Is this enough?

[Piggersrule]

This is a typical feeding for my girls. The big cage gets 2, 9 inch plates and the other cage for April and May get 1, 9 inch plate. I feed like this twice a day, morning and again in the evening. Am I feeding them enough? I'd ask my girls but I doubt I would get a "yes" answer from them. I feel as though they are getting enough but when they have finished everything and done licking the plate clean, they look at me like they are expecting more. Should I fall to their piggy guilt trips and give in to their demands or do I tell them that they have had enough and deal with the piggy lashings in return?

Click the pics for larger viewing.

Dawn

[Ly&Pigs]

That looks like a good amount per plate. If you are feeding that amount twice per day, they are getting plenty. As long as you are giving a good variety of veggies, I don't see a problem.

Should I fall to their piggy guilt trips and give in to their demands or do I tell them that they have had enough and deal with the piggy lashings in return?

You could do what I do when my girls wheek for more. Tell them NO and that they will get more later and to be good little piggers and eat their hay.

Most animals can learn certain behaviors. My girls have learned to alert me if they are out of water or hay in the mornings before I wake up or if I haven't refilled their meager amount of pellets by a certain time. They also alert me by wheeking everytime I open their refrigerator door (they have their own mini fridge now but I keep juice and soda in it for me as well). My girls have learned that they don't get something everytime the fridge door is opened.

[Piggersrule]

Thanks, I thought it would be enough but I don't think my girls agree. I am pretty sure I am giving them enough of a variety of veggies. On that plate I posted was red & yellow tomatoes, green and Yellow bell peppers, yams, small amount of carrots, yellow squash, zuccini, baby corn, red and green lettuce, boston lettuce and parsley. Everyday at meal times they get something different.

[envisionary333]

That looks great! I bet your piggies are very happy. I have one question, though, since I also have a large group of piggies- how do you control who eats what? My worry is that my pigs might pick out what they like best first and maybe get too much of it, while the others don't get enough. I try to control this by dividing the food into small dishes and putting them around the cage so that each plate only has one or two piggies eating there, and hopefully each gets a good balanced meal. (Although my fat piggy, Bonnie, always finishes hers first then runs over to raid all the other dishes!) Anyway, just curious... You're piggies seem very spoiled!

[Ly&Pigs]

Piggers, there is one thing I am concerned about that you are feeding and that is the baby corn. Where do you get plain baby corn that is fresh and doesn't come in a jar and how often do you feed it?

Corn itself isn't all that good for pigs. They have just as hard of a time digesting it as us humans do and that is why it's suggested to feed fresh corn on the cob no more than once per week.

I have one question, though, since I also have a large group of piggies- how do you control who eats what?

You really can't control who eats what. You can only hope that each pigs gets their allotment of veggies but if you have one that favors say carrots over everything else, they may eat their own then steal one meant for their roomies. What I have been doing with some things like carrot and tomatoes is giving each pig their baby carrot from my hand (this is before the rest of the veggies have been given) and they all run to a different area to eat their carrot. When they finish those, I put the rest of their veggies in the cage. Or I will give matchstick carrots and throw a few on top of their salad. With the tomato, I just dice up 2 roma tomatoes twice per week and add them to their salad.

I had a larger herd but now am down to 5 sows. The only way you would know who is actually eating what would be to feed them individually during floor time.

[Piggersrule]

LY, The baby corn I get comes in a plastic dish wrapped in plastic wrap. I buy it at my local supermarket though I don't buy it to often , it's kinds expensive. About once a month or so when it is on sale I will pick some up. When I do feed it I feed 2x per week but small amounts. As you can see in the pictures, I don't feed alot of it. I make sure that any one piggy isn't eating it all. Abby would eat it all if I'd let her. Maybe I should feed only once a week than, right?

envisionary, I basiclly do what LY does. I watch as they eat so that one piggy isn't dominating a particular food item. I haven't really had a problem with that though. Everyday my girls get a vit.C tablet(Oxbow) to ensure they are getting enough vit.C. The only pig I have to watch is Lona, she is a slow eater but getting better. I set a bowl aside for her to eat separate from the other girls. The other girls will eat up everything before she has had her fill.

Dawn

[NickM]

All I have to say is that based on the looks of these plates, your pigs eat better than I do. Not even kidding.

[Piggersrule]

My husband says the same thing, that I feed the piggies better than him. He says that the salads I feed to me girls would fill him up. This is someone who eats 2 steaks, 3 baked potatoes for dinner. I'm not sure if I could eat all that and I can eat a steak and 2 baked potatoes for dinner with a salad and dinner rolls. My girls are very well fed.

[MissCin]

"They also alert me by wheeking everytime I open their refrigerator door (they have their own mini fridge now but I keep juice and soda in it for me as well). My girls have learned that they don't get something everytime the fridge door is opened."
awww. Thats so cute. I have a mini fridge aswell (which I don't use) but I might 'give' it to them.

On topic:
What you are feeding them seems enough to me.