American Guinea Hog

Cascade Meadows Farm

Cascade's
American Guinea Hogs

Getting Started with American Guinea Hogs

Preparing for your New American Guinea Hogs

For the first week, they need an escape-proof shelter with a roof and dry
bedding. It takes about 4-7 days for them to learn they are at their new
home. If they escape too soon, they may wander off. After the first week,
they will stick around and don't need to be so tightly contained. Hog panels
and T-posts can be used to create an escape-proof pen
They need a flat pan (no taller than 5 inches) for water, and another similar
flat pan for food..
They need some good quality hay to eat. It should be very green. Orchard
Grass and Timothy are good choices, perhaps with alfalfa mixed in.
Be prepared to overfeed your new pigs for the first two weeks to help them
get settled in. This includes ALL your kitchen scraps including meat and
dairy. If you don't have enough scraps to keep them full, you can get a bag
of All Breed Pelleted Feed (this is the best feed and most economical for
these pigs).

Picking Up Your New Pigs

Young pigs fit nicely in medium to large dog crates in the the backs of
trucks, vans, suvs, hatchbacks and other vehicles. They also can ride loose
in the backs of pickups with canopies. Other methods can also work. They
don't need food or water for a relatively short trip.
Contact us as you are preparing to leave home to give us an estimated
arrival time and keep us updated if something changes Jason, 503-833-
2710 text preferred

Arriving Home with your new pigs.

Be very careful in transferring your new pigs from your vehicle to their
escape proof pen.
If they escape, try not to chase them, instead gently call “pig, pig, pig” and
drop some little prices of bread on the ground, making a trail of bread back
to where you need them to go.
Make certain they have plenty of food and water. Overfeed them for the first
2 weeks.
When you approach your new pigs with food, move calmly and gently and
call “pig pig pig”. This will train them to come for food, and you can also
use this call to retrieve them if they should ever wander away.
Never feed them by hand (or you will accidentally get bit). Instead, you can
crumble some food on the ground or in a pan and pet them while they are
eating. Gently call “pig, pig, pig” to reinforce that call.

After the first week or two

After your pigs are settled in, they will know where they live and you won't
need to worry so much about them wandering away. They are a bit like
farm dogs and will mostly hang around.
Now that they are settled in, you can start to moderate their food a bit. It's
ok if they are a little too plump when young, but as they grow, they should
be kept just slightly fat, but not too fat.
To keep them in correct condition, you can let them graze all the grass they
want to eat and/or eat all the hay they want to eat, and they can probably
eat most all your scraps too, without getting too fat. Any additional feed
should be moderated to keep them just slightly plump, but not too fat.
Obesity causes leg problems and can cause fertility problems.