The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: Paulanthwill on August 10, 2014, 06:05:03 pm
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Hi
I'm new to this forum and keeping pigs and I'm struggling to find some definitive answers elsewhere, hope you can help.
We have an area fenced off in a small woodland approx 10m x 25m, which is due to accommodate 2 mini pigs and 2 Pygmy goats next week. They also have a tidy stable with concrete floor.
The thing is I may have the possibility of acquiring 2 young kune kune but I am concerned that this will not be enough space for all 6. I want to give the animals a happy life and would be grateful of any advice. Is this area to small to add in 2 kune kune?
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I am not sure it is sensible to keep Pygmy goats with your pigs. The pigs will root, and make the ground muddy, and the goats don't like getting wet muddy feet. Also, can you split the stable? There may be ingredients in the goat food that the pigs shouldn't have. And in any case, the pigs may not let the goats near their own feed. We keep dairy goats, and I do some years keep weaners for meat, but the pigs are always kept separate from the goats.
Other people may know better than me, but it's just my thoughts.
Beth
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The space isn't really big enough for 2 permanent pigs, let alone goats unfortunately. If you had another paddock at least the same size (ideally bigger) then you could rotate them which would help.
As Beth says pigs will root the ground and this will make life miserable for your goats and you could have foot problems too. I know of a pig who was found dead in his paddock that he shared with pygmy goats and they suspected the goats had butted him and possibly been the cause of death :( obviously that's just one sad story, there might be plenty of folk who do it quite successfully.
I wouldn't think about Kunekune too until you have at lest half an acre (ideally more) of grazing for them.
HTH
Karen
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We normally keep a couple of weaner for about 4 to 5 months on an area of about 10 by 10m (maybe a bit bigger I don't want to go out and measure just now) and it is completely churned over by the end of it, actually often before...
You would need at least two paddocks you can switch in-between to allow the ground to recover.
Also pig food is almost certainly poisonous too to goats, but they will try and eat it...
Goats will need their own shelter, be fenced off any trees - they will destroy double quick if let near them - and really don't want to be fenced in using barbed wire (pigs do normally cope with it well).
Sounds you need to do a bit more research before you are getting either of your two species...
PS.: What size are the MINI pigs????
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Agree with others i'm afraid. Space sounds adequate for 3 (poss 4) temporary pigs- weaner to slaughter at most. certainly wouldn't risk goats in there as well- welcome to TAS though :wave:
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Thanks everybody. This advice goes against what I have been told locally so you an see why I have been confuse. I think it could be a case of goats or pigs rather than both. I'm glad I asked the question, thank you.
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Goats and trees not a good combination in our experience, a bit partial to the bark, well all the tree actually.
Good combination (Pigs and Goats) if you were looking to clear an area of land though.
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In addition to this, if you do end up keeping pigs over goats, I would personally put a rubber mat down on the floor if it is concrete, then cover this with their bedding.
Whilst pigs are warm animals, their lack of much hair means that freezing concrete can scrape the pigs and be uncomfortable. I believe Screwfix do rolls of 10x1m for £35, or you could look online. It only needs to be a section big enough for them to sleep on.
I keep KKs- some of the friendliest pigs I've had, although very greedy! ;D Good luck!
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Pig feed is high in copper. V bad for sheep, not sure about goats. Requirements of those two classes of livestock much too different to make them good to run together. Also, as has been said, need much more space as KKs will happily root as much as larger pigs and will turn the lot into a morass of frozen mud by the end of December. (I like the word "morass" - I don't get to use it very often!)