Author Topic: big day tomorrow (Read 2654 times)

gavin davies · « **on:** February 08, 2013, 07:46:17 pm »

:wave:Hi everyone so tomorrow is the big day my 2 little piggies are coming tomorrow but I have a few little questions if you could take the time to answer I would be very greatfull

1. I have bought a large size metal dog food bowl would that be ok for them or shall I just put it on the floor for them to rummage around with .
2. shall I put the water and food bowls in the ark with them or leave them outside
3. The ark I have has a door on the side shall I lock them in at night or leave it open and let them go in and out at there own choice .

Many thanks for reading and help.

Hassle · « **Reply #1 on:** February 09, 2013, 04:33:43 am »

Hi Gavin

When you say a large metal dog bowl do you mean cast iron? The reason I ask is pigs are quite strong and will tend to check underneath to see if there is any food there so you might find that feed bowl anywhere?
You can simply poor the food on the ground but as the ground becomes more worked over some of the food will become wasted.
Leave any bowl well away from the ark as food and water will be well visited so in time will become muddy especially after the summer / year we have had. You also want easy access for yourself as at feeding time pigs can get a little one track minded.
Sometimes pigs can be a little awkward when moving to a new location I tend to do late afternoon evening after there "evening" meal and then move straight to the new ark locking them in over night this is to try and stop them sleeping out especially this time of year and realising its a nice warm safe place to sleep. So realising them into a enclosed would mean having to re catch them later.
I hope all the above makes sense and the reason behind the action gives understanding.
Good luck

MAK · « **Reply #2 on:** February 09, 2013, 08:58:20 am »

I hope all goes well and the pigs settle in to their new home. As Hassle says if you have a feed area outside this will soon turn to mud and you will find any feed bucket or pot chewed and chucked about. Mine are fed inside to reduce food waste and make it easier for me. I purchased a 2 meter metal trough that I wedged between a stone wall and their interior wooden (oak) interior wall. despite my best efforts the pigs will lift this trough in search of scraps. On a daily basis I would try and re-position the trough before each feed -as they got older it became quite a job getting in with them to turn their trough over. Their indoor quarters has a stone floor so chucking their feed on the floor may not result in the same waste as if chucked into a foot of mud.
Good luck - over winter of pigs is not easy so don't worry too much about what you put their food in ( they will find it!) water is the important issue.

Bionic · « **Reply #3 on:** February 09, 2013, 10:10:00 am »

Gavin,
I'm not sure I am qualified to answer as I have only ever had 2 weaners, last year. I found that whatever I put their feed in they would upend it in no time, regardless of how may rocks weighed it down.
Instead I put a couple of paving slabs in their pen and fed them on that. As MAK has said if its on solid ground then there isn't much waste. Having said that I found that as they got older, and stronger, they upended the slabs too and broke them. Will have to get bigger, heavier slabs next time.
I put the slabs nearish to the fence, but not too close (didn't want them rooting under the fence) so that on very wet, muddy days I was able to throw the feed onto the slabs without getting into the pen myself.
With regards to water, no matter what I put that in they always turned it upside down and I was worried there wasn't water there when they wanted to drink. So we bought an auto waterer that was attached to the fence. As they drank it filled up. We had the reserve water in a big black plastic tank, outside the pen, which we filled up every couple of days or so.
I hope this helps.
Have fun with them
Sally

Fowgill Farm · « **Reply #4 on:** February 09, 2013, 10:16:12 am »

Hi Gavin

Yay piggies coming. Well done.
We fed our pigs out of washing up bowls which are cheap and doesn't matter if they trash them. For water you need a heavy container, we use belfast sinks or strong heavy duty polythene ones but as these are small pigs you'll probably need soemthing shallower.
Change it at least once a day for fresh water, sometimes you can geta way with just topping it up if its not too muddy looking.
Feeding best thing to do is make a straw lake outside their door and feed on that, for their first night let them have their tea do their business and then when they've settled shut them in.
read 'Bringing your pigs home' http://www.oldspots.org.uk/getting_started3.asp for some helpful tips.
best of all enjoy your new found friends!

All the best
mandy

thenovice · « **Reply #5 on:** February 09, 2013, 02:37:01 pm »

put feed in wide shallow buckets or washing up bowls as suggested. Keep food and water away from the arc (stop them digging under or out of it). Leave the door open, so they can come and go as they please, they are farm animals, they can regulate their own temperature, and know when they need shelter. Good luck