Help From The Hog Think Tank

Landowner wants to swap all electronic feeders to drop tubes. Most will be deer height 45”. He wants me to lower the hog feeder to hog level. Is this a good idea or will they break off the tube? The feeder is in a massive hog pen 75 yards x 50 yards. My fear is when the gate drops they will freak out and break off the hog tube. Comment below please. Thanks!

Spin feeders to free choice feeders? Seems like a bigger feed bill. Weld the tube to the feeder.

I wouldn't let a group of hogs have access to a free choice feeder unless you want to spend a lot of money and be refilling constantly........

Is there any end to the amount of food a hog can eat?

Sure, approximately 3% of their body weight per day. A 200 lb boar might stuff himself on 4-6 lbs a day if he set his mind to it. Now imagine having 2 or 3 of those and a sounder of 20 with a mixed group of 50-150 pounders all eating.

If it's possible, I'd be inclined to push back against that move.

If that's not possible, I'm trying to visualize some sort of "breakaway" or "slip-on" drop tube that, when dislodged, pulls or otherwise allows a 'gate' to close in the feeder that prevents all the corn inside from dropping out.

Having a drop feeder as opposed to spin feeders for hogs is like having Ivanka Trump for dinner versus John Belushi from "Animal House". Hogs will tear that feeder up in no time and the corn bill would skyrocket. I have 2 feeders that I have been running without any babysitting for 2 years. Have a heart to heart talk with the landowner and convince him to stay with the tried and true. Just my 2C's.

Ed, I don't think you getting one to agree with the LO here. You don't have to worry about hogs freaking out when gate closes because they will tear the tube off themselves. If gate closes that just gives them more opportunity to destroy the tube.

Bad idea. Hogs will tear tube off feeder no matter how well you weld it with bracing. And if free choice corn or protein in that tube just asking for it be consumed. Once a big sow and big boar finds it then its just a matter of time for equipment repair/replacement. Surely you've seen all the different photos of hogs standing on hind legs with mouths/front legs up in the feeder tubes. Just sayin, I would not do it unless landowner if paying the bill on equipment and feed.

Build a hog pen roughly same size as one you discribed.
Circular or oval shaped...
Use a spring loaded door were hogs can push open & shut easily...
With feeder with spinner & funnel throwing corn into far side of pen..
Something like ones in pic's...
Just my ...
edit : hogs had tore down my feeder on trypod...
So strung cable (tree ta tree) with feeder in middle out of reach of hogs...