[winstone]

Hello we are small family from somerset , we have the oppurtunity of some land (7acres with a large barn ,power and water).
We have decided that we would love to start out with rare breed pigs , saddlebacks/large blacks or gl old spots maybe , we are researching and learning what we can , considering day courses and talking to breeders for help and
advice. 
Our intention would be to live on the land as well has anyone done this ? and have any advice.

we have decided that as there is no rush to start (as the land is my partners dads who lives in new zealand) that next spring would be an ideal time , so we can learn and plan as much as possible.

any ideas on starting costs would be appreciated .

thanks ian and lou ......poppy and gracie too.

[Eve]

Hi and welcome to the forum!


Weaners:
The price varies throughout the country, here in Herts it's at least £50 per weaner.

Housing:
You have a barn - is it secure enough? If little weaners use if for sleeping, they'll also try and get out of the tiniest gap to explore the world around them before you've even arrived to give them breakfast. If the weaners live outside, you can make a very sturdy shelter cheaply using pallets and a waterproof covering for the roof. Plenty of examples on this forum and rest of the internet.

Fencing:
Electric is best is very quick to install and move, it gives them a mild but annoying shock. You need to stay with them the first day, though, as they might jump forwards through the wires instead of backwards 
Fixed fencing takes ages to install and you can't move the pens around easily.
Once you've bought it, you can use it for years. Our energiser was about £75. 60 stakes and 600m of wire were about £100 in total. We also had to buy an extra car battery to use with the energiser as we didn't have a spare one left.

Field:
Pigs need space to run around in and soil to root in (their strong, natural instinct), but beware: they're little rotovators! After a few months of piggy-on-the-field, the field is pretty much plant-free. 
You don't need to pay for field rental, so that saves you quite a bit. Remember, they need plenty of shade!

Water:
You'll need a low bucket in a car tyre for water (the tyre helps a great deal in stopping the little piggies of turning it over and then spending a day in hot weather without water), and a dry bit of ground to put their feed on or a big enough trough. Last year, we used 2 huge round wooden plates which were free, but were further from a tap and had to buy an aquaroll from ebay which was, I think, £30.

Feed:
Feedwise, we give them mostly grain and beans from a nearby farm but most people feed them pelleted food. Again, lots of topics on the feed on this forum and some of the individual breed society's websites. Price varies between brands and delivery company, bulk or bagged, organic or not etc. These days I think non-organic is about £7 for a 20-kilo bag, again in Herts. Theoretically, they eat (in pelleted food) a pound per day per month that they are old, up to a maximum of 6 lbs. So a 4-month old would eat 4lbs per day. Some people don't feed the 5 and 6 month old weaners the full amount, though, they cap it at 4lbs.

Transport:
You can pick weaners up by car, but will need a proper livestock trailer for slaughter. You may be able to borrow one from a neighbouring farmer as we do - no livestock hire available here at all, only horse trailers.

Slaughter and butchering:
Again, prices vary. We pay for slaughter per the weight of the pig, around £40 per entire 6-month old GOS boar. Butchery per whole pig is around £35-£40.

And then there's straw (a few bales per summer), the odd vet bill, the new memory card for the camera 
What you get in return from 2 pigs is a whole years's worth of the best tasting pork!

Do indeed take a day course or visit other pig keepers - it's very interesting to see how others organise things!

 

[HappyHippy]

Eve's said it all (and without the rambling I would have done  )
The main thing is to go into it with as much prior learning & preparation as possible, so read all you can, speak to as many keepers as possible and if you can get on a course or hands on with someone locally who keeps pigs.

The other thing you'll need to sort out (if you've not already) is getting a CPH number assigned to the land in your name. I think it's DEFRA that issue these in England.

Keep us posted & welcome to TAS
Karen 

[oaklandspigs]

I was brought up in Somerset, a great part of the country.

Lots of good advice so far, and Eve has a good set of headings for you to work through.

[advert warning!]

We do one day courses, they are a great way to see different set-ups, see different breeds, and get first hand experience.  See our site for lots more detail

[advert warning off!]

[Fowgill Farm]

Ditto all said before, sounds like you've got your head screwed on and are realistic about what you want to achieve. AS everyone says do as much research as you can, going on a 'good recommended' day course and get a good piggy bible, lots to choose from but mine as mentioned on other posts are Andy Case Starting with pigs, Carol Harris traditonal pig keeping and the National Trust little pink book on pigs by Richard Lutwyche.
Advert warning 
Check out the GOS website keeping pigs section theres some articles i wrote for the club magazine which are also on line.
Advert over 
All the best,
Mandy 
ps you can't go wrong with GOS and there are plenty in the SW, try Judith Simms she's in Somerset lovely lady and her details are on the members list on GOS website too.

[winstone]

Thank you all some very excellent advice , and leads to follow .

we will definately keep posting our progress however it will take some time.

ian lou poppy and gracie too.

[SallyintNorth]

get a good piggy bible, lots to choose from but mine as mentioned on other posts are Andy Case Starting with pigs, Carol Harris traditonal pig keeping and the National Trust little pink book on pigs by Richard Lutwyche.
Advert warning 
Check out the GOS website keeping pigs section theres some articles i wrote for the club magazine which are also on line.
Advert over 

I have found Mandy's articles invaluable (never mind that my pigs aren't GOS!) but I have to say that I refer to the Andy Case book as "the useless Andy Case book".  However, it's maybe a good intro to the subject before you have pigs of your own.  You'll want something better if you get to breeding your own, for sure.