The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: thefarmhousecook on May 08, 2016, 12:24:27 pm
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Can anyone help please? I recently bought 2 x GOS weaners (now 14 weeks old). They have a lovely paddock, trees, plenty of shade etc but spend 85% of their time in the arc which they are soiling.
I have just taken out the straw from the last two weeks (having been told pigs don't use their arcs as toilets) and the floor of the arc is soaking with urine and there was tons of pooh.
Should I 'lock' them out of the arc during the day or put less bedding in? I am at a loss being a beginner so any help would be very much appreciated. Thank you.
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This is very, very unusual but there is the odd pig who does make a mess in their bed.
When they are out are they relaxed or do they seem on edge? You could try locking them out as you suggested.
Is the ark too big? Are they soiling where they sleep or at the other end?
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I have my two weaners in quite a large ark, and they did seem to think I'd given them an ensuite as they used one of the corners as a toilet.
I've put some straw bales around the edge to shrink it down and that seems to do the job.
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How has the weather been in your area recently? Some pigs find dunging outside in high winds and heavy rain as unappealing as humans would! I suggest dumping the dung outside (not too far away but where you'd like them to dung) and swilling out the floor with lots of water and a final rinse with something smelly like Dettol added, to mask the smell of their dung. Give them just enough room to lie down - the line about "pigs are clean animals" sometimes raises keeper's expectations to impossibly high standards.
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Thank you Rhea and Harmony - I have reduced the size of their arc (which was pretty palatial!!). Hopefully this will do the trick.
The weather here has been lovely with no rain or wind Marches Farmer so I am guessing it is probably down to the size of the arc.
Thank you for your help. :) :) :)
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Hope it works :fc:
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I agree with the shutting down the size of the ark - basically you have given them too much room! Bung in some more bales of straw/hay around the edges to reduce the floor space, when they get bigger you can then remove the bales.
Hope it works :thumbsup: