Pellet free diet-questions

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diodora

Post   » Mon Jul 11, 2005 8:32 pm


Oh, I forgot to add that she was 3 yrs when I got her, so she is full grown.

Laura823

Post   » Tue Jul 12, 2005 1:39 pm


I've been wanting to go pellet-free for Piglet, too, but I'm worried about her not getting enough of some nutrient or other, since we aren't always able to get a good variety of fresh veggies here (especially greens). A lot of the time, all we can get is lettuce (leaf and Boston). I also do not have access to fresh grass, since all our grass is treated with chemical fertilizers.

She should be ok for vitamin C (I give her chewable tablets), but are there any other nutrients I should be especially concerned about?

Currently I give her 1 tbsp pellets/day.

She could certainly stand to lose some weight. She's up to 3 lb 2 oz now and is very round looking. She also has continuing problems with sludge and has had stones in the past.

Aimee

Post   » Tue Jul 12, 2005 5:25 pm


I'm glad to read about so many piggies doing really well pellet-free.

I feed a limited amount of Oxbow pellets every day (which they don't even finish every day, and sometimes they'll go a day or two without any pellets at all), but push the unlimited hay and tons of greens and other fresh stuff every day. All of my pigs seem to love all kinds of food equally, so while they don't dislike the pellets I doubt they'd miss them a whole lot if I took them away...

But what are the pros and cons to piggies being pellet-free?

I understand that many of you have taken pellets away due to urinary problems or weight control issues... but all of my pigs are at a healthy weight and have not had any urinary problems to date (I've had them all for about two years)... so should I take away the pellets completely or just keep it to a limited amount like I have been?

I can get a ton of fresh organic greens at my Whole Foods, but I'm in an apartment so I can't grow my own fresh grass, but I feed unlimited Oxbow timothy hay.

Thanks for the advice and interesting reading.

~Aimee

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mkkayla
Supporter in '14

Post   » Thu Jul 14, 2005 9:34 pm


It's been one week off pellets and I've had weight losses ranging from 2 grams to 71 grams. The three that lost the most were one at 40, one at 48 and then Bonnie at 71. She worries me a bit. She was backbred and had her last babies 10 months ago (she was backbred when rescued). It took a very long time to get her weight up after having the babies and I have just recently been comfortable with her weight ( a little over 1100 grams), now she's down again. Should I just watch her or should I take her out and offer her pellets daily?

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Jul 14, 2005 10:26 pm


I don't know. I guess I might be tempted to offer pellets if she is already on the light side.

Get some fresh grass too. It will provide good nutrition.

Pigwig

Post   » Fri Jul 15, 2005 1:29 pm


For those who want to go pellet-free, but have limited access to fresh grass, the next best thing is pure dried grass (I don't know if you can get that in the U.S though). It has nutrients almost identical to fresh grass, apparently even some Vitamin C, but not enough to provide the daily requirement. I feed it to my pigs during the winter months instead of pellets, when I can't get so much fresh grass.

Laura823

Post   » Fri Jul 15, 2005 7:14 pm


What is the difference between "pure dried grass" and hay?

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lisam

Post   » Fri Jul 15, 2005 7:36 pm


Perhaps in England where Pigwig is from there is a difference. Here in the states, timothy or orchard grass or bluegrass hay is pure dried grass.

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mab0615

Post   » Sat Jul 16, 2005 7:06 pm


Josephine and other pellet free "moms", how did you go pellet free? Did you stop cold turkey or did you gradually decrease the amount you gave daily?

I've been giving my resident pigs (4) half cup in the morning and half in the evening. They act like they've never been fed. They eat them right away and beg for more. According to the vet, they're obese. Their weights range from 1422-1574 grams.

Do you feed them more than the 1 cup/pig per day? Mine get variety of lettuces (romain, green/red leaf, chickory and endive) in the morning and evening along with peppers. Is there something else I should give daily?

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mkkayla
Supporter in '14

Post   » Mon Jul 25, 2005 9:07 am


Well, I put 3 of my pigs back on pellets. Bonnie is still losing weight, down now 99 grams. She is in a cage with her 2 daughters, Fudge and Liberty, so they all 3 went back on pellets. I will weigh again in a few days to see if Bonnie's weight comes up, if it doesn't she will get to see the vet. She seems fine otherwise, but I am worried about the loss. The others lost weight initially, but have stabilized and some are even gaining back a few grams.

Pigwig

Post   » Tue Jul 26, 2005 11:32 am


Sorry, haven't been online for awhile so couldn't answer your question earlier about pure dried grass. In the UK hay is cut & left to dry on the field for a few days, where some nutrients will seep back into the soil, whereas dried grass is cut, picked up, freeze-dried & packed into bags on the same day, sealing in alot of the nutrients. It is mainly used for horses, but alot of piggy owners over here use it as an alternative to fresh grass (not as good though).

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