[Lambic]

Hello

Hoping for some advice as I am total beginner to keeping pigs.

When I finally stop working, I hope to have an initial trial of keeping a few pigs.  Given up on the goat idea   If that works out, then possibly expanding a little.  All for personal consumption for the foreseeable future.

I am a registered smallholding of about 30 acres, so I should find a suitable spot.

Obviously there are so many questions, but I guess the first one is what kind of regulations would I have to comply with here in Scotland ?

I intend a do a great deal of research on species, pens etc, but the dealing with the authorities is a different matter....

Many thanks

[SallyintNorth]

I'm not in Scotland so I won't offer more than suggesting you have a look at the guides and articles here on TAS.  "Starting with Pigs" talks about the regs in Scotland, and in England & Wales.

[Lambic]

Thank you Sally.  I shall have a good read.

In terms of meat quality, which is the most significant quality for me, which breeds are recommended for beginners growing on ?

Cheers

[SallyintNorth]

As with most species, we probably all recommend our favourites.

What are your circumstances, plans and objectives?  If it's meat for yourself, then carcase quality will be less of an issue so you'd probably go for a super-tasty breed that's fun to keep, eg., GOS, OSB, Berkshire.  If you want to sell to butchers, back fat will need to be under 20mm, so you'd probably do better with something like uncastrated male Lops.

What you can readily source locally may well dictate your choices. 

[Rosemary]

We kept a number of breeds over the years - weaners to finishin, never breeding - Tamworth, OSB, Hampshire and Kunekune and OSB /Lare Black crosses.
The OSB were our favourites, but the KKs were great little pigs too. Lovely pork and don't eat much bagged feed. Take longer to finish though.

[SallyintNorth]

OSBs were my favourite to have.  Saddleback x OSB was better carcase/conformation at 6 months than the pure OSB, but the meat from the Large Blacks and Cornish Blacks (a local version of the Large Black) was the best tasting of the 3 by a mile.  They grow more slowly but can make good use of forage / legal scraps, so overall didn't cost more per kilo than any other breed to produce.  (You can grow them faster but you mostly just get more fat, not meat, so personally I'd go for them if time isn't an issue and you have sources of non-bagged feed you can use for them.  I didn't find them as cute/appealing to look after as OSB and OSBx, but the meat was so good it compensated!) 

[Lambic]

Hello All

Thanks for the information.

After a little bit of research I think Tamworth and KK are my top 2.

A slightly random question...I have an unlimited supply of spruce wood chips from my trees ... Would pigs be happy to nest in wood chips in an ark rather than straw ?

Thanks

James

[SallyintNorth]

A slightly random question...I have an unlimited supply of spruce wood chips from my trees ... Would pigs be happy to nest in wood chips in an ark rather than straw ?

I really don't think so.  Straw is insulating, wood a lot less so.  They make amazing nests in straw, including a draft-excluding wall if one is needed.

You could make a good entrance raft in front of the ark with the wood chips, though. 

[SallyintNorth]

After a little bit of research I think Tamworth and KK are my top 2.

It's a personal thing so no criticism at all, but... I am fascinated by your shortlist, cos those two are at opposite ends of the spectrum to me!  KK cute, Tammy very ancient wild looking; KK very small, Tamworth large; KK less inclined to rootle than some, Tammy basically bulldozers on legs; Tammies famously escape artists, KK often chosen as pets.

[Lambic]

Ha ha, yes they are at opposite ends of the spectrum.

I suspect the KK is far more suited as I plan to have them in grassland bordered by gorse and willow.

It is a shame about the wood chips as I do not make my own hay.  How many of the traditional bales would you use in a year ?

[SallyintNorth]

It's straw you want, not hay.(*)  Most of us have to buy it in. 

You don't use an enormous amount of straw on an ongoing basis when the weather is warm/dry, but depending on numbers and size of arc(s), you'll use a few bales setting up.

Buying 2 or 3 weaners with a large arc (big enough to breed in), I'd put bales all around the inside walls to reduce the floor area while they're babies, and scatter half or more of another on the remaining floorspace, to make a deep bed.  Then open a bale from time to time as they need more loose straw and/or more floorspace.  Keeping them spring to autumn, I'd expect to use maybe three or four more bales overall. 

But, if keeping them over winter, you'll use a whole lot more.  They need enough to make a deep bed and construct draughtproof banks as needed.  They need to be able to dry off as they come in and not have to lie on wet straw.  So my routine used to be every day, when the ground/mud is wet and/or it's raining, throw the wet straw out in front of the arc, to help form a doorstep to help dry them as they return to the arc, and replace what's been removed with a few slices of dry.  (Don't scatter it about inside for them, just leave the slices inside out of the rain, they'll enjoy scattering it themselves.) 

They will be much happier if they have some dry ground to use over winter.  Being belly deep in wet cold mud whenever they leave the arc is emphatically not nice or good for them; they'd be far happier indoors with plenty of straw to play with than outside with no hardstanding. 

Sorry, I rambled on a bit, didn't I!



(*)  Hay = dried grass.  Straw = the stems of a cereal crop.