One of the questions I hear from buyers fairly often is how to feed a few Kunekunes well without spending a small fortune on expensive specialty pig feed.
That is a little different from how I feed our own herd. With the number of pigs we maintain at BF Farm, I buy commercial swine feed in bulk. At that scale, bulk feed makes economic sense.
Most new Kunekune owners are in a completely different situation. They may have two pigs, four pigs, or a small breeding group, and they are buying feed one bag at a time from a farm store. That can get expensive quickly.
For those smaller herds, one budget-friendly alternative I often recommend is a multi-species or all-stock pellet that is specifically labeled for swine, supplemented with good pasture, a whole cooked egg every other day, and the wholesome fruits, vegetables and other suitable foods you may already have around the kitchen.
The idea isn't to feed pigs as cheaply as humanly possible. It's to stop paying extra where you don't have to.
Start With the Feed Tag
This is the part I don't compromise on.
Not every bag labeled “all-stock” or “multi-species” is intended for pigs. Some are designed primarily for cattle, horses, sheep or goats.
I want the manufacturer's label and feeding directions to specifically include swine or pigs. [1]
Then turn the bag over and look at the guaranteed analysis. Protein, calcium, phosphorus, salt, vitamins and trace minerals matter. If lysine is listed, pay attention to that as well.
The front of the bag is advertising.
The feed tag tells you what you are actually buying.
A properly selected swine-labeled multi-species pellet can be considerably less expensive than some specialty bagged pig feeds, which is exactly why I recommend looking at it when you only have a few Kunekunes.
The Egg Recommendation Is Simple
I don't think feeding a small herd needs to become complicated.
For most small-herd owners, my usual recommendation is:
Give each pig one whole hard-boiled egg, shell and all, about every other day.
That's it.
You don't have to mash it into a special ration. You don't have to measure out part of an egg. Hand them the whole thing as a treat.
Kunekunes generally think this is a wonderful arrangement.
The egg provides high-quality protein, fat and amino acids. The shell also provides calcium. Because this is a supplement rather than the foundation of the ration, I keep it simple and use it every other day rather than trying to turn eggs into a major portion of the diet.
If you already keep chickens, this can be especially economical. Surplus eggs, unusually small eggs, oversized eggs or perfectly good eggs that simply aren't needed in the kitchen can all have a useful destination.
Nothing fancy is required.
Boil them and give them to the pigs.
Don't Throw Away Good Food
This is another place where a couple of Kunekunes can fit very nicely into a small farm or homestead.
If you have perfectly good vegetables or fruit left over from preparing dinner, don't automatically throw them away.
Give them to the pigs.
Extra lettuce, carrots, squash, apples, melon, green beans, cooked vegetables, plain rice and many other wholesome foods can become treats rather than waste.
If we have good food that we're simply not going to eat, I'd much rather see it go through a pig than go into the trash.
There are two important words there, though: good food.
I'm not talking about moldy vegetables, rotten fruit or cleaning spoiled food out of the refrigerator and dumping it into a pig pen.
If you wouldn't consider it wholesome food anymore, don't use your pigs as a garbage disposal.
I also recommend keeping kitchen extras to appropriate plant-based foods rather than feeding pigs meat, poultry or fish scraps or foods contaminated by them. Besides the biosecurity concern, feeding human food waste involving meat products is regulated under federal and state garbage-feeding rules. [4]
So my rule is pretty straightforward:
Don't waste wholesome food that your pigs can safely eat, but don't feed them garbage.
There is a difference.
Treats Are Extras, Not the Base Diet
Kunekunes will happily convince you that apples are an essential nutrient.
They are very persuasive.
Fruit, vegetables, eggs and other treats should complement the basic feeding program rather than replace it.
Some fruits also contain quite a bit of natural sugar. That doesn't make an apple bad for a pig. It simply means that ten apples are not the same thing as one apple.
The same principle applies to bread, pasta, rice and other calorie-dense leftovers.
Use common sense, particularly with Kunekunes, because they can become overweight surprisingly easily.
Pasture Is Where Kunekunes Really Help the Feed Budget
This feeding approach works particularly well when Kunekunes have access to productive pasture.
One of the reasons I enjoy this breed is that they genuinely graze.
Good pasture provides forage, activity and another source of nutrition while reducing dependence on purchased feed. For a small farm with decent grass, that can make a noticeable difference in the annual feed bill.
But pasture changes.
Spring pasture may be lush and productive.
By late summer, several weeks of heat and little rain can turn that same field into something entirely different.
Winter changes the equation again.
That's why I don't like telling people that a Kunekune needs exactly the same amount of feed every day of the year.
Look at your pasture.
Then look at your pig.
Starting Amounts for Small-Herd Owners
The following are starting points, not rigid feeding prescriptions.
The actual amount will depend on the particular feed, the size and age of the pig, pasture quality, weather, body condition and reproductive status. [2]
The manufacturer's feeding directions should also be considered.
Weaned and Growing Piglets
A reasonable starting point for many growing Kunekunes is approximately:
- Swine-labeled all-stock pellet: 1 to 1½ pounds per pig per day
- Whole hard-boiled egg: one per pig about every other day
- Pasture: available when conditions permit
- Wholesome fruits and vegetables: offered as reasonable extras
Growing pigs are one place where I would not become overly aggressive about saving feed.
They are building bone, muscle and frame. [3]
If a youngster isn't growing properly or maintaining good condition, reevaluate the ration. Saving a few dollars on feed isn't a bargain if it compromises the pig's development.
Mature Boars, Barrows and Open Sows
For mature Kunekunes on decent pasture, a practical starting range is approximately:
- Swine-labeled all-stock pellet: 1½ to 2½ pounds per pig per day
- Whole hard-boiled egg: one per pig about every other day
- Pasture: as the primary forage source when available
- Wholesome kitchen extras: fruits, vegetables and suitable leftovers as treats
This is often where the economics become particularly attractive for a small herd.
A mature Kunekune on good pasture generally doesn't need to be buried in grain.
In fact, overfeeding is one of the more common problems I see with Kunekunes.
If the grass is lush and the pigs are getting overly round, cut the concentrate back.
If drought arrives, the pasture disappears and the pigs start losing condition, increase it.
The pig should determine the scoop—not habit.
Pregnant Sows
Pregnancy requires more attention because the sow's nutritional demands are changing.
A starting point for a mature Kunekune sow might be approximately:
- Swine-labeled pellet: 3 to 4 pounds per day
- Whole hard-boiled egg: about every other day
- Pasture or quality forage: according to availability
- Suitable fruits and vegetables: as treats rather than substitutes for the base ration
I would not feed every pregnant sow exactly the same amount.
Her size, body condition, stage of pregnancy and pasture all matter.
This is also a stage where I want the owner paying particularly close attention to the feed tag. The egg and vegetables are supplements. They don't make an unsuitable base feed suitable for a pregnant sow.
Nursing Sows
Lactation changes the equation considerably.
A sow producing milk for a good-sized litter can require substantially more feed than she needed during pregnancy.
I would not put a nursing sow on an arbitrary fixed ration just because a chart says that's what she's supposed to receive.
Start with an appropriate swine-labeled feed and increase the total amount according to the sow, litter size, milk production and body condition. [2]
Some nursing sows may consume 5 to 8 pounds per day or even more depending on the situation and the feed being used.
The every-other-day cooked egg can still be used as a supplement and treat, but the sow's base diet needs to carry the nutritional load.
Watch her condition.
If she's losing weight too rapidly while nursing, the answer isn't to argue with the measuring scoop.
Feed the sow.
Body Condition Is More Important Than a Feeding Chart
This is probably the most important part of my recommendation.
Learn what a properly conditioned Kunekune should look and feel like.
Then put your hands on your pigs and check them regularly.
Our Body Condition Scoring guide is useful for exactly this reason.
If a pig is becoming too heavy, reduce the concentrated feed.
If it's losing condition, increase it and figure out why.
Maybe the pasture changed.
Maybe winter arrived.
Maybe a sow is nursing.
Maybe a boar is more active during breeding season.
Maybe you've been a little too generous with the apples.
A chart can't see any of those things.
You can.
Why I Recommend This to Buyers
I want to be clear that this isn't the feeding system I use for the entire BF Farm herd.
We keep enough pigs that purchasing commercial swine feed in bulk makes more financial sense for us.
But if I owned two, three or four Kunekunes and had to buy every pound of feed by the bag at retail prices, I'd look at the economics differently.
That's the situation many of our buyers are in.
So my recommendation is intentionally simple:
Choose an economical all-stock or multi-species pellet that specifically includes swine on the label.
Make good use of your pasture.
Give each pig a whole hard-boiled egg, shell and all, about every other day.
Let them enjoy the wholesome vegetables, fruit and other appropriate foods that would otherwise go to waste in your kitchen.
And use body condition—not the size of your favorite feed scoop—to tell you whether you're feeding too much or too little.
You don't have to buy the most expensive specialty pig feed on the shelf to take good care of a small herd.
There is a big difference between buying cheap feed and feeding economically.
Feeding economically means understanding what your pigs actually need, taking advantage of the resources you already have, and not throwing money—or perfectly good food—away.