Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: First Pigs.... Help!  (Read 1205 times)

PhillipWillie

  • Joined Jul 2011
  • Ballymoney
First Pigs.... Help!
« on: August 31, 2011, 02:34:12 am »
Getting my first pigs in the morning, just wondering what they need fed, space, just general info?

HappyHippy

  • Guest
Re: First Pigs.... Help!
« Reply #1 on: August 31, 2011, 07:45:58 am »
Hi Phillip,
You don't say what kind of pigs  ??? I'm going to assume it's weaners for pork, but please let me know if it's Kune Kunes as they are different in their needs.
For 2 or 3 weaners to pork weight they'll generally need a minimum of 25m x 25m field space - but given it's coming into the winter I'd advise 2 seperate pens so that if/when one gets to muddy, wet or trashed you can move them and give it a chance to recover. They'll need a shelter which is dry and preferably has a floor (keeps them warm in the winter) and not too high a roof to conserve heat and a deep straw bed will keep them warm. It shouldn't be too big (8ft x 6ft would be fine for up to about 6 weaners) this help to keep them cosy and stops them being inclined to use it as a toilet, remove any wet or soiled straw as soon as you spot it because that will also encourage them to poo inside the arc.
Ask the breeder what they've been getting fed and either try to feed the same or ask if you can have some of their food so you can gradulally change them over - the usual is 1 pound of food for each month of age of the pig and split into 2 or 3 feeds throughout the day. They'll need a constant supply of fresh water to drink too. You can suppliment their food with fruit & veg (though not from your kitchen - can't feed anything that's been in any kitchen it's illegal due to the risk of disease from contaminated food) Introduce fruit & veg gradually, you don't want them to get the runs  ;) And if you have access to big amounts of fruit & veg you can feed it in place of pig nuts at a ratio of 4lbs fruit being equall to 1lb of pig nuts, but don't feed more than 50% of their diet as fruit & veg - they need the pig nuts (sometimes called rolls or pencils) for the correct balance of protien, vitamins and minerals.
Check with the breeder if they've been wormed and with what, it saves phonecalls later  ;)
There's loads to learn and if your pigs are coming today it'll certainly be a steep learning curve - but an enjoyable one too hopefully  ;D
Hope that helps a bit ?
Karen  :wave:

 

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