[BigManBlack]

Hi, my name is Chris Black and my family own a 500 acre hill farm 25 miles west of Glasgow on the outskirts of Helensburgh.  It is currently let out to a local farmer who runs cattle on parts of it and takes the silage off it each year.  I have six pet micro pigs who get spoiled rotten and lead a life of luxury having a section of the byre to sleep in (and hide in when its miserable weather!) and a half acre field to play out in and graze when the weather is favourable.  They are also frequently taken for walks throughout the farm.  I hope to buy some Tamworth sows to restart our business.  I plan to outdoor rear them in a wooded area with the use of electric fencing.  I have indoor space that could be converted to suit farrowing but might let them just get on with it in their outdoor shelter, the way nature intended! Any advice on keeping these beautiful ginger beasties or websites that could help me would be massively appreciated! Also if anyone knows of any well-established herds around my area where I could get my stock from that'd also be much appreciated.  Many thanks for any replies x

[FiB]

   from    Bala North Wales!  Good luck with the pigs, I've only had one lot of saddlebacks so far and enjoyed them a lot too.

[Bionic]

Welcome from a  (makes a change) Camarthenshire 
Sally

[Lesley Silvester]

    Hi from  Shropshire.  I don't know much about pigs (except that I like them) but someone on here is bound to.

[Fowgill Farm]

If you want to know about pigs in Scotland speak to Happy Hippy or Robert & Lillian Waddell, they'll point you in the right direction. Welcome from a fast getting dark off to bottle feed little rarfy pig, North Yorkshire GOS keeper!
Oink Oink
Mandy 

[WarescotFarm]

Welcome 
I've had 1 go of GOS and they were so much fun! Looking forward to getting round 2 in the spring.
Have fun with it!
PS any pics of fully grown micros?
PSS 500 acres  that could be ALOT of piggies! 

[darkbrowneggs]

Hi there and welcome from Worcestershire   

[Rosemary]

Hello and welcome from  Carnoustie!

Good luck with the pigs and we'll look forward to getting to know you, getting to know all about you la la la la.

[HappyHippy]

Hello from me in Lesmahagow, South Lanarkshire  We used to go to Helensburgh a lot, there was a really good bait shop there - best worms in Scotland according to my dad, the fisherman 

There's loads of info out there  The TAS boards are good, there's the Tamworth breeders club website http://www.tamworthbreedersclub.co.uk/, the Scottish Pig Keepers websitehttp://scottishpigs.co.uk/, Gloucestershire Old Spot club website has excellent advice too http://www.oldspots.org.uk/

There are loads of books out there too, the best one I've read lately is the Haynes Pig Manual - really comprehensive, but Oaklands pigs does one too (and if Robin wants to send me a copy I'll review it fully for him  )

There are breeders dotted all over Scotland, but closest to you would be the museum of rural life in East Kilbride, Palacerigg country Park in Cumbernauld and Lillian & Robert over in Avonbridge (just off the top of my head) but Lillian is Tamworth breeders club Scottish rep, so she'll keep you right.

Lookforward to hearing more about how you're getting on
Karen

[lill]

H i and welcome to the forum 

[robert waddell]

hello from Lillian's other half       it depends on what you want  pedigree ones show pigs that would win or just ordinary ones that could be anything and only have a ginger tinge to them
 
your farm Will be on the right hand side of the road heading north   used to go a lot to Abe's farm at coulport    and know tony the tree surgeon

[BigManBlack]

Thanks everyone! Yeah Robert, Abe farms over the hill that we look over towards, I was at school with one of his boys actually! Got a delivery this morning and the driver mentioned there is someone in Little Rahane with pigs??? Lillian private msgd me so will be in touch soon. Karen, yeah that wee shop has a pretty good thing going I think. In fact I may pop into see him, might try start a wormery (if thats what a worm farm is even called!) Thanks again

PS Happy Hippy, loving the name!!      

[robert waddell]

i think that could be a friend of Graeme ballantine    if it is the same one he was trying to get out of pigs    he did not realise how quick they could multiply

[Mammyshaz]

  Hello and welcome from  Durham

[HappyHippy]

Karen, yeah that wee shop has a pretty good thing going I think. In fact I may pop into see him, might try start a wormery (if thats what a worm farm is even called!) Thanks again

PS Happy Hippy, loving the name!!      

If you happened to be free on Sunday the 30th of September you should come to the Smallholder Festival in Forfar  Zerowaste Scotland will be there talking about composting and wormeries - you'll get all the info you need 
Altenatively, if you're ever passing Lesmahagow, you're welcome to come and talk to my dad about his - it was doing well til the lid blew off and they drowned (he'd forgotten drainage holes)