Can Pigs Eat Oranges? Toxic or Beneficial

We love so many things about winters, oranges and foggy mornings are one of them. You and your pets must have taken the advantage of this orange season to the fullest. If not, it’s still not that late to reap the benefits of this rewarding fruit. 

Oranges, the most loved citrus fruit, help us in preventing skin damage, controlling blood sugar level, maintaining a healthy immune system, lowering blood pressure, cholesterol, and the risk of cancer to a noticeable extent. This rewarding fruit is as beneficial for animals as it’s for humans, it’s just that it serves them differently.

Feeding citrus fruits to animals is a common practice, dogs, cattle, horses, and several wild birds like bluebirds, cardinals, woodpeckers, jays, starlings, cedar waxwings, thrashers, and thrushes have been eating them from the scrap for a variety of reasons. (Source) 

A lot of my readers might have seen horses, cattle, and dogs enjoying citrus fruits but are confused whether pigs can eat them or not? Since they eat scrap even some times pigs eat poop the most, it’s high time we need to know whether we can leave the oranges or orange peels in for this poor little fella or not?

The idea of dedicating an article to pigs and oranges hit late, but it’s still better than not knowing anything on this subject at all if you are raising pigs. In this article, today we would be discussing whether pigs can eat oranges or not? If they can, what are the health benefits of feeding oranges, and how it should be fed? So, without further ado, let’s discuss what needs to be discussed right now.

Can pigs eat oranges?

Yes, pigs can eat oranges. It can be a safe, delicious, and healthy treat if one knows how to feed them rightly. It can be fed only as a treat, not as a whole one-time meal. 

Do pigs like oranges?

Not all pigs like oranges, but some pigs do adore oranges for the nice citrusy taste. In fact, like humans, no animals belonging to the same family can have similar tastes. Their preferences, likes, and dislikes can be different.

It is noticed that fully-grown pigs eat oranges the similar way we eat avocado, turnips, sprouts, celeriac, solely for the nutrients.

For the record, Piglets like oranges but fully grown pigs do not appreciate them as much as piglets do. 

Now that it’s has been made clear that pigs can eat oranges but as a treat. The appropriate answer to the question, whether they like oranges or not is, the fully grown pigs do not love eating oranges but they do not hate it either. Whereas, the little ones; piglets do love the citrusy taste. Since you can take the advantage of this rewarding fruit, let’s discuss how can you feed them rightly?

How to feed oranges to Pigs?

Frankly, there are no hard and fast rules that need to be followed while feeding oranges. Oranges just have to be fed like all other fruit and veggie treats. Since this is an informative article, it’s not fair to deprive our readers of basic knowledge.

• The first thing you need to know is that you can not choose a rotten orange to be fed. The rotten oranges are neither healthy nor flavorful. So, choose the best one for your pigs as you would select one for you.
• The oranges should be washed thoroughly before peeling or feeding. The unwashed oranges can get you in hot water as they are mostly chemically treated.
• The oranges you are about to feed your pigs or piglet must be peeled. It’s not that peels are harmful but when you are feeding whole oranges, they must be peeled. If you do not want to throw orange peels away, you can feed them separately.
• Oranges must be chopped. Pigs are messy eater they do not chew anything as it should be chewed and they are always in hurry to get it down the throat. So, take your knife and chop the freshly peeled oranges before you throw them in the feeding pot. 
• The rule “feed-in-moderation” applies to oranges as well. No matter how badly you pigs beg for more, do not overlook the “feed-in-moderation” rule at all costs. After all, safety comes first.

It’s important to mention here that the treats that are considered safer only cause the problem if they are either not fed in moderation or the other feeding rules are not being followed properly.

If the oranges are fed following the above-mentioned rules, I bet they would not invite any trouble at all. However, if any of the basic principles are ignored, the health of your pet pig is at stake.

A lot of you might have been thinking of feeding oranges as a treat as well. Let’s have a look at how this rewarding fruit is beneficial for your pigs so you should not be feeding them with half knowledge. 

Would you love to Scroll Pig Names for your cute Piglet?

What vitamins and minerals oranges have? And how are they beneficial for pigs?

According to Live Science, Oranges are bombarded with folate, thiamine, potassium, and Vitamin C. There are some other nutrients as well but the major ones are folate, thiamine, potassium, and vitamin C. Since now you know what you would be “actually” feeding your pigs in the shape of oranges, let’s quickly have a look at how these vitamins and minerals are beneficial for pigs.

• Folate: It’s not very well known that folate helps in better growth. A recent Chinese study showed that folate does not just maintain the balance of epithelial cell renewal, but also improves the pig’s growth rate. It’s super beneficial for piglets as it helps them in growing at a better and faster rate. 
• Thiamine: Thiamine deficiency is alarmingly increasing in animals and pigs can get affected by it as well. The animals can only get this nutrient from food, so if this rewarding treat is helping the poor animal then what’s the harm?
• Potassium: Pigs may not require potassium as much as they need copper, iron, manganese, and zinc, etc but it’s still crucial for them to live a balanced life. Potassium plays an important role in maintaining metabolic, nerve, muscle activity, and cell function. Moreover, it prevents cardiovascular diseases to a great extent. 
• Vitamin C: Even if I leave this field empty, I’m pretty sure that my readers can tell how important vitamin C is for us, animals, and specifically pigs. Vitamin C plays a variety of roles in a pig’s body including tissue growth and immune regulation. 

Moreover, oranges do have a noticeable percentage of iron, magnesium, calcium, vitamin D, A, and B-6, and none of these nutrients is harmful to pigs in any sense. 

Other Treats for Oranges: There are some other treats that pigs love to eat. They can feed on grapes, apples, onions, eggs and even chicken bones.

Summary

Pigs can eat oranges. Oranges are safe and rewarding if they have been fed rightly. Oranges should be fresh, thoroughly washed, peeled, and chopped to be fed. This nutritional powerhouse contains folate thiamine, potassium, iron, magnesium, calcium, vitamin C, A, D, and B-6. It’s important to keep in mind that oranges can only be fed peeled, peels can be served later. Peels are equally beneficial but they should not be served with the fruit at all.

Piglets love receiving orange treats and it’s beneficial for them as oranges have got the reputation of improving growth rate. Fully grown pigs may not enjoy this citrus fruit as piglets but they do not hate it either.