[Tedshort]

Hello all I live in Alston Cumbria and have just got the two pigs back, very nice but could have done with a bit more fat (I love sausage).
My question is can I grow anything in the pig paddock ready for the next two coming in spring.
Many thanks
Ted
 

[MAK]

Good question. My pigs leave their paddock in a couple of weeks but I plan to turn the land and leave it to rest.
I don't think that you can scatter any root crop seed that will germinate and grow over winter - actually I don't think anything will germinate in our field over the next few months. I would just turn the land and let winter do its best on the land so that an early spring will give you a good cover of grass, weeds and herbs.

[thenovice]

If you want more fat, change to a different breed, or give em more grub 

[sokel]

We are obviously very close too you. Our pigs didn't do as well when we had them in Alston as they do in allenheads. Think it could be the climate
We feed lots of fruit and veg from the wholesalers but still give them the recommended daily amount of pig nuts
What breed did you have

[Bodger]

If you want extra fat on your pigs, then consider growing spuds for them. With many rare breed pigs, you usually need to have feeding them with less fat on the carcass in mind.

[Tedshort]

I had a GOS and a GOS x Berkshire.  They were plenty big enough and had plenty meat on them and a covering of fat.  They are kept on a steepish bank about 1/2 acre so maybe they were just fit.  Some that someone else kept from same litter went at same time as mine and they were much smaller but seemed to carry more fat.  The pigs were fed exactly right amount by weight all scraps were extra.  Wormed twice. and were very muscular.
It is strange how much more fat  the smaller litter brother and sister had, they were not even wormed and to tell the truth looked a bit thin.

[Berkshire Boy]

Exercise builds muscle, muscle is meat. Both breeds are prone to put on fat so they must have been burning it off going up and down the bank.

[Fowgill Farm]

Given where you live nothing much will grow over the winter so I would leave the ground broken (rotivated/ploughed) with a covering of manure and let the worms do their stuff, then early in the next year sow a green manure crop mixed with grass seed, by late spring it will be ready to take weaners.
We rest all our paddocks over winter usually dec thro to end of march.
HTh mandy

[Tedshort]

Thanks all.
Ted