There are pig feeds for every stage of development. There even is one that you feed your sows before they are breed, it was referred to as 'flushing' the sow so she would release more eggs-if I remember right it had more corn than anything else in it.

There are many state websites that have many answers to your questions-the one that comes to mind that has pros giving answers is thepigsite.com.

If you get a formula your feed mill can mix batches as you need them. Most require a day or two to prepare it for you and may have a 500 pound minimum.

Many people here feed their pigs with discards from the Food Bank and from grocery stores and seem to have no problem. I guess supplementing with prepared feed would ensure that they got all the nutrients they need, but people here find pigs the most economical livestock by feeding the expired dairy products and produce.

Thanks for the suggestions and the website. We went and got 2 alfalfa bales and the pigs were not impressed. They still have a taste for that show feed, which they seem to adore. We're not going to give them the pellets in the morning and see what happens when they get hungry. Lori

Alfalfa is fine hog feed but they could use some grain also, corn is the universal hog feed with some minerals added. If the animals are intended for the freezer just about any feed will sustain them. If intended for breeding then they will need a diet better suited to a use of conceiving, gestating and weaning litters. We have fed them entirely on gleanings from the farm and scrounged from differnt sources.