Kunekune Care Basics

This is a picture of what our adult pigs get to eat twice a day, except the black oil sunflower (those are once a day). 

Most importantly, we have a pelletized pig and sow feed. An adult pig gets about 1 1/2 to 2 cups twice a day. We previously used Purina Nature’s Match Pig and Sow. We have now switched to a custom blend feed we get from Petrus Feed in Alexandria, LA. It is a 16% protein feed with added Lysine but it has to be purchased by the ton.  If you don't have access to locally milled feed, we still recommend the Purina Nature's Match. Your feed should have 14-16% protein, 1% Lysine, and minimal sodium. 

Make sure you’re feeding a Pig and Sow, not a Grower/Finisher feed. A grower pellet has different nutritional properties for a faster growing meat pig. All you will do is make your kunekunes fat feeding a grower pellet. It’s ESSENTIAL to give your pigs some pelletized feed for proper health and nutrition. Even with good pasture to graze, pigs don’t get the proper vitamins and minerals (iron, selenium, magnesium, etc.) or protein content from forage alone.

Next, we have alfalfa pellets. PLEASE for your pigs health and safety, soak your alfalfa before feeding. If you feed the pigs alfalfa pellets dry they expand inside the stomach which can cause bloat or dehydration. Hard pellets are also a choking hazard for smaller pigs. We feed between 8-12 oz (one to one and a half cups) of soaked alfalfa twice a day, more in the winter when there is less grass. During the winter, kunekune naturally drink less, so the alfalfa helps keep them hydrated. We place our alfalfa in a bucket and cover it with warm water to soak for about 10 minutes while we get the rest of the feed together. It should be soft and loose when you feed it. Alfalfa isn’t essential, but it is helpful if you don’t have as much pasture or quality of pasture that you would like. The alfalfa is usually the last thing the pigs eat in the dinner trough, they will always eat the calorie dense foods first. Alfalfa provides calcium and other vitamins, but don’t over feed alfalfa because too much calcium can cause urinary issues in pigs.

We also feed black oil sunflower seeds (BOSS) once a day. BOSS also isn’t essential but it’s a good addition to your feed. BOSS is a supplement for healthy skin and hair, especially during the summer when pigs skin is dry and they are blowing their coat.
 

Kunekunes need supplemental feed. Can you keep a kune alive on pasture/forage alone? Yes, and it may grow and keep full. But the pigs will not be as healthy as they can be. As little as a cup of pellet feed a day can improve their dietary intake. Kunekunes need to graze! But grazing alone isn’t enough.

Corn is another controversial feed. Corn is not a vegetable, it’s a starch. Meat pigs are often finished on corn because it flushes the system and packs on some fat. But kunekunes are a slow growing lard breed. It’s very easy for them to convert starch to fat. So corn, if ever fed, should make up no more than 10% of their diet. They may gain weight but it will be fat weight. Kunekunes with a lot of fat are not as healthy, have more issues conceiving, and have a reduced meat yield. IF you feed corn or oats, make sure it’s cracked corn or rolled oats. Whole corn or oats usually come out in the same condition they go in.

Other healthy options for kunekunes- hay, fruits, veggies, eggs, or milk. Our pigs always have access to hay. We get our hay locally, it’s a coastal Bermuda blend. The pigs love it and it’s a good substitute when the grass dies back in the winter. Fruits and veggies are always a win with the pigs! Occasionally we will get surplus veggies from the food bank or local farms. Avoid anything with a pit, like peaches or avocado. And don’t feed raw white potatoes but they are safe if they are cooked. After pumpkin patches close, we try to stock up on pumpkins that can last for months! If you have eggs that are getting old, the pigs appreciate them! You can feed them raw, but we don’t because I don’t want the pigs to get the idea that raw eggs are for them and try to get into the chicken coop. We boil our eggs and crack the shells but leave the shells on. If you have extra milk, from a goat or cow, even adult pigs love it! 

Did you know pigs can’t sweat? True! It is very important for pigs to have fresh clean drinking water as well as a wallow. Pigs wallow in the mud to stay cool, prevent sunburn, and as protection from biting insects. We wash and refill water dishes at least twice a day, usually a lot more often during the summer! There are a lot of options for waterers—kiddie pools, sand boxes, cement pans. Kiddie pools are the cheapest, but the sides get crushed and they get holes easily. You can sometimes find used sandboxes on Craigslist or Marketplace. We have built wooden frames around the cement tubs, it’s not cheap but they are basically indestructible—even in the boar pen! 

Pigs’ noses are on the ground 99 percent of time when they aren’t asleep; they explore everything with their mouths. Worming is essential to healthy livestock. Over-worming and inadequate worming can lead to resistant worms, just like improper use of antibiotics can create superbugs.  We recommend rotating wormers to avoid resistance. Piglets are wormed twice, 10-14 days apart with Ivomec before leaving the farm. We worm our herd three or four times a year, depending on soil condition. We like to sneak their wormer into a snack cake. If you are injecting the wormer, dose by the manufacturers instructions. If you are giving injectable ivermectin orally, you double the injectable dosage.  Always talk to your vet for local recommendations and if you have any medical questions.

Piglets are vaccinated with ResipSure1 and FarrowSure before leaving the farm. Pigs in different regions may be exposed to different risks. Please consult your vet for local recommendations. ResipSure1 vaccinates against mycoplasmal pneumonia. FarrowSure helps in preventing reproductive failure caused by porcine parvovirus (PPV); erysipelas caused by Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae; and leptospirosis caused by Leptospira canicola, L. grippotyphosa, L. hardjo, L. icterohaemorrhagiae and L. pomona. 

An invaluable tool we have found for injections is the Slap Shot and a Prima Vaccinator. These can be found at Valley Vet or most livestock supply websites.