The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: TomG on October 02, 2019, 09:30:53 pm

Title: pigs and hay
Post by: TomG on October 02, 2019, 09:30:53 pm
Does anyone have any ideas about using hay instead of straw as bedding? Will the pigs just eat it all?
Title: Re: pigs and hay
Post by: GBov on December 05, 2019, 02:33:40 pm
I have used it and they do eat it but that is not a bad thing as it tends to get mustier than any other bedding I have used so by giving them fresh often their bed stays smelling good.

But then again, I was keeping pigs in the deep south in the US so not sure how it would work here but while the temps are different, the dampness is the same.
Title: Re: pigs and hay
Post by: SallyintNorth on December 05, 2019, 04:17:25 pm
I kept 5 weaners in the bull pen with one big round bale of hay one winter.  They were very happy piggies, dug into the bale for fun and for pulling out bedding.  The one big round bale lasted them all winter, just about, for bedding and entertainment. 

The bull pen was just as you came into the cattle shed, so they also got lots of human interaction as people came and went.  Luckily we didn’t need to house a bull that year!  :D

I’m not sure the hay would have performed adequately as bedding for pigs kept outside in cold wet Cumbria.  Maybe half and half with straw might work. 

They will eat some hay, and can make limited nutritional use of it, but not so much they’ve no bed left.
Title: Re: pigs and hay
Post by: harmony on December 05, 2019, 09:49:47 pm
Pigs will eat straw. Hay is fine as a bedding. It is fine outside. I would think it is as warm if not warmer than straw. Straw is easier to muck out. Straw used to be a lot cheaper than hay but not these days.
Title: Re: pigs and hay
Post by: SallyintNorth on December 06, 2019, 01:28:50 pm
Hay doesn’t soak up water nearly as well as straw, so if it’s muddy and they’re outside, it will need extra care to be sure their bed is dry. 

I got caught out even with straw one year, assuming it would be dry inside the ark, but they were taking so much water in on their legs and bellies, even the very generous straw bedding was in fact getting wet and cold.  After that I used to toss out older straw from the front of the ark every couple of days to make a big mat in front of the ark, so they’d be dried off a bit before they got into the ark.  I don’t think that setup would work at all with hay when the weather is wet and the ground muddy; the outside hay wouldn’t have much capability to dry them as they go in.
Title: Re: pigs and hay
Post by: harmony on December 06, 2019, 09:35:57 pm
Hay doesn’t soak up water nearly as well as straw, so if it’s muddy and they’re outside, it will need extra care to be sure their bed is dry. 

I got caught out even with straw one year, assuming it would be dry inside the ark, but they were taking so much water in on their legs and bellies, even the very generous straw bedding was in fact getting wet and cold.  After that I used to toss out older straw from the front of the ark every couple of days to make a big mat in front of the ark, so they’d be dried off a bit before they got into the ark.  I don’t think that setup would work at all with hay when the weather is wet and the ground muddy; the outside hay wouldn’t have much capability to dry them as they go in.



If you have wet and mud outside the ark then yes, pigs will take that in and any bed wont last very long. The "outdoor mat" with old bedding is a good tip. It doesn't really dry them off but wipes their feet if anything so less mud gets walked in. No reason why hay wont wipe their feet as well. Anything you put out if you have got wet and mud isn't going to stay dry for long anyway. Straw takes in moisture in damp conditions and I found hay stayed dryer for longer. If you have small bales you can lay them out like carpet tiles and then shake loose on top.
Title: Re: pigs and hay
Post by: sabrina on December 08, 2019, 09:28:30 pm
Due to the very wet weather we have been having I had to move my 2 pigs inside. They now sleep in one of the stables but can go outside during the day if they want to. I was mucking out the pig ark every day as the straw was so wet and the pigs were shaking with cold. Now inside they have a nice deep bed which they keep very clean so I am not using as much bedding at all. I tried hay in the field shelter for the sheep one winter, never again.
Title: Re: pigs and hay
Post by: harmony on December 09, 2019, 08:52:26 am

I'd never use hay for sheep or cattle bedding. Pigs generally don't toilet in their bed for a start. I have known outdoor pigs in arks with minimal bedding, in a wet area whose beds were dry and warm. Siting of arks and feed areas can make a big difference.


If the area has become a soup you are fighting a losing battle and may need to move them completely.