Author Topic: Fencing & housing (Read 2262 times)

craiglockwood · « **on:** January 14, 2011, 06:45:08 pm »

Now that I have my CPH number i will be sorting out housing & fencing over the weekend.

I was thinking about fencing off a 30m x 30m area with stock fencing and electrified horse tape - about 6" from ground. Would this be sufficient for 3 weaners for fattening? Also, could this be a permanent arrangement or would I need to keep moving fences for fresh ground?

Any help greatly appreciated - I did attend one of the oakland pigs courses last year (which was excellent) but have forgotten so much already!

oaklandspigs · « **Reply #1 on:** January 14, 2011, 07:01:39 pm »

Plenty of room for 3 weaners !

The easiest thing would be to start with a smaller area (say 1/3) and let the weaners work that out first, then either expand or move to the other half as they grow.

That way you can let them fully work an area in this wetter weather, rather than give them all of it, which they will then "bomb crater" as they find intersting patches.

Tudful Tamworths · « **Reply #2 on:** January 14, 2011, 11:18:17 pm »

Lots of space there. But, as previously mentioned, section off a small area first (partly so they don't feel so lost when they arrive, but also so you can regulate the land they trash).
Best of luck with the pigs. Enjoy!

Sudanpan · « **Reply #3 on:** January 15, 2011, 07:34:13 pm »

I concur with the idea of sectioning off a smaller area first.

We had 4 weaners last year - the area we had for them was about 20m by 30m and they never got to the stage of trashing the entire lot. We started off giving them about 20m by 10m for the first 2 months, then moved the tape out to the larger area for the last 3 months.

Our fencing was a cornish hedge along one side (a cornish hedge is actually a stone wall but with loads of earth incorporated into it so lots of plants grow in it.) then electric tape around the other 3 sides. We used 2 runs of tape - 1st at about 9inches and the other at about 15inches. Also for the first couple of weeks we had a more solid fence on the outside of the electric tape so that if (when!) the weaners tested the tape they were encouraged to go backwards instead of forwards (tip from Oaklandpigs One Day Course

) Don't know if we were particularly lucky - or our GOS boys just very well behaved! - but we never had any escapes.

We did have unprotected stock fencing (ie no electric tape at its foot) at one point and the pigs thought it was a fabby back scratcher....

Enjoy!
Tish