The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: Muc on May 17, 2012, 12:15:58 pm
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I made a mistake putting my two new weaners into their large new home. It's 8 feet square and as they were so snug in the box I brought them home in, I just put it in a corner of the sty.
Unfortunately they regarded the rest of the area as a grand toilet. I have cleaned it twice, removed the box and put in new bedding but they still don't get the message.
Today a built them a lean-to outside and have closed off the sty completely. When I next clean it, I will spray it with Jeyes fluid or some other smelly cleaner and hope they continue to go outside.
I thought I was finished with toilet training.
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small pigs large area as long as they are not shitting in there bedding you are alright :farmer:
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We fill big houses with small bales to lessen the area they have and take them out as they grow, that way they always go outside to do their business.
HTH
mandy :pig:
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That's clever. I might try that or fence off half the area.
Regards.
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As Robert says - they won't do it on their bedding nor will they go in a nice neat little pile for you. It sounds as if they have rather a small area so it may not be a surprise that their "spread it about" strategy has filled the sty. Our do prefer to go up against the walls of their sty away from their bed. They use 2 areas in a large sty.
I Just add old straw to their toilet area to ease the clear up when needed - the smell of jeyes would be quite a shock to the pigs sensitive nose.
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I should ad that they have always had free access to a large outside area. It's just that they got into a bad habit. They've been in their lean-to now for several nights and haven't fouled it.
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The other thing to try is feeding them in the sty, on the ground after you've put the new bedding in. In my experience, pigs won't defecate where they eat. They'll soon get the idea.