Are Apples Good For Pigs? (Tips & Cautions)

If the apple is not the best fruit in the world, it should definitely be in the top 10, very close to the top positions.

From all the research I have done on this site, it is one of the noblest fruits as a food supplement for animals, and of course pigs can eat apples.

In fact, the apple is one of the most recommended fruits by experts and people with experience in pig feeding, pigs have a fascination for citrus and apples have citric acid.

Apart from all the proteins and minerals it can provide, it is a very easy food to feed to any animal, just cut it into pieces and it can be fed to the pig with the skin on.

With apples, you only have to take into account the issue of its seeds, I know, it is quite repeated information, but whenever the apple is spoken of as a food, the seeds must be mentioned.

They contain a small amount of cyanide, which could be harmful in case of ingesting these seeds in excessive amounts.

Apples contain flavonoids that can help reduce the pig’s risk of developing certain types of diseases. In addition, eating the fructose in apples increases the body’s plasma uric acid level, which in turn increases the antioxidant capacity of plasma.

Pigs like acidic foods

Pigs like acidic foods according to research and trials, and this is very beneficial for them.

Acid feeds exert antimicrobial activity in the body, and it has also been noted that in piglets, acid feeds reduce the gastric pH, which improves and promotes enzymatic digestion of feed.

Apples contain a moderate amount of citric acid, which is the most common organic acid among foods. This acid is found for example in lemons, oranges, cherries, strawberries and many other fruits.

In apples, citric acid is not as potent as in other fruits, it is just enough to provide benefits and not cause digestive disorders, for example in piglets.

Pigs like sweet foods

Just as pigs may be attracted to foods with acidity, they also like sweetness, both of which are characteristic of apples, and this has its benefits.

For example, in pig diets, it is a common practice to use sweeteners because simple carbohydrates such as sugar stimulate pigs’ food intake.

This practice is common in piglets, pigs show a preference for sucrose and glucose, both compounds are a type of sugar found in fruits.

Apples contain a large amount of fructose, the amount of fructose an apple can contain will depend on the size of the apple, fructose is considered the sweetest of all-natural sugars.

Precautions with apple and pig feeding

Due to the amount of fructose or sugar contained in an apple, care should be taken not to feed it in excessive amounts to a pig.

Fructose is absorbed very quickly into the blood, so feeding it in large quantities to a pig can significantly increase the amount of sugar in its blood.

Although the pig’s ability to tolerate and process sugar biologically without being overly affected is well known, it is not prudent for its health to overfeed or unbalance its diet.

Can pigs eat apple seeds?

As we mentioned at the beginning of the topic, apple seeds are a very recurrent topic when it comes to feed.

It is true that they contain a small amount of cyanide, but in order for a pig to be poisoned by the seeds it would have to ingest massive amounts.

Apple seeds are of hard consistency, and for the cyanide to be released they must be chewed, there is no problem if the pig swallows the seeds without chewing them, the risk arises if it chews the seeds.

In any case, the amount of cyanide in an apple seed is so small that the organism eliminates it naturally.

Can pigs eat rotten apples?

It is very likely that you have heard the phrase “one apple hurts the other”, it is very popular, this is because generally, an apple in bad condition can damage the others that are around it.

Because a rotten apple gives off a gas called ethylene, so the ideal is to keep it separate from the rest, in relation to the subject, many people do not immediately notice a rotten apple.

For which they keep it together with others and in a short time they can have a large number of rotten apples, they would not be very pleasant to consume for human consumption, but in the case of having pigs could be supplied, but you must take something into account.

Rotten apples are damaged due to the action of microorganisms and toxins, that although they do not always represent a great danger in the feeding, precautions should be taken not to give this type of food to animals with any disease or weakened immune system.

Despite the microorganisms contained in a rotten apple, a healthy pig eating a couple of them should not cause serious damage, the acids in its stomach kill the small number of toxins.

And his immune system will be sufficiently resistant, however, you must be logical not to give him excessive amounts of rotten apples.

This includes apples that are partially rotten and only “removing” the affected part, the toxins can move to the apparently good part of the apple.

Having said all this, a healthy adult pig can eat a moderate amount of rotten apples without problems.

Avoid giving rotten apples to pigs that are sick, very old, or to piglets, it may not harm them, but it is better not to “push your luck”.

Final tips

Like all animals, pigs need a balanced diet for their good development, due to all the properties of the apple as a fruit, it is one of the ideal fruits as a food supplement.

You must keep in mind that pigs are prone to eat very fast, and overweight, so it is essential to control the number of apples to supply, the apple is rich in fructose, and that can be beneficial to the pig, only in appropriate doses.

Your instinct will tell you what amount is appropriate, but if you want my opinion I would say that an apple a day is enough, as a complement to other foods, cut the apple into pieces after washing it well, and remove the seeds, and that’s it.