[HesterF]

Sorry, I'm sure you've answered these loads of time before but couldn't find them.

How much area wise would you need for a pair of weaners, just to grow on until slaughter? We've got an area with some old and very overgrown hazel trees but I don't know whether it's big enough for a couple of pigs so I was trying to work out how much to fence off around it.

I've heard all the tales of pigs destroying trees. These hazel trees probably need coppicing or something - they're mainly hundreds and hundreds of branches (various sizes from a few cms thick to good solid branches) shooting up. What would pigs do to them? Would they just chew round them or try and knock them over or what?

Will pigs be happy without any grass? From what I've seen, they just dig it up anyway but do they like it prior to digging it up?

Thanks,

Hester

[90driver]

Hester

Hi, I am by no means an expert on pigs, but have just finished fencing off out first pig field today (exciting stuff)

My old neighbour used to keep pigs on a commercial basis, and his killed all the trees in his field, including a rather stunning and very very old oak tree 

The pigs will totally destroy all the grass and from then on be more than happy rooting about in the bare earth.

I have put asside a 25m x 25m plot and hope to run 3 on that..... but have no idea what the norm is lol !!

[HappyHippy]

I'd say that the more space they have the better (and the less chance of them rooting up your trees  )
We give at least a third of an acre to get 2 weaners to pork weight and needed it last year because the weather was so wet ! (The wetter it is, the quicker they turn it to mush and the longer it takes to recover  )
So ideally, 1000 square meters would be about right for two weaners IMHO.

As to them rooting up trees, providing the trees are well established (over 10 years old) they shouldn't really root them up, but if the ground is wet and all vegitation in their paddock is gone - they might be more interested in the trees.
HTH
Karen

[Berkshire Boy]

Karen are you sure you mean 100 sq mtrs, that's only 10 x 10 I would have said that was way too small.

[HappyHippy]

Ooops ! Sorry meant 1000 square meters  (changed on the original post now  )

[Marches Farmer]

The previous owner here ran pigs on an 8 acre field and they managed to damage the roots of a 300 year old oak to the extent it came down in a gale .....

[Fowgill Farm]

Our pigs don't dig trees out but they use them as bum rubbing posts and snap young saplings like twigs...grrrr....all now have metal protectors round them.
Our smallest paddocks are 18mtrs by 12mtrs and our largest ones are 50mtrs x 30mtrs,
Pigs adore  fresh grass and if theres good growth they'll be content nibbling it (this is GOS) we find they only start to dig when the grass is short and of poor nutritional value. One paddock has an old tree trunk and fence posts plunged into ground to use for a good scratch!.
HTH
mandy
 

[hughesy]

Our saddleback dig. They do eat grass but prefer to consume the roots first. This is despite having read somewhere that saddlebacks are noted for their grazing habits! It doesn't matter how much space they have they will turn it all over. They're not happy until they've ploughed every available inch. A group of 8 four month old growers turned over two acres in about a week recently. They're just doing what comes naturally so if you want grass, don't put pigs on it.

[HesterF]

Thanks all! I saw the 100 square metres earlier and was surprised how small that was. 1000 square metres is just over 30m by 30m which sounds pretty doable and less surprising!

I picked up some ducks last year from a place that had pigs and a couple had escaped and you could see the devastation they'd caused in just a few minutes on fresh grass. It looking like a bulldozer had been through. This particular area is about the only area we have that is not good quality grass so that's why we'd be happy to have pigs on it but I was worried that they'd miss out on the grass. I guess traditionally they were kept in woodland and that's what this is like - lots of interesting things under the trees to turn over. I was wondering whether there was a plot big enough that they'd just happily live on grass, but clearly not....

H

[90driver]

just a thought..... would they eat grass cuttings ?

[Hassle]

Love grass cutting don't swamp them cuttings though and make sure fresh

[Berkshire Boy]

Mine eat the cuttings quicker than I can cut it.

[90driver]

That is good to hear. I have a huge amount of grass cuttings every week. More than is good for current compost heap. So with a bigger heap and pigs I can get rid of it all.

[Fowgill Farm]

That is good to hear. I have a huge amount of grass cuttings every week. More than is good for current compost heap. So with a bigger heap and pigs I can get rid of it all.

Its not as eay as that, less is more 90driver, too many and you'll make them ill, we gauge as one mower box of cuttings per pen of 3 pigs so don't expect them to eat all your cuttings. Also be aware of whats in your cuttings,eg sharp thorns, bits of plastic, leylandii trimmings etc.
so takie care
mandy

[90driver]

Mandy

Ok thanks for that.... My mower box holds about 3 wheel barrow loads ... I am guessing that is too much !!