[oilydan]

I have an orchard of around 0.3 of an acre and a paddock of about 1.5 acres which Mrs Oilydan has been looking for some livestock to keep in.

We have 6 chickens currently free-ranging in there and have looked at the possibility of some sheep before but didn't like the idea of them stripping the bark on the fruit trees.

Now she has found the Kune Kune.

Before embarking on a hunt for a couple of piglets I need to make sure, 100% sure, that this is not going to be a bad idea!

So I have many questions....

Will 2 pigs ruin 1/3 of an acre to a muddy mess? Will I have to fence off areas or even a portion of the paddock as the ground turns to mud?

Or will it only be areas of high foot-fall that get muddy, like outside the ark and around the trough?

Is a decent 4 bar post and rail with 150mm stock fencing going to be sufficient to hold them?

Will they get on with the chickens?

Will they destroy my fruit trees (mix of really old trees and really young saplings)?

Appreciate any advice....

[HappyHippy]

Hello 
Kunekune are less damaging than bigger breeds but they can still root and when there's lots of rain, mud is inevitable. If you have good, free draining soil it'll not be as much of an issue as if you are on heavy clay. Usually rooting behaviour is something they grow out of - once mature they seldom bother (usually! There are always exceptions)
Your older trees *should* be ok, but younger ones would need fenced off if the pigs were in there constantly. I'd be more inclined to keep them mainly in your paddock (you could electric fence train them to allow you to easily rotate the use) and let them in to the orchard for a couple of (supervised) hours at a time - you do need to be careful they don't have too many wind fall apples at a time as it can make them sick (or drunk if the apples have started to ferment)
Your fencing sounds fine - a strand of barbed wire would ensure they didn't try to get out underneath (about 4 inches up from the ground is ideal) but you've plenty of space so I wouldn't expect breakouts (unless you have 2 females - they can get a bit out of order when in season and want to go looking for a boar  ) if you have a female and a castrated boar that solves the problem most of the time and the castrates are usually completely soppy, easy to manage wee fellas - ideal as outdoor pet pigs 
Where are you? The BKKPS has regional reps in most areas and I can point you in their direction or them of a breeder/owner near you.
HTH
Karen

[oilydan]

Thanks for that; a very helpful reply.

How long until 2 piglets get really destructive? If we get them now, could we be looking at moving them to the paddock in the autumn? That would give us a chance to sort some decent fencing in the paddock over the summer.

We are in Tiverton, Devon. If there is a breeder near us that you could point us to, that would be great.

[oaklandspigs]

Some kune kune's dig, others don't.  The following is our experience and feedback from other course participants over the years, the word 'tend' appears a lot below, and none of this is written in stone !!

It seems that if you buy piglets from breeders whose KK's don't dig, then as long as not restricted, they will tend not to dig. 

If the piglet's mother is a digger, then the piglets tend to dig.

If restricted so that they have eaten the grass, they will start digging

Once they have learnt to dig, they will carry on digging even if then given a large area ! (a friend took on two from someone who had limited space, and they dug holes all over his 3 acres of grass!)

We have a pair of pet KK's bought from  a breeder whose KK's have plenty of land and don't dig.  They have 24 hour access to 3/4 acre of grass on heavy clay, and they have never dug a single hole - now 2 years old.

Now if someone says that the above is not true for them  - I can only repeat the word 'tend' !

[clydesdaleclopper]

We had 3 kks on 1.5 acres and they dug

[sabrina]

I have had ones that did dig a lot and others that were not bad at all. I love this breed of pig, they are such fun to keep. My chickens free range and have been seen with the pigs without a problem. One hen used to lay in the pig ark.

[HappyHippy]

Dawn Stevens is your BKKPS regional rep. You'll get her by emailing kinecroftsmallholding1@hotmail.co.uk - if you don't get a reply let me know and I'll pm you her number. 

[Buffy the eggs layer]

I only started with them as a breed last year so dont have Happy Hippys experience but I do have a similar setup to you and wanted to keep pet types that I could also butcher.


I currently have experience of 8 kunes from 5 different breeders and a four different bloodlines.


My experience although subjective and not exhaustive has been,


Although smaller and lighter than other pigs they will still poach the ground and create a compacted pan of soil on well trodden areas


Whether they root seems to depend on age, time of year, weather, availability of grazing and snout length though established breeders seem to have differing views on this.


Pigs that are shorter, rounder, hairyer and with shorter snouts seem to be less destructive and more docile than the leaner, longer legged, longer snouted ones.


Ones that have only had experience of electric fence seem to challenge solid fencing more than those who have grown up to accept it.


All kunes are not the same so If you want pets visit a few breeders, look at their set up. Handle the adult pigs and the piglets and chose the super friendly ones not the ones you like the colour of.