[luminousbrit]

Hi all,

We are hoping to get pigs (Large Blacks) later in the year and I have a couple of questions that you may be able to help me with 

Our land is just over a single track lane from the house. The land slopes in places down to a stream/brook. As we have no other water or electric to the field I intend to look at solar water pumps to feed the troughs.

How would you suggest I get mains water and electric into the field?

Also, I have been told that I can not let the pigs wallow/drink from the stream because of contamination. The local farmers let their sheep and cattle drink from the stream. Is there a different rule for pigs?

[Eve]

We use a car battery for the electric fencing, but I don't know anything about solar pumps. Is there a fence behind the stream? Otherwise the piggies might just cross it and walk off in the other direction...
Can the pigs get stuck in the mud?
Can you use a water container for transporting drinking water? They'll need a lot of fresh water in summer, each pigs can drink a bucket full a day.

 

[luminousbrit]

Hi Eve,

I do intend to use electric fencing and will probably end up carrying water in their containers. I don't intend to let the pig wallow in the stream, I was a bit concerned that should a pig escape from the electric fence area and drink/wallow in the stream that I could be fined 

[Stevie G]

It is allows best not too.

[oaklandspigs]

No different rule for pigs, in any event you can be fined if you let your pigs contaminate a steam such that it causes damage to the wildlife in the stream, either animal and vegetable (a legal case would be likely to be brought by Defra following a complaint), and can be sued if your negligence if letting your pigs contaminate water causes harm to a user of the stream or his enjoyment of the stream further down.

Having said that an accidental fowling following an escape is unlikely to cause any damage - eg one poo or a pee would not damage any running water.

Pigs are good swimmers and will happily wade off up or downstream, or just cross it to freedom, so yes electric fence before it to prevent this, and train your pigs to the fence first.

I would not wish to be a possible pollutant, but equally I would want to be sure that I was not poisoning my pigs from something that someone else upstream had contaminated with - accidental agricultural spill of pesticide for instance. 

For these three reasons (upstream contamination, me contaminating downstream and pigs escaping) streams are in our view not a good mix with pigs.

[benkt]

We kept pigs over the road from our house last year and used a batttery for the electric fence and an 'aquaroll' for water (which we already had for camping purposes). Both worked fine,  the battery only needing recharging every few weeks and them getting through a barrel of water very day (three pigs) perhaps one-and-a-half on hot summer days. The aquaroll highly recommended as even my three-year-old could drag it over to the field for me!

[princesspiggy]

our river floods occassionally so i made sure not to think about using that field for my pigs solely cos all there poo would wash downstream. wer in a nitrates area so have been given large thick booklets on contamination by SEPA, and it was enough for me to not to risk it.
if thats your only field, cant u dig a channel and large hole in from river that the water could flow to and keep topped up? wev got these all round our river line that were made by previous farmer for animals to drink.

[luminousbrit]

The Aquaroll looks like an easy way to get water to the field, I shall look into that more :-)

I intend having the pigs further up the field so contaminating the stream shouldn't be an issue now that I know it is best to not let the pigs wallow in or near the stream.

Thank you for the replies :-)