Pigs can eat oranges, yes. In fact, it’s beneficial for them because oranges contain a lot of vitamins that help keep your pigs healthy. It’s also a nice treat for your pigs because of the nice taste oranges have.
A lot of people favor orange due to its excellent taste and myriads of nutritional benefits.
Thus, it’s no wonder why you would want your pigs to give it a try.
Let’s get into it more.
Contents
Are oranges good for pigs?
Oranges aren’t only delightful treats for your pigs. More than the taste, this fruit has nutritional values that are good for these animals.
Orange nutrition facts
- Calories: 62
- Fat: 0.16g
- Sodium: 0mg
- Carbohydrates: 15.4g
- Fiber: 3.1g
- Sugars: 12.2g
- Protein: 1.2g
- Vitamin C: 69.7mg
- Potassium: 237mg
- Calcium: 52.4mg
Out of all the benefits, vitamin C is the content that makes oranges a good fruit for pigs.
Vitamin C helps in boosting the immune system and overall health of pigs.
As a result, regular intake of oranges can help prevent diseases such as flu in our animals.
Simultaneously, it would lessen the risk of getting infected by bacteria and not fighting it off.
Thus, if you wish for your pig to stay healthy, giving it a couple of oranges should help a lot.
Related – Can pigs eat celery?
What about pet pigs (like mini pigs)? Can they eat oranges?
Of course, you can feed your pet pigs some oranges. If you’re worried about them eating it as a whole, you may want to remove the peels and cut it into smaller pieces.
Like other hogs, your pet will have a stronger immunity with vitamin C from oranges.
If your pet is still small, limit its orange intake to at least once a week. A few bits of oranges a week should suffice as a treat.
Can pigs eat orange peels?
As scavengers, pigs can eat even scraps and leftovers, and along that list comes the fruit peels.
You can always give these animals the orange peels, as these peels are entirely safe for them.
Moreover, the peels also contain nutrients, almost the same ones as that of the flesh.
A gentle reminder, though. Fruit peels, like banana peels, can invite some choking incidents to pigs.
These animals tend to swallow quickly, instead of chewing thoroughly.
To lessen that possibility, keep watch on your hogs while they are eating peels.
You can also cut it into smaller pieces and mix it with water for easier consumption.
Related – Can pigs eat chicken bones?
How often can you give oranges to pigs?
Although oranges are suitable for pigs, you should not give them too much.
While these animals may thrive on plant-based food, they need meat to improve their growth.
Giving oranges to pigs at least twice a week should be of help.
Simultaneously, you wouldn’t want to spend too much on oranges just for these animals.
Further, too many oranges can lead to an upset stomach and other digestive issues.
As a general rule of thumb, treat oranges only as a treat and not a part of their daily diet.
Are oranges good food for pig growth?
Oranges can help pigs, but not directly with their growth.
In sustaining healthy growth, hogs need lots of amount of protein and fats. Such components are only available in high amounts in meat and the likes.
Don’t disregard oranges, though. This fruit may not offer a large amount of protein, but it can provide many vitamin C to fend off illness.
Keep a balanced diet, having meat, and protein-rich food regularly. Add some vitamin-C rich food such as oranges once a while to keep them healthy.
A well-balanced consumption of nutrients would do well in a pig’s growth.
What other fruit can pigs eat?
There are many other fruit options you can give your pigs if you don’t want to feed oranges as treats all the time.
The list below can be your guide in picking fruits that pigs can eat.
Aside from oranges, these animals should enjoy:
- Grapes (works great as an antioxidant)
- Pears (good source of fiber for digestion)
- Apples (works well as an antioxidant)
- Pineapples (a good source of vitamin C to maintain immunity)
- Watermelons (helps keep them hydrated)
Other fruits you can feed are:
- Grapefruit
- Strawberries
- Bananas
- Tomatoes
- Pitted cherries and peaches
- Berries
- Apricots
- Melons
Pigs aren’t picky eaters. Thus, you can feed it whatever fruit is available in the market.
To save from the expenses, look for fruit suppliers, and ask them for rejected fruits.
These fruits may not be fit for sale, but it’s safe for hogs. You may even get it for free if you’re lucky.
What should you not feed pigs?
Although pigs eat a wide range of food, some of these can harm them.
It’s essential to be mindful of this food because hogs don’t deny anything we offer to them.
It doesn’t mean that a food is safe because they can eat it, so watch out for the following:
Moldy, slimy, and rotten
Pigs would eat even the rotting food, and the ones filled with molds and are already slimy.
Still, eating such can cause digestive issues. As a rule, please don’t feed them whatever food other animals can’t eat.
Raw meat and eggs
Hogs would also munch on any food, even if it’s raw. While some raw vegetables won’t harm them, raw meat and eggs might.
Raw meat may carry viruses that can lead to infecting other livestock. At the same time, raw eggs can compromise the consumption of biotin in hogs.
Don’t feed it any raw meat, even fish. It would be best to avoid onions since both the cooked and uncooked ones can be quite toxic.
High salt and sugar content
Pigs don’t need too much salt and sugar. Unlike other animals, hogs don’t need too much sodium, so avoid giving them salty food.
It’s also the reason why fruits should only get served in moderation. Too much fruit may increase the sugar in these animals, which is not healthy.
Summary
Oranges provide us a good treat with a full-load of nutrients. As such, it offers the same nutrients to pigs. These animals would have an improved immune system from the vitamin C of oranges.
For this reason, it is ideal for pigs to consume oranges from time to time.
Aside from the great taste, it also brings many nutrients that will help pigs stay healthy as they grow.
Resources
Image credits – Photos by Nick Fewings and on Unsplash
