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Author Topic: Sheep and pigs?  (Read 4070 times)

DavidnChris

  • Guest
Sheep and pigs?
« on: April 06, 2009, 08:48:04 am »
This is on the sheep forum too but I've found the pig forum is better read it seems, so I'm hoping one of you has both animals and can chip in an answer
I've got 1.75 acres with a bit fenced off for 2 pigs which are doing well, largely thanks to the info. I've picked up from this forum.
I want to keep the grass down on the field and am considering sheep. However, I don't want to  have sheep all year round.
Is it possible to do the same as I am with the pigs, have some for a period of time, have them slaughtered and then have none. Ideally I don't want any stock in January / February. This is easy with pigs as they have litters all the time so I can drop in and out as needed.
How can it work with sheep? At what point are they weened and at what point would you slaughter them? Orphan lambs are they too much work? Field is pretty well stock proof and has a beck for water supply, very hilly though as we're Lake District.
I did post this in another topic on the sheep forum but didn't get an answer so had to start it off again.
Thanks for your help

Hilarysmum

  • Joined Oct 2007
Re: Sheep and pigs?
« Reply #1 on: April 06, 2009, 09:22:05 am »
Basically yes.  We had ours in April and slaughtered in November.  They occasionally (accidentally) shared a field.  The high copper content of pignuts is deadly to sheep.

Others more experienced with sheep than I will be able to give you more info. 

Nithside

  • Joined Aug 2016
Re: Sheep and pigs?
« Reply #2 on: April 19, 2017, 10:40:56 pm »
I keep sheep and we are about to get some weaners but i have the advantage of having 12.42acres of land so wouldnt be a problem for me but the big issue for me would be keeping both sets of feed seperate for the reasons the previous reply suggested copper content within the pig nuts.  Continental sheep breeds are more prone to Copper toxicity than native brittish breeds.  Lambs form most breeders will not be weaned for another 3/4months and even then if they are producing lambs for the fat ring most will be away from the farm at weaning.  Your best option would be pet lambs, but I get where you are coming from on them taking too much time to deal with and they tend not to do the same as lambs that are on their mothers, that said one other option would be to buy some feeding ewes ie. old ewes that are still correxct of their mouths (still have teeth to graze) but wouldnt be ready enough to put through for the overseas culling market, this option gives you the ability to graze the grass and then after they are fit enough put them through the fat ring at your local market.  It all depends on how quick your grass grows. 

how big an area do the pigs have to run in just so I can advise on the number you can run on the rest of the field?

Pigsmightfry

  • Joined Jan 2015
  • Carlisle
Re: Sheep and pigs?
« Reply #3 on: April 19, 2017, 11:31:24 pm »
I keep pigs in the same field as my sheep, I've never had any problems.
Your grass will not grow very much until April, but by then lambing will be progressing well across the UK and you will be able to by a couple of sheep with lambs at the auction, they eat your grass throughout the summer, in September sell the sheep back into the breeding market, then butch the lambs for your freezer.

You get about 18kg of meat from a 45kg lamb.

It's roughly 2 sheep with followers per acre.

pharnorth

  • Joined Nov 2013
  • Cambridgeshire
Re: Sheep and pigs?
« Reply #4 on: April 20, 2017, 07:53:28 am »
Orphan lambs are very hard work for the first fortnight as feeds can be every 5 to 6 hours then weeks 2 to 7 down to a couple a day if the lambs are getting onto the bottle themselves. If you are keeping your pigs separated by a fence there should be no copper issues. If you chose to co graze them then find an area to feed the pigs separately and since your plot is a modest one consider cleaning off some of the pig dung to reduce the copper build up long term.  On the cull ewes, I have 3 that I need to do something with this summer that I would be happy to let go as I have enough lambs coming on for our needs this year, too far from you mind. Or just visit Cockermouth or the M6 markets and see what there is.

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: Sheep and pigs?
« Reply #5 on: April 20, 2017, 11:15:38 am »
You could buy some cast ewes that have been shorn and sell them at a time of year when prices are better.  Our place used to include a small-scale commercial pig farm with 65 breeding sows and the contents of the slurry pit and lagoon that drained the yards was regularly spread/sprayed over the pasture, with no ill effects on the sheep. They were not copper-sensitive breeds, however.  If pigs trash the ground the amount of weeds that will germinate the following Spring will mean that the grazing quality declines every year.

Eve

  • Joined Jul 2010
Re: Sheep and pigs?
« Reply #6 on: April 20, 2017, 02:38:36 pm »
Uhm, peeps, you realise the original post dates from 2009, right?  ;)

 

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