each evening after the pigs have browsed the pasture (or hay) during the day. COB is a purchased mixture of corn, oats and barley. 2 Another farmer provides, in addition to pasture or local grass hay, a supplement twice a day of a small amount of whole wheat and a cup of hog pellets. 3 Yet another farmer feeds only a minimum amount of grain due to the fact that “these hogs eat like hogs, surviving on garden trash, table scraps and other stuff a farm produces. We avoid feeding corn to them as much as possible. Corn seems to produce obesity which can hamper reproduction.” In addition to moving their portable pens regularly to fresh grass, they “feed them a ration of milo, oats, corn gluten, soy hull pellets, wheat, bran and beet pulp. I purchase this custom mixed feed from the local mill.”
What is a cob pig?
COB is a purchased mixture of corn, oats and barley. Another farmer provides, in addition to pasture or local grass hay, a supplement twice a day of a small amount of whole wheat and a cup of hog pellets.
Is there a better feeding system for dogs than the other?
There are a variety of feeding systems or styles, none “better” than the other, but merely a matter of personal preference on the part of the breeder. Various feeding systems, in no particular order:
Do guinea hogs eat grass?
FEED: While most breeders keep their Guinea Hogs on pasture, and Guinea Hogs are renowned for being grazers and enjoying grass, most breeders also supplement their diet with other feeds, either purchased-in specifically, or left-overs from the kitchen, or some combination of both.
What is a guinea hog?
Also known as the Acorn Eater, Yard Pig, and Guinea Forest Hog, the American Guinea Hog is a heritage breed of domestic farm pig that was a common sight on homesteads throughout the Southeast over 200 years ago .
How many litters can a guinea hog have?
Male and female Guinea Hogs reach fertility around eight months old, and they can have up to 2.5 litters per year.
How much pork does a 120 lb guinea pig produce?
Plan to get approximately 50% of the animal’s carcass weight as traditional meat cuts, so a 120-lb pig will generate 60-lbs of pork.
What are the characteristics of a guinea hog?
3. Unique Flavor Characteristics. Guinea Hogs are known for their tender meat and firm and abundant fat content, which makes them ideal for lard and sausage production. American Guinea Hog pork stays succulent no matter how much you cook it, and high-end chefs are increasingly seeking it out for charcuterie.
How many acres of pasture do guinea pigs need?
A rule of thumb is that you’ll need about two acres per pig if using a permanent pasture, while up to ten pigs can subsist on an acre if you practice rotational grazing.
What are the benefits of homesteading pigs?
Pigs are possibly the most underrated homestead animal from a usefulness standpoint. Hardy and self-sufficient, Guinea Hogs spend their days’ grazing, and their natural rooting behaviors make them perfect for plowing up new garden spaces and keeping unwanted species in check.
How many guinea pigs were there in the 1990s?
As people began abandoning the homesteading lifestyle, the American Guinea Hog was all but forgotten. By the 1990s, fewer than 100 of this once-prized pig still existed in America.
What is a guinea hog?
American Guinea Hogs are stocky pigs with curly tails, upright ears, and dense black coats. There are two primary types of American Guinea Hogs found here. One is smaller-boned and one is larger-boned, with the larger-boned variety having longer legs.
How much does a guinea hog weigh?
In fact, although many hog breeds can easily tip the scales at 800-1000 pounds, American Guinea Hogs are usually much smaller. They usually weigh only 250-300 pounds at their heaviest.
What is the best lard for pigs?
The American Guinea Hog is known as one of the best lard species of pigs. Again, this is one reason why the breed started to go out of style. As soon as Crisco was invented, many Americans began to move away from the idea of lard as a cooking fat.
What breed of pigs overtook the American guinea pig?
Other pig breeds – like the Yorkshire – overtook the American Guinea Hog in popularity. This happened as fewer people were raising pigs themselves and relying on the grocery store for their meat instead. With fewer homesteaders raising pigs, there were fewer heritage breed pigs in existence.
Where did the American guinea hog originate?
Also known as the Pineywoods Guinea, the acorn eater, the yard pig, and the Guinea forest hog, the American Guinea Hog actually has nothing to do with the country of Guinea (despite its moniker). Its original parentage may link back to West Africa, but it’s more likely that it originated from European breeding stock.
Why are American hogs so docile?
Because American Guinea Hogs are so docile, they are also easy to work with when it comes to farrowing. They have great natural mothering capabilities and will more or less farrow without assistance.
Is American guinea pig good for everyone?
American Guinea Hogs have quickly risen to popularity in the last few years. They admittedly might not be for everyone. However, there are lots of good reasons to consider adding these pigs to your farm. Here’s a brief overview – as well as some of the key benefits and challenges to raising this pig breed.
What is the name of the guinea hog?
History and Origin. The Guinea hog is actually officially named as the American Guinea hog after being crossbred with American breeds of pigs for many years. These pigs are also known as the piney-woods guinea, forest Guinea hog, yard pig and acorn eaters. These nicknames will be explained further under the next sections.
How do guinea pigs gain weight?
The American Guinea hogs actually gain weight easily and get fat really fast. This is why providing them enough space is necessary in order for them to get the exercise they need.#N#Obesity is one of the most common issues among pet pigs and should be avoided at all costs.#N#Hogs or pigs are also curious and outgoing creatures and would prefer living outdoors rather than staying cooped up. If kept as indoor pets, it is best to provide them enough space.#N#If they do not have enough space or freedom to roam and explore, they may become depressed.#N#Depending on the number of other pigs that will live with them, a pig or a hog the size of the American Guinea hog should be able to have a pen of at least 2 meters in size.#N#If they are being kept as indoor pets, the best solution is to give them access to at least one or two rooms to give them comfort.#N#Know more about how much space most pigs need by reading our article about it here.
How many piglets can a guinea pig have?
The American Guinea hogs are commonly expected to have 5 up to 10 piglets when giving birth. Fully grown hogs can rarely give birth to 20 to 25 pigs, but it is possible. The average number of piglets that can be born from most breeds starts at 5 piglets up to 10 piglets.
Why are hogs so intelligent?
Another reason why hogs like the American Guinea hogs have such great intelligence compared to others is because they are prey animals.#N#Although American Guinea hogs have never known the wild because they were domesticated from the moment they were born, they still retain their wild and natural traits.#N#Most pets that we have kept and raised are predator animals like cats and dogs so now we are being surprised by a prey like hogs and their capabilities.#N#Prey animals need to be on alert more than predators and thus, may develop a more sensitive way of living. They need to be smarter than their swift and strong predators.#N#Hogs possibly learned to enhance their intelligence by adapting and learning how to outsmart their predators.#N#Predators do not have to be on guard most of the time, they are usually comfortable anywhere and don’t struggle as hard as a prey when searching for food.#N#I have a personal saying regarding this aspect in life. The poor may be poor, but they can definitely be wiser than the rich.#N#It’s because when you are always on edge, you become desperate to cling on for survival. While those who are at the top have it easy and tend to forget the meaning of challenges.#N#When life is hard, it teaches you to become strong. Even if they are prey animals, if their minds are strong, their chances of survivability will definitely increase.
How big do guinea pigs get?
HEAD — The American Guinea hog commonly have small heads that may appear “flat” or “square” when observed from a specific angle.#N#EARS — The ears usually medium in length and pricked up ears.#N#SNOUT ( THE NOSE) — American Guinea hogs have small, downward noses#N#WEIGHT — The average weight for a matured and healthy American Guinea Hog could range between 68 kilos and 136 kilos (150 pounds to 300 pounds)#N#HEIGHT — An average adult American Guinea hog can grow up to 22 until 27 inches tall (57.8 cm to 68.58 cm). Males can grow 2 inches taller than females. As they grow older, they may still continue growing.#N#BODY LENGTH — When measured starting from the head or the ears to the tip of the tail, an average adult American Guinea hog can be as long as 46 inches to 56 inches (116 cm to 142 cm)#N#TEETH — American Guinea hogs will have normal and non-sharp teeth but can still bite really hard onto food. All pigs usually get their needle sharp teeth clipped moments or hours after birth.#N#The sharp teeth get replaced by normal teeth afterwards.#N#TUSKS — all pigs grow tusks including domestic breeds like American Guinea hogs. Male or female, wild or domestic, there are no exceptions.#N#Females usually have shorter or smaller tusks that rarely grow long or large enough to stick out of their mouths. Because of this trait, it was one of the easy ways to identify the gender of the pigs in the wild.#N#The tusks serve as a pig’s offensive and defensive weapon. However, domestic pigs usually have their tusks completely removed as it serves no purpose in captivity.#N#For those who may not be aware, the tusk is actually part of the jawbones and is considered part of the teeth. This means that if you cut off their tusks, it will not grow back.#N#However, trimming is a different task and is only done to care for the pig.#N#NAILS AND HOOVES — American Guinea hogs also have hooves and “dewclaws” that may need trimming. On an average, a pig should have trimming at least once a year.#N#Indoor pigs will require more trimming while outdoor pigs that have a stable, solid footing may only require lesser trimming sessions.#N#TAIL — American Guinea hogs often has short, straight tails with hair on the end and they are capable of curling them. There is no actual explanation why pigs or hogs curl their tails but there are a lot of theories as to why they do.#N#The only known purpose of a pig’s tail is to drive away insects like flies. It is to reach the areas their legs and mouth cannot reach.#N#Curious why pigs have curly tails? We have an article about that for you here.
What is the most demanded breed of pigs to be raised and kept as pets?
Small pigs are the most demanded breeds of pigs to be raised and kept as pets. If you’re looking for a more different breed that is naturally small, Guinea Hogs can solve your curiosity.
Why are guinea pigs so small?
Because they are small, they are easier to handle compared to larger breeds of pet pigs.
Time Until Pigs Are Fully Grown
Surprisingly, this breed took much longer to grow to full size than the pigs we've raised in the past. You'd think for a smaller breed they'd grow more quickly, but this isn't the case with the American Guinea Hog.
What We Feed Our Pigs
We always buy certified organic feed in bulk from our local feed store. Because we purchase what's called a “super-sack” (which is 400-500lbs of feed) we save money and one super-sack will feed our pigs for the six months we have them. However, because we ended up having our pigs for 10 months instead of 6, we needed to buy extra feed.
Feed Cost
Because American Guinea Hogs take longer to get to full weight, they need to be fed longer and through the winter months which means they're eating more on a daily basis than during the summer.
Average Hanging Weight
We raised five American Guinea Hogs this past year (we were raising them not only for ourselves, but also for family members and friends), they all came from the same litter and the largest hog’s hanging weight was 164 pounds. The smallest hog was 108 pounds but most of them were between 110-120 pounds.
Quantity of Meat
The quantity of the meat was perhaps the most surprising thing of all about this breed. Not to much is overall quantity, but the quantity of certain cuts.
Taste and Flavor
The flavor of these pigs is phenomenal! We’ve already cooked up bacon and pork chops. Since we fed these pigs the same way we did our Hereford pigs (and use the same butcher so everything was the same) we could do a true taste comparison.
Temperament
These are the sweetest pigs we’ve ever raised! When we were raising our Hereford pigs, once they were full size, it was so hard to go in and feed them because they'd get so excited and energetic that they'd knock you over if you weren't prepared!
How long do guinea hogs live?
Life Cycle of American Guinea Hogs. Guinea Hogs have a gestation (pregnancy) averaging about 114 days. Some farmers call it “three months, three weeks and 3 days” and others are even more general in their figuring by merely rough estimating slightly less than 4 months.
How old are guinea hogs?
Guinea Hogs can live a fairly long time, with some alive today at age 13 or 14, and possibly older.
How big are piglets when they are born?
Piglets are born about the size of a soda pop can with legs; about 1 pound. They grow quickly and by weaning time at around 5 to 8 weeks are about the size of a 3-liter bottle of soda pop; about 9 or 10 lbs.
Do guinea pigs need a farrowing crate?
Litters of Guinea Hog piglets are born without assistance or any need for commercial equipment such as a farrowing crate. Sows and first time mothers will often create a nest from available materials, whether it’s straw or hay in a barn, or weeds and other material found outdoors.
