Author Topic: Keeping Pigs and Chickens together? (Read 7308 times)

knight_family · « **on:** May 12, 2012, 08:22:45 pm »

Hi all,

Not sure if you read one of my last posts of trying to rent of the council a piece of land, well they came back and said no as they may want to build on it.... Not happy but ah well I'm now looking into other options, and would like your thoughts.

We currently have 16 chickens in a piece of land just over 23m x 10m with 4 apple and 2 cherry trees. So my thinking is would I be able to keep the pigs and chickens in the same area maybe give the chickens free range of all of it and the pigs 2/3 of the length.

If not want size would you recommend as it may just mean moving the raspberries and loosing some veg growing space...

Any help would be great as I really do want some pigs!!!

For info we are on clay ground and only looking for over summer pigs not wintering.

HappyHippy · « **Reply #1 on:** May 12, 2012, 08:45:00 pm »

The pens we use for fatteners (usually only 3, or 4 at most) are 20m x 20m and after 4 months they're usually fairly trashed $:-\$ If your fruit trees are less than 10 years old you'd be best to fence them or protect them somehow from the pigs as they probably will damage the roots with their digging (or, worst case scenario dig 'em all up for you). The whole area might end up very wet & muddy depending on what the weather is like in your area? Clay soil, rain and pigs isn't a great combo I'm afraid $:-\$
We're in wet, central Scotland (on good, though not very well drained soil) and with the weather as it has been for the last year we're actually rotating twice as often to reduce damage to the ground. If the weather in your area is quite good, you might not need to move them out of the original area - but if it gets quite wet you'd be best to have a stand-by spare pen to make it a less horrendous experience for you and the pigs

Pigs & chickens - well, lots of them live happily together but I dare say a fair few chickens have become a tasty treat for the occaisional pig who was fast enough. Pigs are omnivores (eat anything) and no-one's told them they've not to eat meat

I kept mine seperate, but we did have a wee hen who used to come and roost in the shed around the farrowing pen - she wasn't ever eaten

HTH
Karen

manian · « **Reply #2 on:** May 12, 2012, 09:22:02 pm »

our chicken hop over the fence tothe pigs.....
when they root the hens pick out worms/bugs
alsothe hen s pinch the pig food

never had one eaten...... yet
Mx

in fact not sure if a coincidence but fox has never attacked when we have pigs

knight_family · « **Reply #3 on:** May 12, 2012, 09:30:37 pm »

Thanks for the info we would only be looking for 2 GOS, unless I end up renting the field of the council

Beewyched · « **Reply #4 on:** May 15, 2012, 12:43:01 am »

My KKs have their own pet chuck ...

She was purchased as a day-old to keep company with a single EBAY/incubator chick. When we tried to integrate her with the main flock, she just ran off down the woods & now wanders about with the herd all day, eating bits of their feed, even perching on their backs & then she snuggles in their shelter with them all night

Very sweet

plt102 · « **Reply #5 on:** May 15, 2012, 09:04:27 pm »

Our chickens and pigs live quite happily together with the chooks stealing the pig food and digging about in the mud for worms. But the chicken house is outside the pig pen and I would dread to think what a mess even a couple of pigs would do to a chicken coop or fruit trees, they are happily digging up the side of our barn which is made of stone....

Good luck!

P

redborneschoolfarm · « **Reply #6 on:** May 20, 2012, 10:07:06 pm »

We only ever had one incidence of a pig killing a chicken but it was a cockerel and we figured he had started on the pigs. They didn't eat him but he certainly didn't come out on top.