[quixoticgeek]

I'm still at the dreaming and planning stage of getting a small holding, trying to save up the money and find somewhere suitable. While that's going on, I've been pondering what I would like to do with the land, and wondering just how feasible what I have in my mind is.

The basic plan is to have a pair of sows, from which we produce a litter of piglets each year, raise most of these, maybe sell a few as weaners. Keep the meat from a few of these, and sell the rest (either to friends & family or other suitable outlet). Obviously 2 sows can produce a lot of piglets. But to have less than 2 sows that over winter seems unfair upon them. Is this a reasonable basic plan?

Can you have two sows with piglets in the same field, or do they need a separate enclosure each? How do you calculate the area needed for two pigs plus their offspring?

Is AI a plausible option for such small scale or would I need to consider a boar?

Thanks

Julia

[devonlady]

I have a large ark, divided down the middle by a removable divider, each half having a large enclosed run. Thus the sows can farrow in private and safety and when piglets are less vulnerable I let them all out to free range when the sows don't seem to mind who feeds from which.
One thing you will need are pig- proof fences. Get advice from a local pig person. Good luck

[Porterlauren]

Only a couple of points -

When raising a whole litter for meat,you canned up with a sudden glut, when all the pigs go off to slaughter and you need to make all your sales at the same point.

The AI thing, works really well, we AI'd our saddleback a while a go and recently she produced 14 live piglets.

[Marches Farmer]

Get Richard Lutwyche's book on Pig Keeping (published by the National Trust) - everything you'll need to consider. 

Sows are normally put back to the boar after weaning, once they've had a few days to dry up.This means two litters a year so you also need to think about when they'll farrow.  Ours are in concrete and tin sties and large runs, with a permanent water supply and power for infra red lamps.  Not ideal in the Summer when we'd prefer them to be rooting around in a field, but super in Winter when they're not up to their bellies in cold mud!

[oaklandspigs]

Or buy our book or come on a course

http://www.oaklandspigs.co.uk/

:-)

[sokel]

Can't help with the breeding side as I only rear wearers I buy in but you really would need a lot of customers all at the same time or some very very big freezers if you where to rear most of 2 litters for meat 

Or buy our book or come on a course

http://www.oaklandspigs.co.uk/

:-)

I love your book