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Author Topic: What housing do you use?  (Read 6401 times)

welshlass181

  • Joined Jan 2011
What housing do you use?
« on: September 04, 2011, 09:01:14 pm »
I've got 2 wooden home made twin skinned pig arks made from 8x4 sheets of ply and packing crates.  And i've got 2 that are made from 1 large heating oil tank that we cut in half and cleaned and i've got 1 whole oil tank that we cleaned and cut a door into it.

What does everybody else use?

I've not got a barn or any out buildings on the land so have to use field shelters.

digit

  • Joined Sep 2009
  • near Swansea
Re: What housing do you use?
« Reply #1 on: September 04, 2011, 09:22:54 pm »
I've got 3 old oil tanks that I've cut doors out that i use, one of them is 8x6, and I've put farrowing bars in it. I also made 2 arks using the curved corrugated sheets.

ambriel

  • Joined Jan 2011
  • Kinlochbervie, NW Sutherland, Scotland
  • Mad, bad, and dangerous to know!
    • Harbour Cottage
Re: What housing do you use?
« Reply #2 on: September 04, 2011, 09:54:10 pm »
I built ours an ark using a sheet of 8x4 sterlingboard as the floor and two sheets of marine ply (same size for the pitched roof. The whole thing was mounted on three runners.

They've pretty much outgrown it, not to mention wrecked it, so I'm going to build them a new house before the snow comes, along the same lines as the goat house I built, but with a raised floor for warmth. Costs a fraction of the price of even the cheapest pre-made sheds.

Hillhead

  • Joined Jan 2011
Re: What housing do you use?
« Reply #3 on: September 04, 2011, 10:06:38 pm »
we make arks with 18mm ply on the ends and four pre bent corrugated sheets,  Wooden floor and on skids.

Door ways on both ends are handy when the girls are farrowing its easier to check on the piglets and also makes it easier for cleaning out.  We are also all outdoors.

Fowgill Farm

  • Joined Feb 2009
Re: What housing do you use?
« Reply #4 on: September 05, 2011, 09:52:39 am »
Clock change to clock change eg march - oct our pigs live outdoors in marine ply arks c/w floors. In winter being on heavy clay we find its best to bring them into the stables & byres all of which now have attached concrete runs.
We find this works for both pigs and keeper  ;D.
The thing we find pigs hate most is draughts but make sure there is ventilation going thro the arks as in winter damp and cold can = pneumonia.
Mandy  :pig:

Eve

  • Joined Jul 2010
Re: What housing do you use?
« Reply #5 on: September 05, 2011, 02:32:33 pm »
We make our own field shelters, too. They're made of plywood scavenged from skips on industrial estates, decking boards and pallets and it's all very sturdy stuff. We find that people are very happy for their rubbish to be re-used, and it saves us hundreds of pounds. The only thing we need to pay for is the waterproof groundsheet (tent sheet) that goes on the roof, which is only about £20-25 for 4x4m.

Sudanpan

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • West Cornwall
    • Movement is Life
Re: What housing do you use?
« Reply #6 on: September 05, 2011, 02:53:35 pm »
18mm marine ply floor (on runners so off the ground) and walls with profile sheeting roof. We had 4 boars last year and 3 gilts this year and the ark is still looking great  ;D
Tish

melodrama

  • Joined Jun 2011
  • Forfar
Re: What housing do you use?
« Reply #7 on: September 05, 2011, 04:43:56 pm »
We had a large Wendy house that our daughter used when she was younger but hasn't used now for a very long time so our two have a bit of a palace with a raised floor, windows, overhanging roof (to keep away any rain from inside) and a porch! They love it and we were happy to be able to recycle something we had already.
Melanie

little blue

  • Joined Jun 2009
  • Derbyshire
Re: What housing do you use?
« Reply #8 on: September 05, 2011, 07:00:58 pm »
we have a huge shed with dutch barn roof, and a half-shed for the boys.

the chickens' "big shed" is a wendy house
:D
Little Blue

Marsbar

  • Joined Jun 2011
Re: What housing do you use?
« Reply #9 on: September 05, 2011, 07:24:07 pm »
We have some 'block' built 7x5ft kennels that our 2 use with a 15x20ft concrete run and a 30x 45ft grass run.
 :pig:
Richard
from Sheffield now in Chesterfield

welshlass181

  • Joined Jan 2011
Re: What housing do you use?
« Reply #10 on: September 06, 2011, 12:19:25 pm »
We're planning on having some block pens/shelters with block walls and a concrete standing.  I've got 1 adult pure KK female and she has lots of fat reserves, 1 entire (KK) boar who is less than a year old, 1 castrate (KK) boar and he is about 6 months old, 1 KKxGOS sow who is fuly grown (and smaller than my pure kk lol) and a 5 month old KKxGOS gilt.  I'd like to have all the piglets gone for winter but if they're not then it's not the end of the world.  I'd like to keep 2 of the castrate boars to slaughter this time next year :)

We'd really like to have the block set up for spring :) we need to make bases for the wooden arks and we're going to put the oil tank arks on hard standing and lots and lots of bedding ready for winter.

OhLaLa

  • Joined Sep 2010
Re: What housing do you use?
« Reply #11 on: September 06, 2011, 12:56:49 pm »
It appears that we use edible housing (plywood). The pigs find it very moreish. On our third version now.......

 :pig:   ;D


welshlass181

  • Joined Jan 2011
Re: What housing do you use?
« Reply #12 on: September 06, 2011, 02:04:19 pm »
Ours are made out of old packing crates and they only use them as scratching posts and don't nibble on them.  They might have been treated before we had them and don't taste nice hehe

Smokin

  • Joined Aug 2011
Re: What housing do you use?
« Reply #13 on: September 06, 2011, 02:04:44 pm »
We keep our 4 GOS boys (19 wks old ) in a large animal shelter ( 25' X 40' ) with a small outdoor run/toilet area. This has an 18mm ply built sleeping area inside the shelter to keep the draughts off them. (they also have Sky TV, hot & cold running water and room service - OK just kidding about TV and water !)

We've also made a field arc and weaner arc, pics below, arcs are now treated and stained green. The big arc is 8' X 5' and the weaner arc is 7' X 3'.6". Both are on runners and the runners sit on blocks to raise them above the ground.

Our plan is to raise pigs outdoors on a combination of nuts and strip graze until around 4 1/2 to 5 months old then finish off in the animal shelter. Fingers crossed - seems to be going OK.

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: What housing do you use?
« Reply #14 on: September 06, 2011, 02:27:17 pm »
It appears that we use edible housing (plywood).

Made us both laugh out loud.   ;D ;D  Thanks!
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

 

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