[MR C CHICKS]

Hello all! New to the forum and need some good sound advise off you experienced pig keepers. Myself ,and a couple of friends have just rented an acre of land and have thought about keeping a few pigs on it. We currently keep chickens, ducks, turkeys etc at home for a hobby and have always wanted to try pigs. Now we have this land we have the chance i hope. We are all doing a bit of research at the moment but i thought id ask the forum for advise on keeping pigs from choosing which breed all the way through to slaughter. Any advise on breeds ,costs,any vet treatment we would need,paperwork for keeping them, and anything else we need to know would be a terrific help. 

[Snoopy]

Hello and welcome to the forum

For some basic information check out my website www.tullywoodfarm.com

Then this section here if you read through the articles headers will give you and insight
into what we all do on here.  There's a few differences of opinion, and choosing the right
breed is down to personal choice, but and easy going, nice character pig that makes great
pork and bacon, a good all rounder, would be the Gloucestershire Old Spot.

Good luck in your research, and welcome again

Julie

[carl]

i'd say, read a few books first. on starting with pigs,. have a think what you want from your pigs, and how you are able to look after them. find someone local who keeps a few pigs,ie a smallholder not a big commercial unit, and make friends wth them. they will know vets,butchers,abattoirs, breeders,feed merchants etc and may be happy to help.there are also coarses on pig keeping and breeding, full day and half day which can help with lots of issues, ie how to give your pigs an injection when required, how to tag or tattoo your pigs and how to keep them in one place etc.Don't be afraid to ask questions, but be specific, we'll still come up with more opinons than you can take in at once.there are loads of pig keepers of different scales on this board, but we all love pigs and want people to look after them in a caring and responsible way, so we will hold your hand through any problems. good luck.
carl

[Snoopy]

Well said Carl 

[BillyBerridge]

Bloody hell Carl.. I thought you had disappeared off the face of the earth!
Good advise for anyone thinking of getting into pigs.

Where about in the country are you? There are various breeders dotted about that run pig keeping courses, always worth a look!

As far as all round best breeds go, everyone has their favourites, but my preference is the oxford sandy & black, they are docile and easy to manage, full of character and don’t tend to put on fat as quickly if you take you eye off the ball! They also produce the most fantastic meat!

As far as books go to name but a few, starting with pigs written by Andy case as is teach yourself pig keeping by Tony York.

If you get as far as getting some Pigs drop me a message on here, my partner is a sales rep for an equipment company and she will supply you far cheaper than any of your local ag merchants!

[carl]

Billy, i'm always keeping an eye on the tas board, not always got time to sit and type reponses. a lot going on domestically at the moment, hence no pigs on the go, waiting for early next year to crack on again. I may be looking for an osb expectant mother as part of the plan. so will keep you informed.

[oaklandspigs]

A starter pig keeping course would be excellent, it lets you both hear and see first hand.

A good book will also be invaluable.

(Ok we do both, but it is still good advice !! )

Good luck !

[MR C CHICKS]

Nice one!!!!  Cheers for all your replies. We live in the cheshire area near to chester, will take on all your advise and will keep in touch on the forum. would you recommened buying from a breeder or a market  ? Do you only need documents to move pigs or to keep them aswell ?

[oaklandspigs]

Would strongly recommend buying from a breeder first time - that way you can see and ask lots of questions.  Most breeders will happily talk to you (and in some cases once you get them chatting - you will be the one wanting to go!!).

Markets can be iffy if you don't know what you're buying.

As for paperwork, you'll need a CPH number before you buy, a herd no. once you've bought.  You will get a form with them (called an AML2), the top copy goes to officialdom, and you keep one/two copies (depends if you transported them).  You then have to start a herd movement register which shows what you have moved on and off your CPH.  Finally you'll need a medical record book (shows any treatments you have given your pigs)

You need to keep all the above forever and a day (ok for some time!) and suggest you basically don't throw anything away !!


Link to a useful defra booklet  http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/farmanimal/movements/pigs/documents/new_owner_guide.pdf

 

[Hilarysmum]

Keep receipts for absolutely anything you buy solely for the pigs.  That way when you come to distribute the meat you will know exactly how much it has cost per kilo.

[Snoopy]

Nice one!!!!  Cheers for all your replies. We live in the cheshire area near to chester, will take on all your advise and will keep in touch on the forum. would you recommened buying from a breeder or a market  ? Do you only need documents to move pigs or to keep them aswell ?

Hi again - I would recommend getting in touch with Mr. Stephen Booth when you are ready to go and visit a breeder and get advice.  He is a member of the Essex Pig Society, The British Saddleback Breeders Club, he is on the Cheshire Show Committee and also the Chairman of the Gloucestershire Old Spot Breeders club and also a valued representative of the British Pig Association. 

I think you are blessed to have such an experienced breeder to hand in your area 
If you do get to meet him say "Joe and Julie Delaney in Ireland say Hi".

His farm is  www.chapelsaddlebacks.co.uk

Good Luck and well done with your questions - I know you will make a great pig keeper      Julie

[Sylvia]

I can only recomend STRONG fencing! We were lucky to meet a person with a scaffolding business who gave us tons of old scaffolding poles which we fastened round the bottom of our pig pen. That kept them from pushing out.
We have had to in the last few weeks let them out of their pen because of the weather and they have been no end of trouble!!!

[MR C CHICKS]

 Cheers!!!   Sounds like good advise. I knew contacting the forum would be a smart move . Obtaining info off people who actualy have and work with pigs is sometimes better than reading any book. Although you may get fed up with me asking questions in the future tho. Thanks to all who have replied. How do i reply to individual posts tho ? Not a wizz when it comes to computers.

[Hilarysmum]

Hi its nice being able to answer questions so dont stop.

 

[Snoopy]

Cheers!!!   Sounds like good advise. I knew contacting the forum would be a smart move . Obtaining info off people who actualy have and work with pigs is sometimes better than reading any book. Although you may get fed up with me asking questions in the future tho. Thanks to all who have replied. How do i reply to individual posts tho ? Not a wizz when it comes to computers.

If you look at the top of the HOME menu, you will see MY MESSAGES, click on that and send a message to any member you wish, privately, by entering their user name in the to spot.

They will then be sent a message to their normal email address, which may be hidden, to tell them that they have a message to read on the TAS forum, they can then reply to you through the MY MESSAGES and necxt time you log on the number of messages will show in brackets on the menu.

Hope this helps you - also you can look at the members map for people in your area too!

Julie