[mwncigirl]

Hi we're new to breeding pigs, we're getting a couple of gilts soon and although it'll be a while before we'll need one, was wondering what people would recommend re: farrowing sheds.... We don't have any buildings to convert, and don't have buckets of money but were thinking a block shed.......anyone have some thoughts? Thanks

[princesspiggy]

mine farrow in a stable but u can use a large outdoor sty, but makes access a bit tricky if u want hands-on.
personally we like to handle the pigs from day one and a bit room to move out of the way is helpful if the sow is grumpy.
depends on time of year to farrow too, if u are going for early spring weaning, then u are farrowing in jan so somewhere out of wind wi electric is helpful.

[P6te]

Hi,

Its interesting you posting this right now as we are just in the process of making an area for just that purpose although it will double up in winter if we need to bring a couple in off the runs when the weather is bad.

Here is the sketch I'm working with for ours ....



Their will be 2 'stables', each 10' x 10' constructed of timber frame, lined at the botton 1' with marine ply and above that waterproof ply (massive price difference between the 2).  Externally it will be covered with Shiplap boarding and the roof will be Onduline roofing.  Each of the 2 stables will have a 10' x 10' hard standing area of its own.  Their will be a 4' gate between the 2 areas and each has a gate to a 20' x 10' (shared) grassed area beyond that with a single 4' gate to exit that area.

Hope this helps.

Pete

[HappyHippy]

Pete, your plans look great 
There are 2 changes I would recommend though (from my trials and errors  )
If you're putting in a concrete base anyway, make a small foundantion and build a couple of rows of concrete blocks at the base of the stable walls, put the wood above this. Wood could/will be chewed and pushed out by the weight of a fully grown pig lying against it - block won't.
Also, try to allow enough height for you to go into the stables without having to bend over - this will make cleaning, changing bedding or assisting with farrowing much easier (or you could keep the roof low and have some sort of hinge to allow it to open for that purpose) There's nothing worse than having a sore back after a couple of hours of farrowing or hitting your head repeatedly when cleaning  Oh and remember your drainage and slopes 
 
Mwncigirl - we use an old cow shed which is divided up into pens of rougly 6ft x 18ft with seperate bed, eating and dunging areas. If I was starting from scratch, without buildings, I'd be looking to make a large shed (concrete, metal, anything really) with a solid base and bolt fixings to the floor to allow you to put posts in to hang gates, or construct pens but only as and when needed. This would give you a really flexible space and you could alter the layout for farrowing, overwintering, or at some point in the future if you start to think about goats, sheep, cows etc It'll also be invaluable storage space/indoor BBQ venue when not being used for livestock 
 
HTH
Karen 

[P6te]

Thanks Karen,

Regarding head height, I'm planning on the rear being in the region of 5' head height and the front a bit more allowing for the slope.

I was considering a block base and may do it that way, if it is a timber (4" x 2") frame, it will be bolted to the concrete ensuring it doesn't move.

Pete

[mwncigirl]

Thank you so much for your detailed responses. AS this will be our first time, what do you think about out outside/ark farrowing if farrowing only during the warmer months?

[P6te]

We are in a very similar situation to you .... we have an ark set up for farrowing and all things being equal we should have had a litter by now (see my earlier posts) but having been through ... winter ... mud ... ice ... darkness .... we have decided we need to 'upgrade' for not only farrowing but for winter too, hence our plans!

Our existing ark for farrowing is 8' x 8', has a farrowing bar, power (light and heat lamp) front door (for pigs) and rear door (for us) but for winter I still consider my plan above to be necessary and worth the expense, time and effort.

Hope this helps ...

Pete

[mwncigirl]

it does, thanks Pete. Hmmmm I know we need a shed really...... for the pigs and our sakes..... i guess really its about trying to keep costs down 

[robert waddell]

i would rethink the whole concept       wood for posts and partitions is not recommended for pigs it just wont stand up to them         block walls would need to be anchored to the floor with starter bars to make them  last any time  concrete walls are more durable      even metal wont last as pig s**t and urine are highly corrosive   bolting to the floor wont work either  unless you are using captive bolts cast in the concrete  the urine will seep into the expanding bolt and  cause decay and failure
you have to remember a sow can weigh up to and beyond 300 kilos and have very powerfull noses