[porkandapples]

OK i'm getting myself in a bit of a pickle and would appreciate some input from some experts please!

As i have said in another post we have been offered a small piece of land for some pigs. I've done lots of reading up until now and knew in my head how i wanted to do things. Landowner has made lots of suggestions and now i'm having a bit of a wobble!! So here's the proposal...

Land used to be used for growing veg.
Landowner has suggested that instead of paying rent we have 2 pigs each on the land, go halves on fencing and makng an ark, he will supply barley as feed, i will look after all of the pigs on a day to day basis.
The land he has suggested is 13 sq m.
He knows a man who will come to us and slaughter and butcher the pigs on site.

My concerns are,
Not enough space, there is potentially up to a maximum of 13m x 40m ish so would like to get as much as possible but what would be the minimum area i could/should agree to??
I wanted to have 3 pigs as everything i have read suggests we should break even with 2 and potentially make a small profit (or in this case pay towards fencing etc) with 3.
Is barley ok to feed, i was going to feed pellets, i'm worried they will get too fat. I was initially looking at  british lops but i think he will be picking up what is available at the local livestock market.
The slughtering on site thing worries me a lot but i guess he can do what he likes with his and we can do what we want with ours.

Can't decide if this is potentially a great plan or a terrible one!! Please help!!

[robert waddell]

i was going to give advice but due to others decrying my input to this site i will refrain.

[doganjo]

i was going to give advice but due to others decrying my input to this site i will refrain.

That's unfair, Lilian or Robert, whichever you are.  Your advice is always welcome, you have a wealth of knowledge and experience.  But your method of giving that advice can sometimes appear insensitive.  Please help porkandapples.

[Eve]

You're right to be careful. I would try and find another bit of land.
- the patch he suggests is too small (I'd go for 10x10m at least - not just for exercise, but for 'entertainment' (rooting) too as bored pigs aren't happy and will fight)
- they will (I know from reading here on the forum as I haven't tried it) go fat on barley
- you don't know where the weaners will come from (may even be stolen weaners)
- and as for the slaughter...

Do indeed keep 3 pigs if you can as that will cover the costs like you said (though 2 can still pay for their own keep). Take your time to find the right patch and the right weaners, as it'll be worth it in the long run. Good breeders will give you lots of advice on space and feed requirements. It is a comfort to have someone with you in your first year, but if you've done a good course first you'll be fine with healthy weaners, and we're on the other end of the screen if you need any further help or advice.


 

[gavo]

Personally i'd steer clear of it altogether until you can do it on your terms sounds, like he is pulling you in a direction you don't want to go. The space is limited and doesn't sound ideal[although pigs will thrive in most circumstances] as for feeding Barley, we had a bad experience with it most of our pigs were fine on it as part of their ration 1/4  of total feed but one of our boars had a seizure which the vet said was due to inadequate digestion of the Barley leading to a toxic build up causing the seizure; he was fine once we stopped the Barley;we never feed it now.

[porkandapples]

Thank-you, what i plan to do is go to him with my plan and if he isn't prepared to work with me then i will indeed find somewhere else. I just need to be confident with my plan. If we intend to feed differently they will need to be kept seperately so perhaps utilising the whole 40x13m area and spliting it in 2 would work? Alternatively we could perhaps agree a combination of pellets and barley? If they were seperate i could also get my weaners from wherever i choose and he can do likewise.

I should say the landowner is a neighbour and 'friend' its just he tends to do things his way and as his family are farmers thinks he knows best. I should be able to negotiate with him i just need to be confident in my plan and not be swayed by his 'knowledge'!

[Hilarysmum]

I hesitate to say this but firstly I would not feed a ration of less than half pig nuts.  The land might be enough for the first lot of pigs, but would need at least 6 months resting with 5 pigs. 

Also, most live stock holders have their own way of doing things.  I would wait and find some land on your own.  I have watched a lot of friendships founder when friends go into keeping pigs as a partnership.  The loveliest people can become ogres when they believe they know best.

Sorry to be so negative.   Good luck whatever you decide. 

[powispigs]

HI, we supplement feed with rolled wheat and barley but always with nuts and fresh veg/fodder beet.  Dont think just barley would be enough for them 

[Fowgill Farm]

Pork & Apples
I wouldn't touch this scenario you are painting with a barge pole because as sure as egges are eggs it's going to end in tears and it'll be the animals who suffer. Walk away from this until you can find somewhere on you own terms. It sounds like your farmer "friend" is looking to make a quick buck on "free range pork".
This is how it reads to me and is what i would do.
Sorry to be so negative.
Regards
Mandy

[porkandapples]

Thank-you for all the advice and help it is much appreciated.

I think i have painted my friend in aa rather worse light than i intended! He isn't a farmer himself, his family own a farm locally though. He likes the idea of keeping pigs for their own meat, he's not looking to sell any. He just doesn't want the day to day hassle of it. He is genuinely trying to be helpful by making it as cheap to keep them as possible, it's just that being cheap to keep isn't my priority, it's the animals welfare. He's not a terrible person just does things the 'traditional' way if thats the right word.

Taking everything into account, and having spent all of yesterday evening mulling it over we have decided that providing he will let us have all of the land, and that he will let us split it in two and keep our pigs seperate and allow me to do things my way where they are concerned we will give it a go this year and see how we get on. If i'm not happy with the situation but enjoy having the pigs we will then look for land elsewhere next year. If all goes well the land will be rested for 6 months and we will repeat.

I will be using a local abatoir for slaughtering. I will look into feed in more detail but will be grateful for the availability of cheap barley. If i use it it will be alongside pig nuts. I will look after his pigs as he requests but this will all be agreed beforehand, therefore if there are any welfare concerns i can back out then. If he doesn't agree to any of this we will look elsewhere. It is just a shame we feel to pass up an ideal opportunity to try out keeping pigs with the support of someone who while he may have different standards of care does have more knowledge.

[Rosemary]

The good thing is that it's not a lifetime committment - more like six months, - so if it doesn't work, you can just tough it out and retire gracefully at the end hopefully with your friendship still intact.