Author Topic: will (small) pigs eat rushes & big brambles? (Read 9240 times)

mab · « **on:** November 11, 2016, 11:38:24 pm »

hello all,

I got my little kune kune cross mangalitza's about 6 weeks ago now and have currently got them in an enclosure with lots of rushes and some big brambles and a little grass.

I was hoping they'd clear the lot (eventually) but they show no signs of eating the rushes at all, and only eating the leaves they can reach on the brambles (though they are rooting up the grass).

I noticed in the last enclosure that everything got eaten/rooted up except the rushes (there were no brambles in that one) and I am beginning to wonder if they'll touch rushes at all (they didn't even eat the green tops of the small rushes)?

I guess I'm wondering if these little piggies will eat big, tough plants (maybe when they grow up a bit more?) or do I really need some full-sized pigs?

harmony · « **Reply #1 on:** November 12, 2016, 08:55:42 am »

If you want them to clear ground you have to give them less space. They root up rather than eat what is above ground with brambles and reeds.

mab · « **Reply #2 on:** November 12, 2016, 07:18:09 pm »

OK, well I'll see how they get on for a bit, and if they don't do much more in their current enclosure I'll try making it smaller. I did have a thought that maybe they're not hungry enough? - I'm still following Happyhippys advice of about 1lb each split into two meals a day, and they are not looking lean (though not obviously fat either) - but I don't want to starve them. Maybe I should take another pic and get the experts to tell me if they're fat/thin/about right - i'm just guessing.

thanks
m

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #3 on:** November 12, 2016, 07:40:00 pm »

Be careful they don't eat too much greenery - it can impact in their gut, with dire consequences. When you say "small" do you also mean young? They need 16% protein to put on frame before they start to fill out. The protein content of rushes and brambles is negligible. I suggest clearing the ground by at least hacking down and carting away the tough stuff. The soft, young growth that emerges will be more suitable for pigs anyway.

mab · « **Reply #4 on:** November 12, 2016, 08:41:21 pm »

yes about 17 weeks old. I'm principally feeding them growers(?) pellets for weaners but with a little carrot and apple and whatever they find in their enclosure. There isn't that much greenery for them apart from rushes and big brambles ATM and as they've been there for almost 2 weeks I guess they're OK in there.

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #5 on:** November 14, 2016, 04:56:07 pm »

Big brambles are unlikely to be eaten unless they're starving. Pigs have a reputation for eating "everything" but I doubt they "like" eating brambles any more than we'd like eating our hats.

mab · « **Reply #6 on:** November 14, 2016, 07:12:20 pm »

That seems reasonable - though I was hoping they may root the brambles up a bit to eat their roots.

I guess then I should clear the land with the scythe and then let the piggies eat the new spring growth in the brambly, brackeny areas. Not sure if mowing will help with the rushes though.

Cuddles · « **Reply #7 on:** November 15, 2016, 04:22:12 pm »

If you can get something to cut the rushes down it will help, and keeping on top of them will also help. If you can cut them down hard and expose the centre of any clumpy bits to the frost, even better. I've been told this approach can be quite effective.
Eventually you will need to address why you have rushes though to make a real difference to the field - are there drainage issues, soil pH etc to help the good stuff (grass/clover...) compete with the rush. I'm sure there are plenty of discussions on rush control elsewhere on here.

I've been smashing my rushes with a flail for the last year and half, its made a big difference but I've also just put in a couple of open ditches to move any standing water on its merry way. Next spring I'll be putting lime down, hopefully on drier less rushy ground.

Good luck!

Cuddles

cloddopper · « **Reply #8 on:** November 16, 2016, 12:50:17 am »

Marcus do drag the cut brambles in a heap & burn them off when they are dry the ash will help fertilize the fires footprint . It's also good to put a hand full of ash in the middle of a clump of acid ground loving rushes as it alkaline . it helps knock thm down apparently .

Don't just leave the brambles where they fall or the pigs wont like going over the thorns to eat the new shoots & they don't like trying to root through dead dried nose scratching brambles either .

Will you be putting your sheep on the cleared ground as soon as it develops a bit of a new re-growth ?

mab · « **Reply #9 on:** November 17, 2016, 07:36:12 pm »

oops! thanks for the replies - haven't been back for a couple of days.

Cuddles - you're right enough about the underlying problem of waterlogged acid soil. I've got the pigs as a sort of trial to see how they work at clearing ground - rather than doing it all by hand with an austrian scythe. The rushy bit at the bottom of hill was a convenient place to put them for the wet months (there's a dry high island where the ark sits - and I've put in a wooden floor on pallets so they'll always have somewhere dry). but if they do clear it I can add some lime and dig out the old land drains a bit; if they don't; well it's back to the scythe(or a garden fork) for the rushes and the pigs can go somewhere else for a bit.

Hi Dave - where I've cleared the brambles I've piled them to burn - though as to whether they'll ever be dry enough is another question. They have actually started rooting up a few of their brambles I saw today, so I may be able soon to rake them into a heap in their enclosure. And yes, once the bracken & bramble are knocked back I'm hoping to leave it to the sheep to finish off - though I suspect the bracken will take a lot of knocking.

I do have a sort of plan now to fence in areas of the slopes which I've cleared with the scythe and put the pigs on for short spells in the spring to eat the new bracken & bramble. It's all a bit of a learning curve and if the piggies don't work out they can always go in the freezer (once their up to weight

).

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #10 on:** November 18, 2016, 08:41:56 am »

Quote from: mab on November 17, 2016, 07:36:12 pm

It's all a bit of a learning curve and if the piggies don't work out they can always go in the freezer (once their up to weight ).

Are they all gilts? If they're filling up on brambles and greenery it may take them a while longer to reach a decent slaughter weight and, depending on age, you may need to beware of boar taint.

Lots of bracken isn't good for ewes either. Again, they'll eat it if desperate but would much rather not.

mab · « **Reply #11 on:** November 18, 2016, 12:51:21 pm »

They're gilts

. I understand they may take a while to grow anyway as they're small breed.

The ewes shouldn't be hungry ebough to eat the bracket in theory - they don't normally. As to eating the piggies after they've eaten bracken - I found something online about giving 15days before slaughter on other food.
Thanks.

M

Pigsmightfry · « **Reply #12 on:** November 18, 2016, 06:38:00 pm »

I don't know of any animal that will eat bracken, rushes or brambles, your pigs however will turn over the ground and knock them back a bit. The rushes will come back once you take the pigs away, spreading lime before anything grows may see them off. As to the brambles, keep taking away the stems and roots as the pigs dig them up, it will stop them regrowing. Bracken is a hard thing to get rid of, it has a big network of roots underground, the pigs will dig some up and if you keep pulling it out it it may eventually give up.

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #13 on:** November 19, 2016, 01:22:19 pm »

I have got rid of bracken in one of my neighbour's fields we graze sheep on, by taking a dashel basher with me every day when I check them and hacking back to ground level a patch at a time for as long as I can before having to do something else or getting too hot/wet/bored. Took a whole Spring and Summer but got there in the end.