[Small Plot Big Ideas]

We're still on course to get a couple of Tamworth weaners but there are a few jobs still on my list before I would consider us properly ready. As this is our first time with pigs I would like to minimise the number of cock-ups but I accept that we're bound to learn as we go along as we everything is new to us.

Luckily the problem of transporting them has already been solved by borrowing a large dog crate/cage from the local vet so I just hope it fits in the back of the car! 

In the meantime if anyone has any help or advice on a couple of dumb beginner questions which are running around my head I would be extremely grateful



1. Move a 8'x6' pig ark over a dry stone wall - Those things are heavy and we have nothing that would lift them over a 4-5ft high stone wall. I could ask the local farmer but he is rushed off his feet at the moment with hay making. Alternatively I suppose I could use the quad to drag it round the long way through the fields (300-400 yards) but it literally just needs to go over the wall from where it is now.

Does anyone have any other bright ideas for tackling this? 


2. Bedding options - Where would a complete beginner like me get a few bales of straw for bedding? That seems the best option for bedding and I'll also need to know for the future where I can get this stuff from. However

I have read about using shredded paper for pig bedding and have a shredder but I assume that its better to think of this as a way of making the straw last longer?



3. Feed / Water - the current plan is to provide the recommended amount of feed split over 2 feed times each day rather than providing ad-lib food. Am I right in thinking this can be scattered on the ground in the woods for them to forage or should we get a feed trough as well? Water will be in a manually filled trough (at first anyway) but I think we will soon get fed up with that and investigate connecting up an automatic water trough to an existing tap about 100 yards away.


This seems a sensible way for beginners to start but if anyone sees a better way then I'll happily consider it!

[Hassle]

1. Move a 8'x6' pig ark over a dry stone wall - Those things are heavy and we have nothing that would lift them over a 4-5ft high stone wall. I could ask the local farmer but he is rushed off his feet at the moment with hay making. Alternatively I suppose I could use the quad to drag it round the long way through the fields (300-400 yards) but it literally just needs to go over the wall from where it is now.

Does anyone have any other bright ideas for tackling this? 

I use a loadall but if your farmer friend is so busy then either wait, or see if anyone you know has a hiab or take the long way around.

Either way an ark is only moved carefully by the person who paid for it.

2. Bedding options - Where would a complete beginner like me get a few bales of straw for bedding? That seems the best option for bedding and I'll also need to know for the future where I can get this stuff from. However

I have read about using shredded paper for pig bedding and have a shredder but I assume that its better to think of this as a way of making the straw last longer?

Small straw bales are typically only available now to buy by the horse market. As most farms will uselarge bails with mechanical aid. But most farms will have an old bailer but you will need to ask nicely to see if a local one will make some small bails for you ... You might have to hump and dump or another local small holder might have some available.

To buy go to local stables and look on their notice boards / horse agri merchants

3. Feed / Water - the current plan is to provide the recommended amount of feed split over 2 feed times each day rather than providing ad-lib food. Am I right in thinking this can be scattered on the ground in the woods for them to forage or should we get a feed trough as well? Water will be in a manually filled trough (at first anyway) but I think we will soon get fed up with that and investigate connecting up an automatic water trough to an existing tap about 100 yards away.

Feed can be put on the ground better to use a trough as less waste ..a trug is a cheap option and robust.  Water trough is fine see if you can pick up a IBC as you'll get very bored carrying water and they can be picked up for about 10-15 pounds. The blue plastic piping is simple just remember it needs to be 18 inches under the ground to be out of the frost if you want to over winter but will be fine surface laid for the rest of the year. Just make sure the trough is very secure

[Fowgill Farm]

Hi Richard
We use a telescopic handler to shift/lift our arks in place, ask your farmer mate, it'll only take him 1/2hr tops to do need some good strong straps to put round it.
Bedding, only ever used straw so again ask your farmer chum to sell you some, a big heston bale should do fine but keep it dry (pigs hate dirty wet bedding)
Feed, IMO groundfeeding is wasteful and you never know how much food each pig has had until it starts to show as they grow. We feed in individual trugs/troughs, that way no waste and you can tell who's had what and if theres any food bullying going on.
Water with this hot weather make sure you container is heavy enuff for them not to tip it out, most likely they'll climb in it anyway, lol. If you decide to connect it up to auto fill make sure they can't get to the connection or the pipes as its great fun (NOT) to come home from work and find a flood and your water bill thro' the roof coz its been gushing all day long.
HTH Enjoy!
mandy

[shropshire_blue]

I'm no pig expert, but the rate that ours get through bedding and water I think you'd be spending all day shredding paper!  You can get straw from friendly farmers, or just google hay & straw merchant. A small bale shouldn't be much more than a few pounds. I paid £1.50 per bale for barley straw from the merchant, or the local small holder shop was charging £4. (!)


I would definitely set up an auto fill water trough.  Turn the tap on a trickle so if they chew/knock the connection off it doesn't spray everywhere.  If they knock over a bucket-filled one just after you leave, then they have no water until you get back, and pigs drink lots.


In terms of moving the arc, dragging it round with the quad seems the easiest option if you don't have a team of young farmers handy to release some testosterone on it!


When you put them in the dog cage, just make sure you hold on tight - they are wrigglers and scream very loudly. Be ready for it and you won't drop them...

[shygirl]

our first sty was on wooden skids. we pulled it from place to place with our 4x4, towbar and rope. can you not put wooden posts under your sty frame?

[Eve]

Ark: use the quad, or collect some pallets and screw them together and put a tarpaulin over it.

Bedding: farm or livery, £1.50 a bale here in the South.

Water: make sure the trough is really heavy or they'll tip it over!

Putting weaners in dog crates: much easier with an extra pair of hands to open and close the crate 

[Moel]

We had to move a similarly sized object.....
Made a sled with old guttering nailed as runners to a pallet.
Worked really well, old lawn tractor thing (wonder how much horsepower it has now, left the Kawasaki factory with 14 in the late 80's) dragged it across the field without much trouble.

[Small Plot Big Ideas]

Thanks for all the great ideas and comments.

I particularly like the sled idea for moving the ark because it sounds like an interesting challenge so I'll give that a try if I can find a few bits to knock something up.

It's certainly easier than taking one apart - we tried that last night but eventually admitted defeat! It's nice to see this particular ark is very solidly constructed though and it's even insulated too!  Not bad for something that was just left in the field for us when we moved in and I would recommend an ark from Booth's 

We're lucky as the water is taken from a spring supply so no metering involved - it's on my job list to look at automatic refill drinkers though and I'll eventually set up something, hopefully before the pigs leave us again in a few months time!

[Small Plot Big Ideas]

Mission accomplished and the pig ark has been moved into position. that's one more job ticked off on the list!

[shygirl]

lucky pigs, looks a lovely spot.

[jimmy]

Looks great Make sure the fence is very secure

[Small Plot Big Ideas]

Looks great Make sure the fence is very secure

A good point and I've already walked the boundaries to check. This area is partly dry stone walled which look fairly solid and where we have wooden stock fencing it also has a single strand of barbed wire at ground level to discourage rooting under. Even the gate has pins added to stop them lifting it off the hinges!


I can't take the credit for any of this though as we just got lucky when we bought this place. There had been pigs here before around 12-13 years ago and most things are still in working order... 

[Bionic]

Beware the dry stone wall.  I have found that mine can scale an almost vertical wall 6 foot tall. Luckily when they got out it was only into a small field with stock proof fencing.

[Hassle]

a single strand of electric wire prevents the above

[sokel]

Looking good Richard
As I said in the message you will be very lucky to find small bales of straw in the area, we bought the last 12 from our supplier and its almost gone so having to move onto large round bales again a lot of the farms have run out of it up here