The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: greengumbo on September 23, 2016, 11:52:41 am
-
So next year we are going to get pigs again :)
We are hoping we could put them in an area of the field that is currently our willow coppice. The willows will be 1 year old next spring but I am aware that pigs will probably eat them all if given the chance.
Are there breeds that would leave them alone ? Kune Kune ?
-
All pigs are omnivores. Sheep and cattle graze.
-
Kunekune will mostly graze as adults - not always though ;) and will still need a bit of hard feed to top them up.
They will damage your trees though - it would be better to fence them off. Anything less than 10 years old is at risk and even then there's a chance they'll do what my kk boar did and snap the trunks when rubbing :innocent:
-
The only pigs I would keep now are Kunes, when little they would root a bit but we only had to stamp the turfs back for all to be well and when a little older they were happy with grass, gash fruit and veg and a few sow rolls.
Had I the land and energy I would also keep Berkshire or Oxford Sandy and Black
-
Pigs will destroy one year old willow trees in no time at all. And they will enjoy doing it.
-
I had Large black x tamworth last year so well aware of the rooting and digging. I think I'll go for kune kunes but maybe not have them on the willow - i did suspect it would not be a great plan.
Geese will have to trim the grass in the willow paddock :)
-
I wouldn't pick my pigs on the basis of how much they will root or not. Why would you keep pigs and not want them to benefit from all the goodies in the soil? Pigs will graze but they are not grazers like sheep and cows. They will root up virgin ground more than land which has had pigs on it for years. They will root more at certain times of year too.
My friend has two outside areas he keeps pigs. One area can't be used over winter as it is a flood risk. They have been in there 10 years plus. I was there on Saturday and there is loads of grass and only some rooting. In the spring he puts down some grass seed. It looks better than most peoples horse paddocks.
Large Blacks and Tamworths have a tendency to carry more fat than other traditional breeds and less shape, especially on the back end. Kune's will take a LOT longer to finish and I know people will say they cost less to finish but has anyone done the maths?
-
I know people will say they cost less to finish but has anyone done the maths?
Yes ;)
I found them to be 33% cheaper per kilo of pork produced than my traditional breeds. Rosemary had a diary post a couple of years ago detailing feed v yield and the British Kunekune Pig society have been collecting figures too.
I know a LOT of folk put absolutely no faith in them, but the reason for their original import to the UK was to provide a low input, low impact pig that was ideal for the Smallholder market - they definitely fit the bill in that respect IMHO. And the pork......WOW! Dark, succulent and so very sweet :yum:
Don't knock them to you've tried them :innocent:
-
I had Large black x tamworth last year so well aware of the rooting and digging. I think I'll go for kune kunes but maybe not have them on the willow - i did suspect it would not be a great plan.
Geese will have to trim the grass in the willow paddock :)
Geese will also eat young willow.
-
So what kind of weight does a Kune Kune finish at Happy Hippy?
-
I know people will say they cost less to finish but has anyone done the maths?
Yes ;)
I found them to be 33% cheaper per kilo of pork produced than my traditional breeds. Rosemary had a diary post a couple of years ago detailing feed v yield and the British Kunekune Pig society have been collecting figures too.
I know a LOT of folk put absolutely no faith in them, but the reason for their original import to the UK was to provide a low input, low impact pig that was ideal for the Smallholder market - they definitely fit the bill in that respect IMHO. And the pork......WOW! Dark, succulent and so very sweet :yum:
Don't knock them to you've tried them :innocent:
I didn't knock them!
-
No, I didn't think you did Harmony :hug: I'm so just to defending them that I get kinda carried away, sorry!
Gregoz, they can vary greatly! Ours were bred primarily for meat so we tended to aim for longer, larger types - a lot of herds have smaller pigs, bred down in size.
Ours typically finished at 10-12 months somewhere around the 75kg live weight (50kg dw) size, but I had some from other herds that only made 27kg dead weight at 10 months. Still tasty, just small. Our sows often made 100kg plus and were fab for bacon, gammons and sausages/burgers galore :yum: They're similar meat wise to mangalitzas with the slow growth rate and fat marbling - ideal for charcuterie. You do have to be VERY strict with their feeding, no more than 1lb of pig nuts a day, give them plenty of space and time to grow and you'll be rewarded for your patience :)
Depending on where you are in the country I might be able to tell you some herds with bigger pigs, or if you contact the breed society they'll have a regional rep who'll be able to help you.
HTH
-
Yeah, interesting but I think just a little too slow a return for weight for what I'm looking for.
-
Geese will have to trim the grass in the willow paddock :)
Geese will eat one year old Willis trees too
Or at least eat all the bark so the trees are dead anyway
-
Ah well. It'll be an animal free paddock then :)
-
You can have chickens in there :chook:
-
Our pigs uprooted a 12 year old yew tree..... took them 4 months but eventually they ate through all the roots and toppled it. They wouldn't even graze within 2 feet of the pine tree never mind root around... guess it depends on how palatable the tree is.
Just my tuppence worth