How much feed does a pig need in winter?

Short answer

About 5–7 lb a day for a finishing pig — more once it is colder than its comfort zone: 50–60°F at 200 lb, 60–65°F at 100 lb

A growing-finishing pig eats about 5–7 lb of feed a day and needs about 3 lb of feed per pound of gain, so a pig going from 50 to 250 lb eats roughly 600 lb (Wisconsin). Winter adds to that whenever the pig is below its thermoneutral zone, and that zone moves with size: 70–75°F for a 45-lb nursery pig, 60–65°F at 100 lb, 50–60°F for a 200-lb finisher (Penn State). Below it, the pig burns feed to stay warm; Penn State says a cold-stressed pig may need its daily allowance raised by 3× or more depending on age, size and weather. Dry bedding and no drafts are cheaper than the feed.

The arithmetic

Feed = gain × 3. Wisconsin assumes 3 lb of feed per pound of gain: 50 to 250 lb is 200 lb of gain, so 600 lb of feed — 12 fifty-pound bags.
Per day: 5–7 lb for a growing-finishing pig (Wisconsin), rising as the pig grows.
Check the barn against the pig. A 200-lb finisher is comfortable at 50–60°F; a 100-lb grower wants 60–65°F; a weaned 15-lb pig 77–85°F (Penn State). Below that line, feed goes to heat instead of gain.
Price it: 600 lb at $15–25 a 50-lb bag is $180–300 a pig before the cold adds anything.

How much more does a cold pig eat? Nobody publishes one number

Cattle have a per-degree rule. Pigs, in the sources we checked, do not — and the reasons are worth knowing.

Penn State Extension: Thermoneutral zone by size (85°F+ for suckling pigs down to 50–60°F at 200 lb); in persistent cold, "increase the daily feed allowance by 3x or more" depending on age, size and weather — no per-degree figure
University of Wisconsin: 5–7 lb a day, 3:1 feed to gain — normal conditions, no cold adjustment
Oklahoma State (via Nebraska Extension): +1% energy per °F below 32°F wind chill — for beef cattle only
NC State, Sampson County: Each species has its own lower critical temperature; publishes the cattle figures only

A pig's comfort zone moves 35°F between weaning and market weight, and bedding, drafts, wet floors and how many pigs share a pen change what the pig actually feels. A single percent-per-degree would be wrong for most pigs most of the time, which is probably why nobody prints one.

Keep the pig inside its zone with bedding and draft control rather than trying to feed through the cold, and if it isn't gaining on 6 lb a day in January, the barn is the problem before the ration is.

What changes your number

Size. The smaller the pig, the warmer it needs to be. A 15-lb weaned pig is cold at 77°F; a 200-lb finisher is comfortable at 50°F (Penn State).
Bedding. Penn State's advice is dry bedding, draft protection and insulation — no figure, but it is the cheapest feed you'll buy.
Wet and drafts. A wet pig or a pig in a draft is colder than the thermometer says. Fix leaks and wind before adding feed.
Feed efficiency. Wisconsin's 3:1 assumes comfortable pigs. A cold pig eats more for the same gain, so the 600-lb figure is a floor in a cold barn, not a ceiling.
Water. A feeder pig drinks about 1.8 gallons a day (Alberta). Frozen water cuts feed intake too, and a pig that won't eat won't gain.
Sows. A gestating sow's zone is 60–65°F, a lactating sow's 55–65°F (Penn State) — warmer than a finisher's.

A number we won't give you

A percent of extra feed per degree of cold for pigs. Cattle have one (about 1% per °F below 32°F wind chill); in the extension sources we checked, pigs do not, and we won't borrow the cattle rule for them. Penn State's "3× or more" is for young, persistently cold-stressed pigs — not a rule for a finisher on a chilly night.

How cold is too cold — thermoneutral zone by size

Pig	Comfortable at
Suckling pig	85°F and up
Weaned pig, 15 lb	77–85°F
Nursery pig, 45 lb	70–75°F
Grower, 55 lb	68–75°F
Grower, 100 lb	60–65°F
Finisher, 200 lb	50–60°F
Gestating sow, 350 lb	60–65°F
Lactating sow, 350 lb	55–65°F

Penn State Extension, adapted from Effect of Environment on Nutrient Requirements of Domestic Animals (National Research Council). Below the low end, the pig spends feed on heat.

Feed from 50 lb to market

Market weight	Feed (3:1)	50-lb bags	At $20 a bag
240 lb	570 lb	11.4	$228
250 lb	600 lb	12.0	$240
260 lb	630 lb	12.6	$252
270 lb	660 lb	13.2	$264
280 lb	690 lb	13.8	$276

Wisconsin Extension's table at 3 lb of feed per pound of gain. The bag price is an example.

Run your own numbers

Two pigs on 6 lb a day for a 120-day winter — change the head count, the daily feed and what you pay per bag.

Your animals and your prices

SpeciesHeadDays of winter feeding

Hay

lb per head per day, before wasteHow you feedPrice per bale ($)Bale weight (lb)

Grain, pellets or layer feed

lb per head per dayPrice per bag ($)Bag weight (lb)

The prices filled in are examples, not a quote. Put in what your feed store and hay man actually charge.

Feed cost per head

$2.40 / day

Per head, whole winter: $288
All 2 head, whole winter: $576
Grain or feed: 1,440 lb

This is the estimate. In the app, every pen shows what it actually cost per head per day, from the feed you log.

What a winter pig costs to feed

From 50 to 250 lb a pig eats about 600 lb of feed (Wisconsin): $180 at $15 a bag, $240 at $20, $300 at $25. A cold barn adds to that by an amount nobody publishes — which is the argument for bedding and a wind break over a bigger feed order.

Then stop planning from averages

The 3:1 is Wisconsin's assumption. In Homestead Paradise you log the feed and the weigh-ins, and the pen shows its real feed conversion and its feed cost per head per day — so you see the cold barn in the numbers instead of guessing. 14-day free trial, no card.

Start your 14-day trial — no card

Keep planning

How much hay do goats need for winter?How much hay do sheep need for winter?How much hay does a cow need for winter?How many bales of hay do I need for winter?What does it cost to feed livestock through winter, per head?How much water do livestock drink in winter?

Sources

Every figure on this page comes from a land-grant university extension service, a government agriculture or energy agency, or a breed registry — never from another blog.