How to Raise a Pig on Milk

You might need to feed a baby piglet yourself if it's orphaned or if its siblings prevent it from feeding on the mother's nipples. Sows often have large litters with at least one runt that has trouble feeding. Some piglets refuse feeding by humans at first; it will likely take several attempts. First try to feed it from a pan, then a baby bottle and then an eyedropper if the first two do not work. Before feeding it, give it rehydration fluids as recommended by your veterinarian to keep it hydrated.

Things You'll Need

  • Milk replacement
  • Pan
  • Baby bottle
  • Eyedropper
  • Pig starter food
  • Vegetables
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Instructions

    • 1

      Feed a baby piglet a sow milk replacement. Give it 1 ml per oz. of body weight for each feeding, recommends Laurie J. Gage, DVM, in "Hand-Rearing Wild and Domestic Mammals."

    • 2

      Feed a newborn piglet once every two hours. As it grows, gradually lengthen this time period. Aim for a feeding every four hours when it is two or three weeks old. Once the piglet is 10 to 14 days old, allow it to sleep through the night for six to eight hours without feeding.

    • 3

      Pour the proper amount of sow milk replacement into a shallow, sterile feeding pan. Gently guide the piglet's snout into the dish. It may take several attempts before the piglet begins to feed.

    • 4

      Use a sterile baby bottle if the piglet refuses to feed from a pan. Pour the milk replacement into the bottle, screw on the nipple and gently guide it into the piglet's mouth. Some piglets may also refuse to feed from a bottle.

    • 5

      Draw sow milk replacement into an eyedropper if the piglet refuses the pan and the bottle. Place the dropper in the animal's mouth to feed it. If you must feed the piglet in this manner, continue to try to feed it from the bottle each day. Once it accepts the bottle feeding, encourage the piglet to feed from a pan on its own. Potbellied pigs in particular may refuse pan feeding for several weeks.