I have access to tons of free apples in the fall and was wondering if I could convert them economicaly into pork chops. I have never been around or raised hogs so am completey ignorant in this area. I am guessing that the availability of my time and feed are 90-120 days starting 15 Aug. The pigs don't need to be the biggest or best, just bigger than when I bought them. I don't want to spend much as I am just trying to use some wasted apples for good. Thanks for your insight, Tim.

-- tim bovee (timbovee@aol.com), February 27, 2002

Answers

Could a human survive on apples alone? Also consider the cyanide in the seeds.

-- bruce (niobrara55@hotmail.com), February 27, 2002.

pigs are omnivores. Apples would probably be a great supplement but they will need protein to grow (as any critter dose) A good grain will help. Any kitchen scraps (as long you aren't selling it otherwise there are restriction on that) make a nice addition but spoiled one of our pigs so that she turned her nose up at grain after. In the fall we do take advantage of the fact that I can glean a lot of potaoes for my labor alone so they gat the less than keepable ones. And every other garden leftover like corn stalks, soft pumpkins, too large of cukes. But not any one alone.....

-- Novina in ND (homespun@stellarnet.com), February 27, 2002.

Oh, just had to tell again the old joke.....A guy was walking down a country road and saw a farmer holding a pig up so the pig could eat apples off the tree. The guy said, "Is that the way you always feed your pig?", and the farmer said, "Oh yes, he just loves apples!" The guy didn't want to seem pushy, but he still couldn't believe it, so he said, "But doesn't that take a lot of time?" And the farmer replied, "Sure, but what's time to a pig?"

-- Bonnie (51940@aeroinc.net), February 27, 2002.

I knew a pig once who had free access to horse pastures with apple trees in them. She would put her front feet against the trunk and bounce, causing the apples to fall down, whereupon she would eat her fill with relish! I'm sure it saved some on feed costs.

-- Laura Jensen (lauraj@seedlaw.com), February 27, 2002.

Not on apples alone, but supplemented by grain - yes.

I hadn't heard there was cyanide in apple seed, and if there is there wouldn't be significant quantities - not like stone fruit.

Talk to your local extension agent - that's what your taxes pay them for. They ought to be able to advise you on what grain(s) would be a good and economical supplement to apples to make a complete pig diet.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), February 27, 2002.

We've always supplemented our pig's rations with apples...we live in Maine with lots of wild apple trees around :-)!! Also have supplemented with lots of acorns. But the key word is "supplement". Don't substitute for a balanced grain ration. In our experience, too, pigs will not overdose on apples or acorns. They will browse til full and go back later and munch again.

-- Marcia (HrMr@webtv.net), February 27, 2002.

We fed our last pig 10 gallons of pears a day. Plus grass clippings, she loved those, garden stuff, hay and some corn. The butcher said it was the leanest pig he had seen. You can plant extra squashes and cantalopes in the garden, those are fast growing and they love them.

-- Cindy in KY (solidrockranch@msn.com), February 28, 2002.

Remember that a pig's digestive system closely resembles a human's. They need a balanced diet to grow, develop, and remain healthy. Pigs can get almost the same deficiency deseases that humans do. But they grow so much faster than humans, that those deficiencies can result in disaster much faster than in a human. Just feed them a diet about as balanced as what a human needs, with sufficient protein, fats, and carbohydrates, with sufficient vitamins and minerals as what we need, and they will grow well. I wouldnt try apples alone on any animal or human.

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), February 28, 2002.

There is actually quite a bit of cyanide in apple seeds. But you would have to chew or grind them before it would be a problem. I never saw a pig yet that chewed its food properly before swallowing! Kim in CO

-- kim in CO (kimk61252@hotmail.com), March 01, 2002.