[Womble]

Well, after a few months of keeping an eye on Ebay / Gumtree etc, I finally managed to pick up this old truck canopy for the princely sum of fifty quid  .



It's just over 6 feet x 5 feet, so my plan is to sit it on some wooden 'walls' to increase the height a bit, and turn it into a pig ark suitable for growing weaners on to pork weight. Since we will only have pigs during the summer, I want it to double up as a moveable sheep shelter too, during the winter.

Well, so much for the concept. The devil of course is in the detail, so I need your help with the following questions, and any other points I've missed!!  What I'd like to know is:

1) How high should I make it from floor level to ceiling?
2) What size should I make the doorway? (width and height)
3) Will 16mm plywood screwed to a sturdy frame be sufficiently strong, or would I be better using something like sarking planks?
4) To keep the wet out, I plan to make a raised solid floor out of pallets. Does this need to be a tight fit, or is it ok to just have a raised sleeping platform that covers only some of the internal area? (I'm figuring a removeable floor will be best, as then I can just remove it when the shelter is in 'sheep mode').
5) What should I do for ventilation?  The canopy currently has a mesh hole in the far end, about 1 foot squared. I think this will be a bit much, but is any ventilation actually needed except for the door?
6) Do you think I should make the top hinge off for cleaning, or is it better just to lift the whole thing up and roll it over?
7) How many weaners do you think I could reasonably house if finishing at pork weight? (this ark will be 3.2m2 when finished, which is about 25% smaller than a standard 8'x6' ark)

Thanks in advance, lovely people! 

[devonlady]

It would only have to be high enough for the pigs to stand and turn around comfortably. I have floorless arks and use either stable mats (very heavy) or cow mats which can be whipped out and cleaned easily.

[Liam_86]

- Just tall enough for pigs to move easy
- I would keep the vventillation mesh grate thing, it will help air move through the ark
- I wouldnt bother making a floor, just fill with straw and it will bed down. Just keep it topped up and it wont get wet from underneath

[Womble]

Thanks both!

- Just tall enough for pigs to move easy

But how tall is that?  (I don't have a handy pig here to measure).

I just thought a floor would be a good idea, since we're in Scotland and it does rain here sometimes  . The stable mat idea is a good one - could be a useful halfway house  .

[HappyHippy]

Doesn't need to be any higher than your thigh height for porkers/baconers.
The easiest way to make a door is just to half it, top to bottom - 16mm ply will be fine for a few years if it's secured well top and bottom (and given liberal coats of weatherproofing paint)

If you do decide to put a solid raised floor you either need to have it completely tight, or wide enough that feet/legs can't get trapped (but the drawback is that the bedding will fall off) if you can site the arc in a dry, free draining area it should be fine without a floor if you're raising weaners spring to autumn 

I'd say you're maybe looking at 4-5 pigs max to pork weight, 3 to bacon size?
I'd close off some of the mesh panel - you want a bit of ventilation but not enough that rain can come in. You do need it for air flow (and keeping them cool) in summer and stopping stale air and reducing the risk of things like pneumonia in damp weather.
The only issue I can see is that it will get VERY hot inside in sunny weather with it being galv (think of the long sunny, hot days over the last 2 summers) so I'd try to site it where there are trees for shade to help.
HTH
Karen

[Womble]

Great, thanks all  .

It's actually going to be the sheep that dictate the height of it then, so I'll measure the tup and take it from there! I'm only thinking about 2-3 weaners at the moment, so they should have plenty of space.

I'll start off without a floor, but make it so I can add one later if I need to. I reckon I can weld up a frame in 1" box section and sit the canopy on top of it. I can then bolt semi-sacrificial plywood panels onto the frame to make a nice strong structure, but will expect to replace the ply every couple of years.

I'm surprised that heat is a major issue with galvanised houses, since most of the commercial ones are made of wrinkly tin and it's never really mentioned. However, I reckon I can make a wee false roof by putting another sheet of ply on top of the canopy, which will keep the direct sun off.

Thanks again, and watch this space!