[JulieS]

After their week's 'reprieve' the 3 GOS boys finally went and I've had a busy week getting the sausages and joints to my very satisfied customers.....I even managed to save a loin joint for us, which was very, very tasty!!

The boys went on the Tuesday morning and I collected the first of the new girls that evening.  Three 6 month old gilts.  The plan is, when they are ready, to put them in pig and I have customers for 2 of them, keeping the third for myself for breeding.

Yesterday I collected 2 in pig gilts.  One is due around 8th Dec and the other around 1st January.  So an exciting time ahead.

I collect 3 gilt meat weaners on 18th October.

All the hard work over the last few weeks getting all the fencing done and building the pig arks is very satisfying.  A real piggy heaven here now......For me, and more importantly, they all seem to be extremely happy too.  I've certainly got a 'soft spot' for pigs now, and they are well and truly spoiled!   


I thought you might like to see a picture.....If I can manage to post it!   

[Gordon M]

Great piggies!!
Where did you get your pig arks? I take it they arrived in kit form. The OH wants Large Blacks but we've never kept pigs before and I think they may be hard work, correct me if I'm wrong. Have you had to use electric fencing?

[HappyHippy]

Julie, they look VERY happy !
Good luck with the farrowing when the time comes.
Karen

[JulieS]

Thank you Karen 

Gordon, I got the first 3 arks from www.westfrogwellfarm.co.uk, they assembled them here for me, you can also get them delivered ready for self assembly.   After seeing them my husband decided we could make them, so he's making them as I need them now.

Not sure they will be the most suitable design for farrowing.  I'm 6' tall, so we're looking at adapting the plan to make them taller in case I need to get in and out quickly.

What does everyone else use for farrowing? 

[JulieS]

Sorry Gordon, didn't answer you about electric fencing.

I haven't used electric fencing yet.  I've found that stock fencing and heavy posts enough.  I will use electric fencing when I get a boar.

[little blue]

What does everyone else use for farrowing? 

As Im nearly as tall as you, my very spoilt pigs havea proper shed, with a Dutch barn roof (cos it makes it look like a pig ark according to my O/H!)
It gives us a shelf inside which we can use for storage, a stable door, lots of windows we chicken wire and can then take out the panes (Murphy the boar has eaten one of them, he shares with the goats!) and they have indoor and outdor lighting and their own security camera!

We have a similar set up for the first chickens we had, they even have a little butterfly on the door!

[Hilarysmum]

Gordon M large blacks make great first time pigs.  They tend to be even slower than Gossies. 

[JulieS]

Wow Little blue, that sounds wonderful!  I would love to see a picture if  you have one?

[Higgins11]

How does your husband source the curved metal?

I could buid the frame if i had a source for the bent metal for the top.


before you go and raise the hight look at the following article ...............if you raise the height then the warm air is in the roof not down where the sows are laying. So you end up with more laid on pigs

http://www.ipic.iastate.edu/reports/99swinereports/asl-1680.pdf

[JulieS]

Many thanks for the article Higgins, that's really interesting.  We were only talking this morning about the heat loss in a taller structure.  Our thoughts, at the moment, seem to be a similar construction to the arks we have at the moment, but with a door at the rear as well as the opening at the front. 

I got the curved metal sections for the tops from Mole Valley Farmers.  We have one near here to collect them from, but they have a website www.molevalleyfarmers.co.uk.....I know they do deliver some things.

[Higgins11]

huh...........i'm guessing they will not ship the pannels to the USA

thanks though

[Hilarysmum]

We have the same problem here in France, see all those lovely consumables and cant have them......

[little blue]

Wow Little blue, that sounds wonderful!  I would love to see a picture if  you have one?

I'll try.... need to take a good one first!

[kwillett]

You have a fun and exciting time ahead Julie,

I would say from my experience that thats the best way to do it, a door at the front and a door or a window at the back, my farrowing arks have a door at the front and a large window at the back with a cover which can slide, this has many benefits when they are farrowing because you can keep a close eye on her while she is farrowing without having to go in with her and also keep a very close eye on the piglets without disturbing them or the mother, this also makes a good ventilation system in the ark which is important and will help prevent the piglets getting pneamonia! This has worked very well for me and my sows and worked well for a new gilt that we had, she was quiet a nervous pig, so it enabed myself to make sure she farrowed ok without her knowing i was actually their, I could also keep a check on the little ones without her knowing too.

Watch the little ones though when they start venturing out, you may need a a strand of electric fence quiet low to the ground to stop the little ones escaping, I just had stock netting to until my frist litter arrived, they are very adventurous!

Good Luck with them and Enjoy.

[JulieS]

That's great advice.  Thank you kwillett.

I like the idea of the window and cover to be able to see but not disturb. 

I was looking at the size of the holes in the stock fencing and wondering if it would be small enough for piglets......from what you say it's obviously not!    

I've got a big roll of chicken wire, that was left by the previous owners.  I think I'll put that up around the farrowing area.