The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: bigchicken on December 29, 2009, 09:42:57 pm
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Thinking of getting a couple of weaner's in the spring, probably GOS. Pig arks cost so much, saw sheets at £30 each on e-bay which I thought was a good price but way to far away for me to collect. Was wondering what other folks use to make there pig arks.
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If your planning on fattening weaners just through the summer, why not make a straw bale ark, cheap and easy and will last as long as the weaners, we did a temporary one with 6 bales, 2 high, 3 sides, and put a sheet of board on top, weighted with tyres! You can hold it all together with wire of some sort, I'm sure someone else will be along to advise!
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We use temporary bale arcs in summer. OH tends to bang a few posts into the ground to form a double line, into which we force the bales. This gives the pigs the opportunity to rub without pushing the bales over. A friend used the "big" bales as walls this lasted for over 3 years.
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I used an old 600 gallon steel oil tank i cut a door in it and steam cleaned it out, it kept the pigs nice and dry and it was solid and could be moved easily, and you can pick up an old oil tank for next to nothing.
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We are going to convert our 6x4 shed for 2 weaners.
Whats better with that, it can be used as extra storage over winter after the piggies are in the freezer.
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We spent weeks trying to figure out how to build a pig arc / house. Then last week a few days before Pig day we were out sledging and spotted an upturned pig arc in our neighbour's field. We asked them if they were wanting it and they lent it to us?????!!!!!!!!!
RESULT!!!!!!!
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I personally think anything will do as long as its STRONG and does the job!
Ive seen someone use a landrover defender back, looked funky lol :pig:
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the land ive just got has stone caves in a circular quarry.with one way in and out of quarry.its beautiful
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Some very good ideas, looking for a movable type of ark as pigs will be kept in smallish movable pen so as they act as a means of ploughing up the ground for re seeding.
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We've decided to buy two of the curved corrogated sheets from ebay they are £30 each and having borrowed our neighbours arc for a while it doesn't look like rocket science to build a frame for them.
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Hi,
Curved sheets are great with a SUBSTANTIAL frame and ends well attached.
Pigs will happily destroy anything not built like ... well not built like a very strong thing !
Not sure about the 6 x 4 garden shed idea - but if you go for it then good luck :-)
Thanks
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OH has just reminded me of when we put a small shed into a field for a couple of weaners. We were only gone two hours, when we got back the piglets had gone in through the door and out through the new doors they had made in the side and back. It would need to be a VERY SUBSTANTIAL shed.
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the plans are to line the shed with metal sheets, as we can get a rat problem in the winter, and it may in time become another hen house.
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Sounds good ;D
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We have just built another of our "patented" pig arks. (ie we looked at the really expensive ones and sort of copied the idea) Three huge (and heavy) bits of marine ply - I think about 36 quid each though mind! Fashioned into a triangle and bolted together and onto a sled type arrangement so we can drag them around if needed. All cuprinolled up with ridging across the top to prevent water seeping through. Then just bodged (that's an official term you'll understand!) a doorway one end, and a removable solid "back door" so we can clean thoroughly. We first used it last year for our first pigs and it worked well. I'll try and post a photo if I can work out how!
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I'll try and post a photo if I can work out how!
Would be great to see a photo. Click on 'additional options' at the bottem left of the message box. Then select browse and choose the image you want from your hard drive, then post. ..........I only know all this cos Doganjo told me......
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http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Pages/ansci/swinereports/asl-1389.pdf
I took a tank i found scrap..........2.5meters in diamater.....cut it in half and ended up with a "english style hut" 2.5 meters across......1 meter high........2 meters deep
works great
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http://www.port-a-hut.com/english-style-hut.cfm