[belfastchris45]

Hi All

I have been reading everything I can on pigs and what I need to get some weeaners.  I am based in Northern Ireland near lisburn and just wondering if anyone has any recomandations for both good pig food and an abattoirs in the country.  The list on this site doesnt seem to include NI :-( felling left out already.  Any help and/or advise on this would be great.  Trying to sort the basics out first before I jump into this

thanks
Chris

[oaklandspigs]

Don't feel left out !  I can only put in abattoirs that are recommended, and so far no-one from NI has recommended.
 
This link has a list of ones in NI
 
http://www.tracingpaper.org.uk/foodtracer/abattoirs/northern-ireland/
 
 
Obviosuly when you have got through to that satge, i would love to get feedback on the one you use.
 
 
 

[Fowgill Farm]

Good to know you're doing your homework first, it always good to be prepared.
Lots of info on this site, if you want GOS pigs theres some NI breeders listed on the GOS website members section, Graceybank herd springs to mind (they can point you towards feed people)and theres some (advert warning ) good articles written by moi if i do say myself about starting with & keeping pigs (advert warning off )
If you scan thro some of the back pages of the pigs forum you'll get some ideas and anything we haven't covered (which i very much doubt!) just ask but remember we can only offer advice on the info YOU give us and you may not always like what we reply   but we try to give as practical a help as we can. What works for one of us might not for you, its all about finding out what does work for YOU.
HTH and welcome by the way.
Oink Oink
Mandy

[HappyHippy]

Welcome to TAS 

Here's a link to the British Pig Association with some breeders in NI who have stock and will hopefully also be able to give you advice about feed and abattoirs too 
http://www.grassroots.co.uk/cgi-bin/htmlos.cgi/001262.1.082673259276537564
Good luck and keep us posted with how you're getting on 
Karen

[belfastchris45]

Thank you all so much for your help. It's
Most welcome.

I know this has been covered loads before, as I have been reading. Is everyone on the same opinion that the best and ony fencing for pigs is electric ?  What would be the initial setup cost ?  Also what would
Be the cost for a pig house.  Is a pic ark the best. What about a temp house with straw etx ??

[robert waddell]

if they have been used to electric fencing they should be alright    but better with proper stock fencing (rylock)  electric as a scare wire then  straw houses are the cheapest    some have used old oil tanks modified to suit  even big wooden packing cases can be used and old alloy trailer body's     you may get pig arks for free you never know the luck of the Irish

[Fowgill Farm]

Thank you all so much for your help. It's
Most welcome.

I know this has been covered loads before, as I have been reading. Is everyone on the same opinion that the best and ony fencing for pigs is electric ?  What would be the initial setup cost ?  Also what would
Be the cost for a pig house.  Is a pic ark the best. What about a temp house with straw etx ??

If you can proper stock fencing with a strand along the bottom edge to stop digging under is the best option, if you want to use just electric it depends on the breed you choose, lop eared pigs who don't see so well usually do better with the tape type where as the prick eared breeds are usually ok with wire. Can't give you the costs as i just sling it it on OH's account at the builders/ag merchants and then claim i know nothing about it  .
Again if you just testing to see how you like pigs theres nothing wrong with a temporary ark made of bales with a weighted tin sheet roof, if you intend to keep more pigs then investing in an ark is worthwhile and theres lot of previous discussions on here about the best type, i for example prefer wooden ones with floors because we have horrid clay ground and live in the North of England and i bring my pigs into the farm buildings in winter.
HTH
Mandy 

[oaklandspigs]

we keep pigs behind both stock fencing with a strand along the inside bottom, and keep our sows just behind a single strand of electric.
 
Cost wise you'll be looking at the following for electric
Energiser £60-£100 - you'll need to decide power and whether mains or battery
Battery around £50-100 - depends on how many ampere hours (AH) you want the battery to last - you'll want a leisure battery (last longer than a car one) and they come in AH - link to one site below
Earth stake - you can but one or use a metal rod (we use offcuts of copper pipe)
Insulators - either stakes in the ground (around £1-2 each), or connectors that you screw or nail to posts (say £8 for 25).  We prefer screw connectors for post rather than nail in as you can move them easily.
Tape or wire - we favour white "horse" tape - the pigs see it clearly and you can see if they bury it.  tape around £18 for 200m
 
That's about it!
 
 
How to put it all together is in the following guide
 
http://www.rappa.co.uk/advice-centre/13-fencing-guide
and a typical leisure battery
 
http://www.batteries4leisure.co.uk/caravan-batteries
 
 
 
 
 

[Hassle]

I'll add to the stock fence side of the fence don't forget you will also need a gate well maybe that is just me

As to costings I think and these are rough

Pound a meter for stock fencing plus posts at 6 pound every 3 meters, I use gripple to strain and connect it's about 90ish pounds for a starter pack. Gripple is expensive but when i'm fencing at 5am so I can get out the door and do a proper job it makes sense to me.

Fisher Nose drinker is about 20 quid if you have mains it's basically a mini trough you can do cheaper (it's called a bucket) more expensive if you want.. Plus a bit of concrete to go underneath.

I use cast Mexican hats for feed I had loads when did pigs and I'm to tight to buy anything else.

I then had electric fencing running around the inside which cost about 3 hundred I did add a solar panel to it though.. Sun light is free  and batteries are expensive and heavy and leisure batteries even more expensive when they get pinched so the panel can get bolted down.

A ark ... No floor second hand cost me a ton

Then 3 note books for birth deaths sales and who got off with who  / medicine / And feed record.

Slappers are quite expensive not sure what they run to now

I use an auto injector for vaccinations but that price 222 is offset by cattle if just fattened you won't need to worry so much just rotate the land

Other costs BPA and perhaps your pedigree pig choice gang but those depend on which pig breed you want and again for fatteners not necessary.

Final cost is time to care for your pigs and having all your friends come around and have to say explain looking after the pigs to them


Fleabay/ preloved throw up items from time to time but have a drive around local farms ( perhaps not right now it's a late harvest) and you might pick up second hand items cheaper

[Fowgill Farm]

great info Hassle
mandy

[robert waddell]

very sensible and informative      the gate is an essential part of the fence    there will aways be one or two pigs that wont cross where an electric fence was    we weigh our pigs on a regular basis and now have no problem moving them in in wide open spaces
the Mexican hat feeders are great for muddy conditions   if you are blessed with dry fields and feed nuts just feed them on the ground this also encourages them to root   every thing else is really a matter of choice or preference

[Hassle]

Yes the gates are important I have 4 foot gates into my electric wire compounds they are about 50 quid and a 12 foot gate into the stock fencing which was 70 all half mesh reason for such a large gate is my smallest tractor is 175 hp and when fatteners are gone I work the ground and reseed

[Hassle]

  oh I forgot trailer  you can pick up weaners in the back of your estate with plenty of straw and not further than 50 kilometres from your CPH if you don't mind a smelly car but a trailer will be needed

[LandieMan]

Just jump in, pigs are pretty easy. You will pick it up as you go along. As long as you have somewhere dry for them to sleep some ground for them the trash and food and water you are there. A couple of strands of electric fence will keep a  pig at bay, rabbit fencing is a good starter for weaners. Stock fencing and gates can wait. Abattoirs can be found using tracing paper. For local details speak to the people you buy the weaners from. You will get it wrong to start with but you will have a laugh. What better way to laugh with your neighbours than when you are all chasing a pig down the road.

[ppd]

Sorry, but had to say something - Landieman - saying just jump in and if you cock up it will be a laugh, is in my opinion possibly the worst advice I have ever heard on here I have just had my first two weaners and Chris was asking all the right questions and getting good advice. Possibly making mistakes looking after any living creature is and should never be a laugh.