Storey's Guide to Raising Pigs, 3rd Edition: Care, Facilities, Management, Breeds Paperback – December 23, 2009

Great summary of almost all aspects of raising hogs. Good, consistent use of proper terminology will help the beginner get used to the words. The author expresses his opinions frequently, but aren't we all looking for the opinions of experienced farmers? I do like that he comes down more on the small-scale family farm side of things, and is not in favor of industrial warehouse hog facilities. This book really is about what's best for the pigs.If you're wanting to take your hog operation a step further toward the natural side of things, for example, with forest-finishing, you're going to need some additional information from someone who is actually forest-finishing their hogs.The author seems to be in favor of providing bite-to-bite consistency in feed, which is something I actively try to avoid with all of my animals. Again, just opinions.All in all, this is probably the best book out there if you want to be able to sit down, read it, and come away with a good working knowledge of raising hogs.Word of warning- if all you're wanting to do is to turn a feeder hog into a butcher hog every year for your own family, most of the information in this book will not apply, but it's still good info. If you think you're going to keep a couple sows and a boar and just provide pork for your own family, think again. Do the math- 2 sows, 2 litters per year, 8 pigs per litter, 250 lb slaughter weight, 150+ lb carcass weight, you're looking at producing about 5000 lb of pork per year. This book will help you figure out what you're going to do with all of that pork.

Don't remember the last time I saw a pig up close and personal, but after reading "Raising Pigs" I'm ready to oink with the best of them. Easy to read, obviously written by a long term pigster. My wife and i are starting a hobby farm in late "11 and are considering adding pigs to the mix. Book is heavy with Midwest, traditional, tried and tested techniques. We live in sunny humid Florida, and most animal husbandry lore ignore the 1/3 of the country that has Christmas by the pool. Also little coverage on cutting-edge concepts: pasture only, organic, interspecies grazing. Heavy with farmspeak, lots of farrowing and gilts. I was thinking I was in Middle Earth for a while. I'm not sure, but I think dogs whelp, horses foal, pigs farrow,and cattle throws! Must farmers use Elizabethan English to describe birth? Cows get "freshened" and cattle are" bred back." Nice book, good intro to small farm piglife.

I have spent Much time, researching and studying farming and agriculture. I have studied all farm animals to some degree and have read stacks of books. This book was outstanding. One of the things that sets it apart is that it actually explains everything. Other books have tried to make it sound complicated to care for one animal or another as if it requires selected geniuses. This book talks to the reader as somebody who is capable of learning and caring for these animals and wants them to understand. The author wants people to feel empowered to raise pigs and do it well. This was an absolutely outstanding author! Great work Kelly Kloner!

I love the "Storey's Guide to Raising..." books. They are just packed with great information. I'm getting ready to start my backyard ranch and these books will be indispensable. I'll list all of the chapter headings for each of the books I got to give you an idea of the information you'll be getting. Here's the list for Pigs:An Introduction to Raising HogsBreeds Tried and TrueRaising Hogs for the Family TableHome Butchering and Pork ProcessingFitting and Showing HogsThe Hog BusinessPreparing for Your HerdSelecting Breeding LivestockManaging Your Breeding HerdHog Health CareManaging Your Hog OperationDay-to-Day Life with HogsThis book also contains a Preface, Epilogue, Resources, Glossary, Index, and Appendix which includes; Hog Anatomy, Reproductive Information, Record Keeping Templates, and Sample Calendar Year for the Diversified Small Producer.Like I said, packed with great information.

I like it so much I bought one for my son. We just started breeding Duroc with Red Wattle. We were already raising pigs but we had a couple of our local restaurants request the cross breed. And this book is very enlightening in regard to the breeds.

It is a good book. Almost the best, however it failed to mention Coccidiosis! How is it that there is a book on farming and fails to mention Coccidia of that species? I'm appalled - either the author is not the guru professed to be or they kept pigs so DAMN good ... Regardless it is worth mentioning ... (wow)! Besides that though there is clear indication of experience and it is a very good teaching and reference book!

I liked this book a lot. I'm raising small heritage breeds of American Guinea Hog and soon Kunekune so not everything applies but there was a lot of good info and you can tell this is a good guy who loves his pigs.

If this rating were for content of the book only I'd give it 5 stars....tons of good, helpful information. However, I gave it 3 stars for the layout, it's a hard book to follow. Chapters don't flow together very well. It's almost as if the author wrote each chapter, then shuffled them up and sent it to the printer that way!

Great

This series is so thorough and interesting to read. While the books are full of information that you need it doesn't bog you down with heavy terminology or excessive detail. Well organized and easy to read and understand. The PERFECT book to have on your shelf as a go-to resource!

I have a number of Storey's Guides to raising livestock and having added pigs to the farm, I also added this book, it did not disappointment me, its a good solid guide on all basic information required.

If you're looking to start raising hogs in a humane, natural and drug-free way this is the book for you. The book is very informative with everything from the the types of breeds to housing to butchering. It's also an easy reading with some humourous stories of Klober's 30+ years of hog raising experience.

Fantastic book. I have not been disappointed with any of the Storey series. Love s of good, valuable, practical information.