[dixie]

Before anyone says it, not the freezer please!!
We have clay soil here and after just a few days rain my pens are wrecked!  we are planning to build some indoor pens in the barn each with outside access, and wondered what others do. Do you bring them in? Do you leave them out, if so are the Arks insulated? If you bring them in do they have access to outside and how much room do they have? Thanks all but it will be really helpful in planning exactly what we do.

[gavo]

Ours are never in except for tatooing and tagging as weaners. But thankfully we are not on clay. But our arks are not insulated just plenty of bedding on the floor which is raised off the ground by resting on skids.Our arks can comfortably house three adult pigs[usually one boar and two females] by heck does it get warm in there, even on frosty or snowy days.

[sausagesandcash]

Quite frankly Daaarling, we send ours for a short break to the seychelles! Couldn't resist. Gavin, i'm assuming you were just checking on the pigs, and weren't in the 'dog house' as it were.

[ukag0972]

My boar never comes in and the sows only come in to farrow. They wrecked their house so we put in a round bale of straw every 4 months and they make their own nest in the bushes.
Works for them

[carl]

I also have clay soil, which turns to soup when you mix with pigs and winter. I am having a winter off, from pigs, partly to let the ground recover, partly due to personal circumstance. I never put mine inside for winter, just moved the arc onto fresh ground, and kept plenty of straw inside it, using the old straw to spread round the boggy bits when renewing. If the weather got really bad,ie blizzards, i would put a big bale as a wind break, and they would be draught free. I am considering making a concrete base to put the arc and the troughs on , as I will be having more pigs in spring, and hopefully continue on without a break.
But I can honestly say my pigs are in the freezer for the winter, and very tasty they are.

[daniellestocks]

Its really boggy with our pigs already but they will be out all winter with pleanty of bedding! Im sure they will be fine out 

[BadgerFace]

We too have clay  But the pigs field is on a gentle slope so drains quite well, the arks are at the top of hill and the pigs don't venture far in wet weather. I do have an old dairy building with concrete yard in front that they could come into, but have never had to bring them in yet. If this winter becomes a very wet one, I was thinking of putting the weaners in the bark turnout yard ( 25 x 25 m) that we used to use for the ponies on a restricted diet !  Anyone tried keeping pigs on a bark yard ?

[Lynnes]

 I also have clay soil and one field is on a slight slope, when it was very wet they used the top part of the field as it wasn't as poached but some parts got so deep, one got a bit lame on front, I washed and dried it off popped him in the stable with bed of straw, the stable door opens up onto a small paddock in front of piggies field, he could go and have a chat.  one morning I found his friends had dug out and moved in with him.  mmm idea! I used the time to repair fence, and little jobs done while they were visiting. 1/4 of the paddock is muddy rest is concrete I had a square rubber mat on the concrete, they lay outside on it a lot. we threw veg and tatties in for them to forrage. OH and They played 'serious' footie with the ponies ball they rolled it around at great speed, the treats fell out. If you find your field is not holding up and they are struggling and unhappy, piggy activity centre is the way to go ha ha   

[Hilarysmum]

Brilliant idea about the rubber matting.

[dixie]

I do have rubber matting but suspect it will soon become buried! Mine have an indestructable football, they love it!!

[Hilarysmum]

One of mine is passionate about a rope pull / dog toy, where do you get the indestructible footballs from?  Mine have burst so many footballs.

[little blue]

Where have you got an indestructable football from? If not for my pigs then for the german shepherd!
My girls also have a traffic cone they play with (dont ask!) and loads of branches

[sausagesandcash]

They are a horse thing as I recall. I think I saw them on Ascott

[chickenfeed]

 :)you can buy indestructable footballs for dog on ebay, we have car tyres hanging from chain in the pig runs they love them we even stuff grass & vegtables in them to give them some more interest, we have also filled a bowling ball with no nails and set a chain in it to hang for them trouble is our 3 year old grandson likes swinging onit and the pigs like using him as a moving toy!!!!!

[Hilarysmum]

"we have also filled a bowling ball with no nails and set a chain in it to hang for them trouble is our 3 year old grandson likes swinging onit and the pigs like using him as a moving toy!!!!!"

Now that would be a superb photo