The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: patchy1990 on March 14, 2011, 07:33:33 pm
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Ever since i got my pigs, i've been bringing them in at night, i suppose this is partially because i got them mid winter, and it was freezing!
During the day they are in a large field, with a large pig ark equipped with lots of straw! And during the night they are in the stable, they run back every night!
However, now its warming up, i might start leaving them out. All my other pigs have always stayed out, but as i've had these two from 10 weeks old i just feel like i cant leave them out!
What do you do with your piggies? ;D
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We have had ours since they were 10 weeks old. They have a stable and during the day are out and about with the stable door open. We shut the door at night when they are usually out for the count, perhaps a bit over the top!! will probably leave them open in the summer.
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I shut the top of the stable door too! Think i may be a bit too protective of these two!
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Just a bit! ;D ;D
Mine live out 24 x 7 came in to farrow then back out. Nice dry arc with a floor and plenty of straw. They're happy as pigs in whatsit!
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We got our three boys at the beginning of January, at around 11 wks old, and they're lovely.
At night they put themselves to bed in their ark which itself is in a small muddy compound. This is fenced and gated at night. During the day they have the roam of half an acre of garden.
We have foxes coming through in the night but I don't think they're any risk to the pigs and the hens are always shut away at night.
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I'm like you, patchy, and bring mine in at night. They have a pen in the byre which we walk through to get to the cattle shed, so they get lots of attention as we pass by several times during the evening. They and we like this and I am a bit loathe to keep them out and miss out on my evening chats and cuddles! I expect I will, though, once it really warms up.
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Mine are outside all the time had them since October and they have gone through the worst winter, plenty of straw in the arc and they are fine. If I breed I would bring them in to the stable for farrowing.
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Mine are outside all the time. I even farrow in the arks outside.
A good sturdy floor, off the ground, for all arks and lots of straw, especially in the winter.
Happy pigs :love: :pig: :love:
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Wow fellas I leave all of my outside, they all have warms shelters, with plenty of straw and plenty of igs in the pens to generate the heat. As a matter of fact I often go down the piggery at night, (A) to look at the stars above (B) to check out any sows that may be farrowing (C) to feed my Maremma that keeps the foxes out of the piggery and (D) to check on the growers and watch the steam rise from their bodies. I reckon one day I might just crawl in and go to sleep with them. Warm.....it is so hot.... unbelievable. They dont sleep cold at all
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I've been very cosy the nights that I've spent with gilts or sows who are due to farrow........Those arks are so comfy and warm in the winter. :)
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Maremma
whats that?
mine are out 24/7 but have use of a barn/stable. in the summer they sleep in the woods by their own choice.
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princess a maremma is a lovely big white dug originates from Tuscany if they were guarding our pigs and sheep they would be stinking and black just now :pig: :dog: :wave:
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Our 3 are out in their paddock with a big ark (raised floor, lots of straw) - they put themselves to bed at night - and quite a few times during the day as well ;D
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princess a maremma is a lovely big white dug originates from Tuscany if they were guarding our pigs and sheep they would be stinking and black just now :pig: :dog: :wave:
oh yes, i know what u mean, i had visions of a llama or something in my head!
my gsd is supposed to be white, more like mud-dreadlocks hanging from her belly...and then she wants to sit on the couch. ;D :wave: :wave:
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Our 3 are out in their paddock with a big ark (raised floor, lots of straw) - they put themselves to bed at night - and quite a few times during the day as well ;D
I'm glad it's not just my boys who like to take power naps during the day.
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Mine too! until they hear you, come running to see what you might have for them. Today Ollie forgot the electric fence and caught her chin on it not nice to hear the cry!
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princess a maremma is a lovely big white dug originates from Tuscany if they were guarding our pigs and sheep they would be stinking and black just now :pig: :dog: :wave:
My dog is nice and white and yes he guards the pigs. He does not have access to thier pens only to the lanes ways within the piggery. As for stinking....dont think so. They are working dog, not one that sits in the lounge room with you and watches the TV.
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Blonde, I have always been interested in the Maremma to ward off foxes. I have a load of questions but will post them on the Working Dogs area.
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Mine are out all year round, even in the snow and ice - apart from farrowing to weaning. We're 800ft up, which is why I chose very hardy Tamworths.
Blonde, I have always loved Maremmas. I'll have one myself one day - even if it does have to get dirty up here! However, judging by the ones I've seen when I've been at Cruft's, I'm guessing the dirt would drop off quite easily. I have three Newfoundland/Bernese/collie crosses with long hair and one of the three has a soft and very fluffy coat which can be covered in mud one minute and clean the next. The other two have coarser, curlier coats and are a lot more difficult to deal with...!
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The maremma sounds interesting. I'll go look them up. Woudl they protect ducks and fowl too? And what about from mink?
A friend of mine lost a lof of birds to a mink - taking them back to her family.
It wasn't funny - but we did tease his partner that she'd be wearing a mink coat soon ....
As for the pigs - seven porkers of mine are out with a raised up wooden ark - which they spend a lot of the daytime in too!
Two big sows and a boar are in the back of the shed with a big hole in the wall where they can go outside into fenced off area - but spend most of the day in the shed apart from when they want to poo wee or have a drink (usually one trip!) And the saddleback sow and her two piglets are still in another section of the shed but only cos I hav nowhere to keep her outdoors at mo till my porkers go to slaughter.x
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My two ladies were out right through the winter until I brought them into a stable, but that was because we have horrendous mud (clay soil!!!) so I boshed a doorway into the side of the stable out into their pen. Had I not done done that I would have just concreted around the pig arks about 8 ft either side and fenced internally so they would have a concrete area to go when the mud was really bad. As it is they live in 'Old Spot Towers', and very happy they are too!