How can I get my animal (pig, lamb, steer)
who isn't eating enough feed to eat more?

Answer: Put yourself in their place; the things that increase
your appetite will generally work to improve your animal's
appetite too.

A) Use A Clean Plate. Would you be less inclined to eat dinner
if your plate still had scraps on it from lunch? Same for your animal;
always clean their feed bucket before feeding.

B) Fresh Food. Would you rather eat a warm, crisp piece of toast
or a cold, soggy piece? Don't make your animal always clean up
everything before they get more. Remove any feed from the previous
feeding, clean the bucket and put in fresh feed. If your animal is
consistently leaving feed, try slightly reducing the portion. Measure
what is left and take 1/2 that amount away from the fresh feed
(if they leave a cup, reduce new meal by 1/2 cup).

C) Store Your Feed Correctly. Which do you like better: the snacks
from the box that you just bought and opened, or the snacks that have
been sitting in the back of your cupboard for awhile? Virtually all foods
are perishable, meaning they break down over time. The 3 main factors
that cause food to break down quicker are: HEAT, LIGHT, & MOISTURE.
So try and store your feed in a place where it's cool, dark and dry. Keep
the bag off the ground. Transferring your sack of feed to a garbage can
with a tight lid is a good storage method.
Just remember Tip A from above: make sure you clean your storage
container thoroughly before you add the new bag.

D) Does It Smell Good? In general, a food that smells better increases
our appetite. Always smell your animal's feed. If it doesn't smell good to you,
it probably doesn't smell good to them! A musty smell is a sign of mold;
you can often smell mold before you see it- do not feed. And if you smell
something like old potato chips, the fat in the feed may have become
rancid-don't feed.

F) Watch the Fiber. If you ate 20 stalks of celery for dinner, you'd probably
feel pretty full. Although some fiber is very important in lamb and steer diets,
some animals will fill up on hay and not eat their grain. Read your feed label.
Many feeds are manufactured with enough fiber.

G) Add a Little Sweetener. Even with a big meal, do you still have room for
dessert? Most animals will eat more of something sweet. You might try adding
a little bit of corn syrup or molasses dribbled on the meal. I emphasize little bits,
because sweeteners are imbalanced- they contain energy, but none of the other
nutrients needed to grow.

H) Eating is More Fun With Friends- Some animals that are small eaters by
themselves will eat more food when they are fed along with another animal

Article : How can I get my animal to eat more Back

How can I get my animal (pig, lamb, steer) who isn't eating enough feed to eat more? Answer: Put yourself in their place; the things that increase your appetite will generally work to improve your animal's appetite too. A) Use A Clean Plate. Would you be less inclined to eat dinner if your plate still had scraps on it from lunch? Same for your animal; always clean their feed bucket before feeding. B) Fresh Food. Would you rather eat a warm, crisp piece of toast or a cold, soggy piece? Don't make your animal always clean up everything before they get more. Remove any feed from the previous feeding, clean the bucket and put in fresh feed. If your animal is consistently leaving feed, try slightly reducing the portion. Measure what is left and take 1/2 that amount away from the fresh feed (if they leave a cup, reduce new meal by 1/2 cup). C) Store Your Feed Correctly. Which do you like better: the snacks from the box that you just bought and opened, or the snacks that have been sitting in the back of your cupboard for awhile? Virtually all foods are perishable, meaning they break down over time. The 3 main factors that cause food to break down quicker are: HEAT, LIGHT, & MOISTURE. So try and store your feed in a place where it's cool, dark and dry. Keep the bag off the ground. Transferring your sack of feed to a garbage can with a tight lid is a good storage method. Just remember Tip A from above: make sure you clean your storage container thoroughly before you add the new bag. D) Does It Smell Good? In general, a food that smells better increases our appetite. Always smell your animal's feed. If it doesn't smell good to you, it probably doesn't smell good to them! A musty smell is a sign of mold; you can often smell mold before you see it- do not feed. And if you smell something like old potato chips, the fat in the feed may have become rancid-don't feed. F) Watch the Fiber. If you ate 20 stalks of celery for dinner, you'd probably feel pretty full. Although some fiber is very important in lamb and steer diets, some animals will fill up on hay and not eat their grain. Read your feed label. Many feeds are manufactured with enough fiber. G) Add a Little Sweetener. Even with a big meal, do you still have room for dessert? Most animals will eat more of something sweet. You might try adding a little bit of corn syrup or molasses dribbled on the meal. I emphasize little bits, because sweeteners are imbalanced- they contain energy, but none of the other nutrients needed to grow. H) Eating is More Fun With Friends- Some animals that are small eaters by themselves will eat more food when they are fed along with another animal
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