How to Feed a Pig on a Bottle

Little piglets instinctively desire their mother's nipple. They are especially cautious of any other food sources, and sometimes will not take to bottle feeding without a fight. When feeding a pig with a bottle, be patient and persistent eventually it will come around. There is a variety of food that you can include in the bottle to substitute the mother's milk. When preparing a bottle, be careful not to prepare it to far ahead of time. Some food products will spoil after 10 to 12 hours.

Things You'll Need

  • Baby bottle
  • Teat or nipple
  • Knife
  • Milk replacer
  • Baby rice cereal
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Instructions

    • 1

      Fill a human baby bottle with goat or sow milk replacer. Either food is available at most animal feed stores. If you only have cow's milk, mix 600 ML of whole milk with one egg yolk, 1/4 tsp. of citric acid, and 1/2 tsp. of cod liver oil. At three days old, add enough baby rice cereal to the liquid to make a thin paste. The paste must be thin enough to come out of the nipple. Often 1 to 2 tsp. of cereal is enough to thicken the milk.

    • 2

      Place a teat over the bottle. If using a baby bottle nipple, use a knife to widen the nipple's hole.

    • 3

      Warm the bottle to room temperature. It will take 20 to 30 seconds to warm cold milk to room temperature in the microwave.

    • 4

      Hold the piglet by wrapping one arm around his midsection and force the bottle nipple into his mouth. He may fight it at first. Just keep trying to get the milk on his mouth, and he will begin to understand that it is a food source.

    • 5

      Feed the piglet two to three tablespoons of milk every three to four hours for the first week of life. After the first week, fill a 8 oz. bottle with milk and cereal, and reduce the bottle feedings to three to four times. The goal during the second week is to wean the piglet, so also pour milk in a bowl and allow the piglet to lap milk from the bowl. When he is self-feeding, stop bottle-feeding.