The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: becca1401 on August 12, 2009, 09:25:00 pm
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I have always been a great pig lover and reared two large pigs for meat last year. I have seen that you can get tiny little pigs and that they make great pets and wondered if anyone knows anything about them. I was thinking about keeping it in a large pen at night and letting it have free range of the garden and if house trained my home. We have four dogs,chickens and dogs so there will be plenty to keep the pig occupied. If away I would have to leave it in its pen and I'm not sure if thiswould be viable as I know they get lonely,should I have two?
Do they make good house pets or will they destroy it?Can they be trained like a dog,as my pigs before only seemed to respond to the word dinner!Could somone please help as I am trying to convience my other half that we really need one.
Many thank
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becca
we breed mini pot bellies.
pigs are as intelligent as dogs, they can be trained to sit, beg etc.
Ours live outdoors in a field, however they can be house trained, but i would not recommend a pig as a house pet, they can be distructive. In gereral they dont root like other pigs, but there will always be an exception to the rule who would turn a garden upside down over night!!
I would always keep 2 pigs as pigs can forget they are pigs and can become very protective of their owners. also a single pig should not be left for long periods on its own as they are very social. If you have 2 pigs you dont have the same issues.
Pigs will socialise with dogs and live quite happily along side them. They are like any other animal, you get out of them what you put in. if you spend lots of time with them and have patience to train them, they sre esdier to train than a dog.
My friend has one of our pigs as a garden pig. he sits, rolls over for a belly rub, lives in the garden with the dogsand potters about in the kitchen while she is cooking and cleaning etc. But he has a pen outside an is put away when she goes out or to bed. She also got another pig to keep him company while she was at work, as he got lonely.
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Thank you so much for your information. The sort of pig I want is like your friends that has its own pen for night but has a free range to follow me about in the day. I am at home most of the time and normally only go away for a couple of weekends a year and on odd occasions one week long holiday. There is no doubt that any animals I have gets my full attention as everything is free range which makes life alot better for everyone.
So two pigs it is then,my other half will be happy!!!!
Once again thanks. I've now just got to find some mini pigs for sale.
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I have Kune Kune pigs who do all the above!
They are not very micro but are slightly smaller than the average pig. They are great pets and are fabulous with other animals and kids.
I would have a browse at the BKKPS website for more info.
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Thanks
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Becca if/when you do get micro pigs would you post on here ? I and a friend are trying to source some for a third person. (Cant say too much as they post on here too). Any information would be gratefully received.
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No problem. I have seen plenty for sale but they are quite expensive and not really local to me. I have still got to get round my other half before anything can go ahead as he is digging his heels in over this one. I have been thinking about getting a kune kune as they are easier to get hold of and cheaper as they are not so much of a fashion accessory.
I remember I did see some in Oakham,Leicestershire for £100,not sure if they have all gone though.
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Be aware that many 'micro pigs' tea-cup etc are simply in-bred Kune kunes with the 'smallness' gene bred in. Its a form of genetic manipulation. What do you feel about pedigree dogs with all the probs like repiratory, hip displacement, squashed faces?!
Kunes are lovely. Pigs can apparently understand 160 words compared to a dog understanding 80-90 (and thats debatable!) So can be 'trained' to some extent though are stubborn as heck in my experience!
But you;ll need a pair at least, and be sure the males are castrated if they are sold as pets (Locally, I've answered an advert just to be nosey - the males are entire and 8 months old, and obviously the gilts are their sisters, so cant be breeding pairs, think they're going to have trouble, or else con idiots who havent researched such things)
Also, if you want to breed, try and get BKKPS registered piglets. (Ours aren't, even though they are pedigree) so their babies can be registered.
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We (friend and I on behalf of 3rd party) are looking primarily at German Micro pigs. The "best" we have found were near German/Austrian boarders and worked out at 300 euros each for a breeding pair. Obviously neutered males would be cheaper.
My friend already has a large selection of pigs, GOS, tamworth and kune kune would a micro pig or pair of micro pigs be ok in their company? I dont mean in the same pen, but on the same holding.
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We have Kune Kune piglets at the moment we had two litters in June and have some castrated boars left, they are 9 weeks old and weaned. I'm happy to send you some pictures if you would like?
We have had Kune's for a few years now and they are certainely very intelligent and social our full boar is adorable, they are all docile and love to roll over for a tummy rub or stand on a hot day waiting for the hose to cool them down.
The boys are 95-00 if you are interested.
Zelda
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Hilarys mum
My pot bellies are in pig and due mid november. we have 3 generations and they grow to around 16 inch tall and 2 ft long. they are smashing little pigs although i must admit the OH is not keen on them, he prefers our traditionals, mangalitzas, berkshires, tammys and lops. Mind he is a man and i think its a size thing ;D
they are kept on the same holding , but I dont mix them in the same pens as the larger pigs, purely due to the fact they are so small, however they are quite a robust sturdy little pig,
I love them, they are so funny!
Zelda
I have seen some really tiny kune kunes about 14 inch's and i was very suprised as its the 1st time i had ever seen them so small. Are the small kune kunes all inbred? or are there smaller strains?
Quite a few people are breeding mangalitzas, brothers and sisters, I checked out a few pedigrees earlier this yearand was suprised. people should always do their homework before buying a pig!
good luck with your search HM
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smiffy thanks, the friend has just bought a breeding pair of kunes as well, which is why they have to be micro pigs.
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hm
have you tried piggylicious? she was advertising micro pigs on here
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Smithy in reply to your post our Kune's are Jenny & Andrew bloodlines but for breeding there must be at least two generations from close relatives. I have had numerous enquiries of those wanting me to measure legs etc as they want to breed small, I do not entertain these enquiries as I believe this to be a practice against nature itself, the smallest would never survive on their own and therefore surely by mating these small pigs this can only lead to the problems associated with many types of breeding of this nature i.e. hip, respiratory problems etc etc . I'm not keen despite the apparent popular trend, has Paris Hilton something to do with this trend setting?
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has Paris Hilton something to do with this trend setting?
;D ;D ;D ;D
there does seem to be a trend for smaller pigs.
we breed large pigs, however this year i bought 6 mini pot bellys, its a long story and nearly caused a divorce!!!
I have resfused to sell them to a number of people. However in the right hands pigs make excellent pets. But they are not a fasion accessory and can not be purchased as a fad. They are a long term comitment. Fortunatly so far the people i have sold these little pigs to love them and they are part of the family.
I remember in the 80's when pot bellies were popular as garden pets, my friend used to help the PB club rescue many pigs. They once moved around 100 pigs from near heathrow airport, a £500 phone bill, many sleepless nights later they managed to rehome them all.
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I totally agree with you about these smaller pigs being a fashion accessory. Alot of things that I enjoy about the outdoor life have become a fashion thing to many people and it makes a mockary of what country life is really about. I love everything about pigs, including the smell. I am also aware that they need to be fed watered,mucked out and entertained even when the weather is cold and miserable and I think people forget that it is not always fun.(even though I enjoy it)
All my animals are free range and looked after with alot of love and care. I think anyone wanting a pig or any animal should have to go on a long course through the cold and wet winter months to see if they really could hack the harder side of country life.
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do you know, some people are even shocked pigs have teeth!!!!! I have had the daftest questions.
I am all for 1st time pig keepers, we all had to start. and have all the time in the world for genuine people, we are happy to give advice to anyone.
We keep rare breed pigs and we are a small comercial outfit running at an average of 50 pigs at any one time. But sometimes you could pull your hair out.
I had one fella who wanted to buy a pig for his wife as a suprise, but he didnt want to see the pigs, he wanted his friend to collect it when he was passing.... i sent him on his way!
we invite all perspective customers to see the pigs with no obligation to buy, i would rather they saw how much hard work it is, talk through the basic needs of a pig etc and if they then decide its too much for them, thats fine, at least they havent taken on a comitment without any understanding.
We even take pigs to slaughter for some local people who have purchased our weaners as they dont have transport. Its great to see people taking their 1st steps to rearing their own meat and the satisfaction they get from their own pork.
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We had our fist pigs a british lop and large black last year to rear for meat. We asked the people we purchased them from to come and look at the pig house and pen that we had set up before we brought them home. Much like your self they were extremely helpful with everything we asked and were always contactable on the phone if we had any problems. I enjoyed ever minute of having the pigs even though it rained every day we had them. I would spend as much time as possible with them in the day and my eldest son would enjoy helping me muck them out.
I was sad to see them go as I had enjoyed my routine of looking after them but the meat they produced for us was absolutely wonderful. It is a super opportunity and an educational experience for children to rear your own meat.
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Its not always the first timers who dont know what they are doing. I now only sell piglets to people who I know have a high regard for their animals' welfare . I have no qualms about the abattoir just how the pigs are kept before they arrive there.
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LATEST WORRYING NEWS - On the morning of 14th August 2009 on the BBC News it was reported that the Government will in the next 7 days be deciding on wether to ban the sales of Pet Pigs for a period of 12 months. They say that the popularity of "Pet Pigs" has been an increasing and due to the Swine Flu Epidemic feel that it may be sensible to ban the sales until it has ended. There is absolutely no evidence that Swine Flu can be caught directly from a pig and it is widely published that it is passed on from Human to Human. I don't understand it at all.
I sincerely hope that this will not happen. If it does then it will be the end of my business for sure and I personally will loose an awful lot of investment time and hard work.
If you have already applied for or received your CPH number and are still considering a pig as a pet then may I suggest that you contact me soon just in case this actually happens. If you have not yet applied then maybe a call to the Rural Payments Agency on Monday might get you your CPH number in time.Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions or decide that you would like to visit or see photos of our latest babies.
................ "fingers crossed"!
www.littlepigfarm.co.uk PIGLETS AVALIABLE NOW