Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: free range pigs for ploughing and fertilising  (Read 2993 times)

david c

  • Joined Jun 2013
free range pigs for ploughing and fertilising
« on: February 12, 2016, 03:46:33 am »
I'm contemplating raising my pigs on a section of my currently used as grazing land, then growing maize or oats. This bit of my land is poor quality - restored open cast. Not particularly deep soil and fertility poor.  Anyone done this? What was the fertility improvement like?

I'm a bit confused about disease risk using pig muck - seems to be a lot of conflicting info. I had strip grazed the pigs on an area I wanted clearing to plant up with asparagus - any thoughts. Pigs are wormed, but don't want to end up with tape worm or whatever!! Is this a risk?

David

SophieYorkshire

  • Joined Sep 2015
Re: free range pigs for ploughing and fertilising
« Reply #1 on: February 12, 2016, 07:48:14 am »
If your pigs are properly wormed you shouldn't have an issue.

Biggest thing in my experience to remember is that pigs diet is high in copper. Therefore they'll be putting lots of copper onto the land so you need to consider what you want to grow and its reaction to copper.

They'll do a cracking job and love doing it  :thumbsup:

david c

  • Joined Jun 2013
Re: free range pigs for ploughing and fertilising
« Reply #2 on: February 12, 2016, 11:29:42 am »
Thanks Sophie. I think they are, but there is always the danger that they are still harbouring worms / reinfect and chucking eggs out (my background is equine and know its impossible to be 100% clear. I assume same for pigs in a field situation). I'd rather not go to the expense of regular fecal testing, but am concerned.

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: free range pigs for ploughing and fertilising
« Reply #3 on: February 13, 2016, 11:11:55 am »
Our farm used to be a small-scale intensive pig unit and they had a piped slurry spreader system.  Since that's stopped the fertility of the pasture has reduced but the native wild flowers and grasses are no longer swamped by fast-growing species encouraged by highly fertile soil.  Outcome will depend on what you want to grow.

Red

  • Joined Mar 2011
  • North Yorkshire
Re: free range pigs for ploughing and fertilising
« Reply #4 on: February 21, 2016, 06:42:47 pm »
We rescued 2 little pigs last year and they have so far spent the winter in my rusty clearing and fertilising areas, I keep making (good sized) pens and moving them around ... I was told to wait 6 months before planting so will be getti ready for the potatoes in a few weeks, they've done an amazing job and would highly recommend is!
Red

david c

  • Joined Jun 2013
Re: free range pigs for ploughing and fertilising
« Reply #5 on: February 22, 2016, 01:39:54 am »
I'd made some raised beds (more like a long, wide ridge and furrow) which I planted up last year. One had sunflowers and mainly borage on it. Needed a really good weeding afterwards as the intention was  to plant up with asparagus. I thought I would be clever and put some of the pigs on to clear it, thinking I'd save a load of work, pigs and soil would benefit. Rapidly turned to liquid mud with the terrible wet weather, but properly cleaned up.  Eventually moved the sows off and it started to return to soil. I then panicked about pig worms and veg, so today decided to plant with figs and black currants I needed to transplant. Soil looks as though very well manured - expecting the black currants to thrive as they weren't doing too well in their previous location.  Suspecting that properly done on the field that it will vastly improve it.

 

Forum sponsors

FibreHut Energy Helpline Thomson & Morgan Time for Paws Scottish Smallholder & Grower Festival Ark Farm Livestock Movement Service

© The Accidental Smallholder Ltd 2003-2024. All rights reserved.

Design by Furness Internet

Site developed by Champion IS