Pigs and Snak-a-ball
Monday 25 August, 2008
When we first got pigs we soon discovered that feeding time was over very quickly. Rosemary had the great idea of using a horse toy, a Snak-a-ball, to keep them interested after their trough was empty, and to give them some exercise. We've always introduced new pigs to the ball since then, and as you can see from the video they love it:
Pigs with Snak-a-ball from asmallholder on Vimeo.
The ball is made of very thick plastic, so it's pig-proof. The only problems are when the ground is very wet, and the ball gets clogged with mud, and the rare occasion that they get it wedged into a corner and can't get it out. If you've got pigs we'd recommend getting one, your pigs will thank you for it.
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Comments
Dan
Glad you enjoyed it Kimberley.
Our pens are about 30x40 feet. They get rested over-winter, and we sow grazing rye or something similar late in the summer, once the pigs have gone to slaughter. We're not too concerned about the ground not getting enough rest, although we are getting fewer hard frosts than we used to, so it might become a problem. Most years we only keep 2 pigs, this year is an exception with 3 but we'll be back to 2 next year.
We get our pigs at betweemn 8-12 weeks old, and they go to slaughter at 32-33 weeks.
Hope this helps!
Michelle
Great video! What an amazing location you are in - the view is wonderful - M
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Kimberley
Tuesday 26 August, 2008 at 9:47am
Such a great idea! Could watch it for hours, and can't wait to do it for my own ....someday...*sigh*
Could you tell me (again) how big your pig "paddocks" are? and also how long you keep the three pigs on there...and also (sorry) what weight you got the pigs at and what weight (and how long it takes) you'll take them to slaughter?
Are you concerned that the paddocks don't get enough rest between stints with pigs on them?
THanks again, and great to see you up and posting again.
Cheers,
Kimberley