[sophie]

Hi I have a bracken issue at the top of my land and have a dilemma. I didn't realise how poisonous bracken was, and that it has links to cancer in the water courses. We have been trying to avoid spraying the land to kill it but I think the chemicals look less poisonous (although still very nasty) than the bracken as we are spring fed.
We are looking to get some pigs also to help with the bracken. Does anyone have any experience of using pigs for bracken?. We are looking at Iron Age x GOS and maybe Mangalitza x GOS but we have never had pigs before. The Iron Age piglets are 3 weeks old at the moment and they are very socialised with a very relaxed mother so I think they will be less highly strung but as I said I have never had pigs before. We know we will have to pen them into a smaller area than all of the bracken but the bracken boarders grass, but obviously we don't want to hurt the pigs by what they eat on top of their pig nuts.
Any advice would be great.

Kind regards

Sophie

[Marches Farmer]

Take a look at the Gloucestershire Old Spots Pig Breeders' Club website for lots of info on starting pig-keeping.  They'll need good fences (pigs dig and can also jump higher than you'd think), dry shelter, shade in summer, constant clean water supply and correct feeding.  Young pigs allowed ad lib greenery may suffer from impacted food in their gut.  Bracken can be weakened by regular cutting with something like an Allen Scythe or a dashel basher, or frequent rolling.  You just have to keep on top of it constantly but it will take several yers if you don't spray it off.

[Berkshire Boy]

Pigs will clear it but really you would need adults to make a real difference. Your best bet is to spray, modern sprays are very safe and the chemicals only kill the plants and are inactive in the soil.

[fiestyredhead331]

We've used pigs to clear bracken this year and they've done a smashing job! Dug up roots etc so we are hoping to go over the ground and pull out the old roots and reseed in spring so fingers crossed

[ladyK]

I am hoping to use pigs to clear advancing bracken fronts as well (though probably I won't be ready for that adventure until next year).

Here's some extra questions that have been burning on my lips on that subject:
- what are the best pig breeds for that job (weaners, ideally), what breed have people here used
- my field (3 acres) has sound stock fencing all around, but I was thinking I would have to confine the pigs to smaller, bracken infested patches with electric fencing
- once they dig up a patch I'd have to move them on, which bring up the problem of moving their housing... we do not have a tractor nor a 4x4, so.... is it possible to move pig housing without machine power? (I do have 2 donkeys...)
- how much pig fits into a chest freezer?? (it's only 2 of us, so the prospect of ending up with two pigs for the freezer is a bit daunting (and I'm not sure how muc I can sell/give away to friends and family as they are all quite far away...)

[fiestyredhead331]

We've used saddlebacks, duroc and GOS and all made fast work of it!
As for freezer space, by the time the pork is butchered you should be able to get a couple of pigs in your frrrezer if its rectangle ones not square?
We don't have machinery either but a few round fence posts and some muscle or a pulley work fine, where therea will there's a way

[sophie]

Thanx for the advice and I am glad it has worked for you. Is it best to keep them in a smaller area and move them regularly. Will electric fence keep them in these areas, as putting in proper stock fencing for small areas would be quite time consuming, but obviously we do not want them to get out. What's a sensible area size? We may end up spraying too but we cant do that until August so we thought we could do some of the areas near our water supply with the pigs. Also in the wood which I think they would enjoy. There is a clearing there that has got bracken in but we will clear it and then plant trees to avoid regrowth. We were looking at making the shelter in separate parts so that we can move it. (floor and top)
Thanx

[Anke]

Our pig ark is made of several parts and is regularly dis- and then re-assembled in a different place (although we do move the bits with tractor and trailer).

You can also make more temporary housing using (small square)straw bales and fence posts and a sheet of roofing material, ideally metal type. This would obviously only be good enough for one batch of weaners, but is cheap and cheerful...

[oaklandspigs]

[advert on] Sophie, looks like you could do with a good book on pig keeping ! http://www.oaklandspigs.co.uk/perfect-pigs-book/ or even a course http://www.oaklandspigs.co.uk/courses/ [advert off]

Pig need training for the electric fence - otherwise they are as likely to go through as stay in.  In essence when you bet them, you'd create a small fenced area say 15ft square around your ark, and run a single strand of white electric horse tape around the inside edge at about 6 inches. (Use white tape, as it is easy for them to see, and they create an association.  They'll soon learn to stick away from  the electric, takes maybe two days at most.  Then you can have them just behind the electric. 

As a first timer, I'd suggest you stick to a lop eared breed (one with ears down) as they tend to be more docile.  If your two crosses are prick eared, it might be harder for you, and both the Mangalitza and Iron age tend to be for the more advanced pig keeper.

Lady K (and Sophie!) - if you have a large area to clear, then create a "radial" system, ie have the ark near the middle, and then use the electric to create an area like a slice of pie.  When they have cleared that area, then move round the clock face (to mix metaphors) so they have a fresh slice.  That way you don't need to move the ark.

[ladyK]

Thanks for these ideas, I especially like OP's radial set up suggestion...
though it may not work for us, as we have a long but narrow area to clear (200m x 30m approx)