When you go to pick out your piggy, watch it run a little and look at it's hams, if it jiggles a lot it will be a fatty piggy. I know that sounds a little silly but it is true. Corn feed also helps tenderize the meat. When I was a kid we use to raise pigs. And my DH and I where given a pig and raised it, and butched it. And now we are raising two more one for a friend and the one for us. As for raising one by it's self we did it and it was a happy piggy, kind of spoiled. Of the two we have now one of them is mean, she tried to bit me a couple of times. I think I got her trained to stay away now... One thing for sure pigs are real smart, and fast learners.