Squealing before being fed

Question
Hello, Helen,

My question is about squealing before meal time. My 10-week-old pig knows when he's supposed to have breakfast and as soon as he sees me going for the food starts squealing. I try to wait until he stops before I put the food down, but this has been going on for the past four weeks, and I think I may be missing something. The other meal of the day isn't a problem because I can get to the food before he sees me messing with it. It's when he hears me get up in the morning that he starts up. Any ideas of what I can do?

Answer
Many people swear by the "Wait until he's silent" method. But in this case, it seems he starts up long before his meal is ready.

First make sure he's getting enough to eat. The rule of thumb is at least 1/2 c pellets per 15 lb of piglet. That's just a starting point, active piglets often need more.

Decide what time you want to feed him in the morning, and stick to that exact time. After a couple of weeks, piggy will know that is when food is coming and not before. Do not give him any treats or anything else before breakfast. Ignore the squealing.

Some pigs are naturally more vocal than others. There's a difference between a piggy squealing at you for dinner, and a piggy talking to himself. Some pigs will stop the angry squealing, but still talk a lot before meals.