The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: Higgins11 on October 09, 2009, 04:52:26 pm
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I'm looking at building some pig Arks........some for feeder pigs and others for sows to farrow in
I'm interested in what Americans call "english style" arks........clink on the link to see what i mean
http://www.port-a-hut.com/english-style-hut.cfm
it says these are 9 foot wide and 4foot high and 5foot deep
is this to small???? JulieS says the ones she had delivered were 8x8
What is ideal for 1 sow and her litter in winter months?
8x8 would be good for my feeder pigs probably but if i can make them smaller I can make more with my materials
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One of my farrowing Arks is only 5ft deep, I was worried that it would be too small but its turned out to be the best one I have, It's double skinned with a layer of insulation between the sheets and at on end I have welded 2 car axels together and bolted them though the wall of the ark they sit around 7inches off the floor and are around 6 inchs apart.
Its strange but after a day or so the piglets know instinctively to get behind the bars to prevent being squased by mum!
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Forgot to say aswell, An easy ark to make for porkers is to get 4 sheets of 18mm ply wood and some 4x2 timber.
Use one sheet as a roof, then cut two of the sheets into a near triangle shape, 6ft at the bottom 4ft at the top (to fit the roof) Build a frame out of 4x2 and fix them alltogether! easy peasy! You can then either felt the top or cover with corrogated sheeting, the whole ark is build in a morning!