Pig Prod Information

About Pig Prod

Questions and Answers

For the sake of efficiency and lower costs, Premium Standard Farms of Princeton, Missouri, has turned pig prod For the sake of efficiency and lower costs, Premium Standard Farms of Princeton, Missouri, has turned pig production into a standardized product-focused process. Slaughterhouses have done this for a hundred years--but after the animal was dead. Doing it while the animal is alive is a relatively recent innovation. Here is how it works. Impregnated female sows wait for 40 days in metal stalls so small that they cannot turn around. After an ultrasound test, they wait 67 days in a similar stall until they give birth. Two weeks after delivering 10 or 11 piglets, the sows are moved back to breeding rooms for another cycle. After 3 years, the sow is slaughtered. Animal-welfare advocates say such confinement drives pigs crazy. Premium Standard replies that its hogs are in fact comfortable, arguing that only 1% die before Premium Standard wants them to. Discuss the productivity and ethical implications of this industry.

Fireball replied: "Agriculture is a cut-throat business. I you don't like it, then you should be willing to pay a little more for free-range pork. I raise free-range chickens for egg production. The eggs cost twice as much, but my customers like knowing that their eggs didn't come from a confinement operation."

Barry C replied: "Uh this kind of talk has been going around since I was in grade school decades ago, and probably since at least when Upton Sinclair wrote his books 100 years ago. What do you think happened to all the cattle that cowboys were famous for herding up? Hint: They ended up penned in the Chicago Stockyards before meeting their fate. I also note that the wikipedia page for the company contains no hint of controversy, but it looks like it has done well for its investors."

What would be a good name for a guinea pig that is similar or means something like Iggy? Some time in the near future (most likely in the next month or so) we will be adopting another guinea pig. After today I was dead-set on naming her Iggy. It doesn't feel like much but I thought it would be something nice to do. The problem is that I promised my 5 year old brother he could name the guinea pig. My gentle prodding did no good. He is still determined to name her something like Spider Pig or Alligator Brigade 7. I think if I suggested something nice enough he would accept it. Right now I was planning to make Iggy the guinea pig's middle name. So what is a good, similar first name?

Dave replied: "ours was Miss Piggy"

Isis is PRAYING FOR IGGY! replied: "ZIGGY of course!"

EstherManuloes replied: "Nike Perry Lucky Pinky Elley Karen Pulse Sule Quelle Raquelle Minnie Mandie :]"

Guinea Pig cage question? Is this cage a good cage for a guinea pig I am looking at the jumbo sized cage which is 22l 47w and 35h does this look like a good cage for a guinea pig

Yep replied: "It is a good sized commercial grade cage. However, the flooring doesn't look good for a Guinea Pig. They need a solid floor, and this one appears to be wire or have small holes in it. A Guinea Pigs feet could get caught in it, and its just not a comfortable thing to have to stand on 24/7. They also like to have some sort of bedding (like CareFresh) to lay in. With a flat bottom like that, there is nothing to hold the bedding in. Maybe contact them to see if the floor can be removed, so that the pan under it can be used for the floor. Here are some websites that sell "make it yourself" cages. You get a cage that is a lot larger, and its less expensive. Commercial grade cages are usually way too small to keep a happy, healthy guinea pig. And they dont need tops on the cages, as they cant jump. Good luck! If you want to buy a cage already made... this looks nice and large. "

JoeNay replied: "That size cage should be fine. the smaller the cage the more often your going have to clean it As far as enough room for him, its fine, as long as you take it out to play and get exercise. but then again we all know how that turns out. when you first get the little guy you'll always want to play with it then eventually you'll play with it less and less. anyways if you know that's Guenna to happen happen, i would say try for a bigger cage so you wont end up dumping more money on a bigger cage later on Yea it looks like a Legit cage to me. :)"

My Guinea Pig SnowBall Might be pregant!!! How Do I Tell if she is? Ok so what happen was my sisters guinea pig got out of his cage and crawled into her cage. Then when I came around the corner he was mating with her. I was in shock. Ha ha. Anyway now I don't know if she is pregnant or not. And yes I know not to poke and prod her. I have 5 guinea pigs. =]. So if anyone can help me that would be really great!!!!! Thanks =]. Thank You all for you wonderful support!!!! I can't wait to see how the babys turn out =]. ♥

~RabbitLuver~ replied: "go to"

B!nd! replied: "If you saw a male mating with her then there is a good chance that she is pregnant. Guinea pigs are pregnant for about 8 weeks, so it can take a while before you will see any signs. First thing that I usually notice is that their nipples start to become erect, from there they will get fatter, and eventually you will be able to feel the bubs, then she will get so fat you think she is going to explode lol. Good luck with her! If she is over about 8 months of age and hasnt had babies before I would consult your vet on this one. Guinea pigs hip bones fuse over a certain age, if she has had litters before this will not be a problem because the bones move, but if she has never had a litter before then she can have some serious birth complications."

Cheetah replied: "She will start to have symtoms, like sleeping more and eating more, and being more aggresive. You will start to notice them in like a week or so, but before then there is really no way to tell if she is or not. Good luck"

Kate M replied: "my piggy was pregnant as well without me knowing it and I am now an expert on the topic haha. You will feel her stomach get more firm and she will eat more and get larger. eventually, about two weeks before she gives birth you will feel them moving and kicking. You will probably never see the birth because they usually do it at night or when your gone and its quiet. Mine had no complications at all just 3 little piggies popped up one day! Very adorable with their eyes open and fur covered. you have about 72 days of waiting from the time of mating. Make sure your female has all the food she wants and watch for signs of problems like not eating or drinking or a sweet smell coming from her mouth. Just take good care of her and she will do the rest!! Good luck!"

Lee replied: "It would be a REALLY good idea to see if any of your local vets will treat guinea pigs. A female has a one in five chance of dying EACH pregnancy and don't think that it can't happen to yours. If the vet will spay a guinea pig get her in for a spay/abort but make sure that he has done the procedure before as many of the commonly used drugs and anesthesia are lethal to guinea pigs. The link below to Cavy Spirit will give you what is and is not safe for them. The posts above seem pretty okay for the most part. The first sign is usually weight gain around the middle and may start in only one or two weeks. Pregnancies last about 56 days, mark the date from the mating (yes, unless the male was neutered more than a month ago, she *IS* pregnant) and if she doesn't give birth by day 60 you will need to take her to an experienced guinea pig vet for a ceasarian. Don't let it go any longer than that...it's a very bad thing and I am talking from experience, I did have a couple of females that were late and it is not good. ****Please consider getting your male(s) neutered. It is a minimally invasive procedure with little risk (compared to a pregnancy or spay) and a month later he can be kept with females without a problem. He'll still act like a horny intact male but won't get any females pregnant (you do need to wait a month though). Some people also report that neutering males makes their urine less stinky."

Allie Cat T replied: "Just watch her, if she is eating more nad drinking more, and try picking her up, if she seems to not like you touching her tummy, then she is."

Is this good cage for a guinea pig? (Medium Sized/Only one guinea pig)

dlnmllr replied: "Yes"

Natasha W replied: "no that's far too small. That's more the right size, because they need somewhere to hide to go to sleep in, and they need room to move about."

Catherine F replied: "Guinea pigs chew; I'd worry about the plastic bottom holding up. This site has custom guinea pig cages:"

MemphisGal replied: "Way to small. One pig needs 7.5 square feet. It sounds like a whole lot but it's not what it seems. However, It is bigger than that cage. A C&C cage is bigger and much cheaper than the cage you found. Read this site for instructions on how to build"

Ming replied: "No, a little too small. Get one that is like 3-5 inches bigger."

ohliela replied: "Guinea Pigs are fairly easy to care for. A cage should have plenty of room for them to play and explore. The floor should be easy to clean, but not wire like bunny cages because the pads of their little feet will get caught and possibly even become torn. They should be allowed time outside of the cage daily to run around on the floor and even outside if possible, but with supervision so that they do not get lost or hurt."

ENJ replied: "This would be a good cage if there is nothing in the bottom to catch the guinea pigs feet and if you stick to a size large and up. Guinea pigs need a lot of room since they do get a little bigger."

jnazee replied: "that is an ok cage for a guinea pig, if you plan to spend a lot of time with your piggy. (and as long as it DOES NOT HAVE A WIRE FLOOR) they actually do much better in larger cages. they seem to be happier in larger cages. the link below has some wonderful ideas on housing for happy piggies. remember piggies love to run, play, and stretch their legs just like we do. and they love having the room to do it in....anyway, best of luck with your lil piggy..."

Big Daddy replied: "Why go to such an expense? You can raise a guinea pig in a plastic tub from wal-mart. The water bottle hangs right off the side, put some shavings and a food dish in the bottom and you are set. I have personally raised many pigs this way."

el replied: "That is far too small. Guinea pigs need lots of room for them to run about and explore- not only will your guinea pig be very pleased with a bigger cage, you'll see a lot more activity from him and it will make owning him as a pet a lot more worthwhile. Take a look at for information on how to build your own cage that is a lot more suitable for your pet and will cost you a lot less money, plus you can personalise it to suit your needs."

acanoffleas replied: "It's just not enough room. Try here: You can buy the entire cage kit for half of what you'd pay for the first cage you linked to, and it's the recommended size for happy healthy piggies! Bottom line, nearly all "pet store" cages just don't cut it for guinea pigs."

sk8er replied: "yeah, that's sort of like the kind i have for my gp"

Justified replied: "Nooooooo! Listen to what people are telling you! Acanoffleas, Memphis Gal, & El have it right. There should be at least 7 1/2 square feet of space for one pig. If you put your piggie in this cage, there will be no room for him/her to move once you have a pigloo & feed dish in there. Visit the guineapigcages website & find out how to build you a cage with the minimum space requirements. Its really not difficult at all! Once I had my supplies, I had it put together in about 20 minutes! Go for it! I KNOW you can do it!! ;-) Best of luck!"

Ashley B replied: "we got a very long clear plastic rubbermaid tub for ours, that was only a foot deep. she had plenty of room to run around, plus it was really easy to keep clean."

Guinea Pig food? Vitamin C? I am getting a guinea pig or 2 and I have have a question about their food. Does this food seem ok? Will it have enough vitamin C without my supplementing it? I am looking at these- for vitamin C but I am concerned If I go away for a few days they wont get any vitamin C... What do you think? Also I know you leave the timothy in the cage 24/7 but do you leave the pelleted food in the cage 24/7? How often do you feed vegetables to a guinea pig? Any tips about feeding/ Guinea pigs diet would be great! Also If I get 2 how can I make sure one isn't eating all of the food especially if they aren't supose to have an unlimited supply of food? So do you allow guinea pigs pellets 24/7 Now atter what age they are? Idk how old they would be... How old are guinea pigs usually sold a pet stores?

Ashlyn replied: "The first picture is what I have. You should probably get that. It, (I think) is better."

piggielicous replied: "Visit this Nutrition page on my website: I say Vitacraft is the best, and explain why here."

randc290 replied: "It depends on your pig's age and coat. These are timothy hay based pellets so they are only 14 or 15% protein. If your pig is under 9 months old, long haired, under weight, pregnant or nursing they are not OK and you need an 18% protein chow, otherwise they should be OK. If it is fresh (within 6 months of milling but preferably within 3 months) you don't need to add vitamin C beyond a half cup of greens daily. You want to have both hay and chow, along with water in front of your pig at all times EDIT Generally pigs sold in pet stores are young, 6 weeks to 3 months, though you occasionally see an adult. Weight is a good but not perfect measure of age in young pigs. If they are less than 2 lbs, they are probably 6 months or less. Please DO NOT take the nutrition advice on the website that Piggylicous posted. There are all sorts of huge mistakes on it and the poster obviously is taking it from other web sites rather than personal experience. The treats and feed shown on the page are both poor choices if you want healthy pigs. The feed has crunchy colored bits in it which aren't good and the yogurt drops have artificial color and are empty calories. Also, there is nothing wrong with iceberg lettuce, there just isn't much nutrition in it. It won't harm them, it is sort of like giving them water packaged as a vegetable!"

Guinea Pig help question..? My guinea pig stood on its hind legs and her paws were on the cage bars and she went into a corner and did this (she does this when she's hungry)There was a box of these: facing down and she got some plastic and started biting it. I don't know if she ate any because my mom called me and told me she was eating some but I thought she was lying and I went there anyway to check and she was... Idk if she ate it or she just bit it. Is that bad for her to eat plastic like that?

luke replied: "Im sure like humans, Guinea pigs too find it hard to digest plastic so I doubt its very good for your guinea pig."

guinea pig travel? should i get one of those soft, material bag/cage things to travel with my two guinea pigs or a hard little cage. see link s below. hard one - look at the cage ones (not the colourful one) soft one - look at the ON-THE-GO one thanga raj - huh?

rate these guinea pig items from 1 to 10? which one of these..... the lounger, the bungalow, or the tunnel? im getting two.... food bowls.... the cabbage one water bottles..... im getting two guinea pigs, girls, and im building them a cage.

would this be ok for a guinea pig? ive been thinking about getting her some tubes would this work? would they maybe hurt her feet? also do u think shed play in them or just go in and then not want to come out?

Ashley replied: "I have those tubes for my guinea pigs. They're totally fine for guinea pigs as long as they don't chew on them much."

randc290 replied: "It looks like they are designed for ferrets and would be too narrow for anything but a smallish guinea pig. I know that none of our 2.5-3 pounders would fit very comfortably. Tubes that are big are fine. Lots of pigs love the big (6") pipe elbows that they sell at DIY stores like Lowes or Home Depot or oatmeal boxes with the end cut out"

Rebecca replied: "i wouldnt get them but its your choice. they could just sit in there and you would never get them out, it depends on your piggy really!! if you want them to exersice or play, let them run around the living room or put them in a run outside!! Good luck whatever you decide!"

Fαtє replied: "I am not sure that a guinea pig would fit through them. But my guinea pig absolutely LOVES these pipes I found in our garage. They are quite big, and I put two in his cage. This is a picture of one of the pipes in his cage: Best of luck to the lil fellow :D"