[Pasture Farm]

I have for a number of years now kept two or three pigs through the summer months and then butchered for the freezer with excellent results.
My question is if i keep two through the winter what would be a good breed and also how to feed as my take on this is that they would lay down fat to keep warm. Hope you can help 

[manian]

we fed ours the same,  + they had alot more apples and fruit as in full swing for wind fall
they just take longer to reach slaughter weight, used alot more bedding though so need to factor that into costs
 

[Tiva Diva]

Ours do fine in the winter, even when we had -20 here. The biggest problem we had was keeping their water supply going. Some of ours have insulated arks but even those that didn't have did fine with plenty of dry straw and the ark entrance turned away from the prevailing wind. They didn't take any longer to reach slaughter weight but they did have lots of stuff from the garden plus some field beans. The pens did get REALLY muddy when it rained, though, as they took a lot longer to dry out

[Fowgill Farm]

Keeping pigs thro winter can be done and is not for the faint hearted.
A lot depends on your land. If you're on heavy clay and have to keep them outside i would rethink your plan or have somewhere they could be relocated in the worst of the weather( a barn or building of some sort). They will be ok in an ark preferably wooden with plenty of dry straw, pull out some of the old straw to make a straw doormat for them, that way they won't drag so much muck in their house and keep them topped up(pull out some of old then refresh).
The other main problem as mentioned is water and keeping it flowing especially if you aren't on mains. Pigs must have access to water at all times (i've seen me out 2 or 3 times during the day to smash ice on water troughs)
The other problem is if you work full time you're only going to feed up during darkness both am & pm and you might miss things going on with your pigs so you either need lights of the flexibility to feed at least once a day in daylight hours.
Depending on how hard a winter we have you may need to feed extra but you'll be able to judge this by how your pigs look. They can burn a lot of fat just keeping warm if you don't keep them warm enough.
Also from a keepers point of view you need to be prepared to turn out in all weathers twice a day (more if conditions dictate) so make sure YOU have the appropiate kit, waterproof trousers, good wellies, thick socks etc. I don't want to put you off keeping pigs thro winter but just be aware of what's involved. Crawling about in wet mud trying to get escapee piglets back in is not my idea of fun whne is persisting down and blowing a gale!
HTH
Mandy 

[robert waddell]

two pigs in a large area should not be to bad  slabber wise          soil type is the deciding factor  free draining sandy soil is best  next a wood that has not had pigs in it   then clay type soil (this is the worst as it goes to slabber and never drys out until frozen or spring 
ours is clay soil and it does take a bit of management to prevent what can border on cruelty if overstocked
the alternative is sheds with concrete with an area that the pigs can exercise and root

[Pasture Farm]

Many thanx for the advise, ive just been informed that my shift pattern is changing at work and i will be doing four 12 hour days rather than 5 eight hours.

Taking this into account and the dark mornings ect i think im gonna stick with summer pigs and freezer them

[HappyHippy]

I think that's a very sensible plan Pasture Farm 
Buy in Spring/Summer send off in the late Autumn. That way you get to enjoy them when the weather's nice and all the food will be converted to pork (rather than being used to keep warm) then, once you become truely addicted to pigs (oh yeah, it'll happen  ) you'll get set up so you can keep them year round without too much hassle.
Enjoy them when you get them