Getting the flock out of here - a diary of a crazy chicken man

[ozexpat]

As an kid from an old farming family, I think that you will have a better meat hog with the 'Landrace'. I don't know what breed would gain better per pound of feed/vs gain thou.

Good luck Oz

Durocs seem to get to market weight faster. I grew up with Large Whites and they are the most common breed there. The three little pigs we have (now eight weeks old) are Whites but it would be interesting to get the next trio as Durocs and the final three as Landrace (or vice versa). As we interested in selling as weaners at this stage, I want to develop a reputation for supplying quality little oinkers.

I have the feelers out for breeders.

 

[scottcaddy]

Quote: A good name means more money at the end of the day!

Scott

 

[jime]

a modified version of:

Hello OZ and everybody I am a follower here love this thread my husband not so much because every time I finish with the reading I want anew animal.
Maybe I ma too late but I thought I could give and idea here with the sleeping arrangement for mom and babies,in my country(Peru) people has to figure out easy and cheep ways to build stuff because of price and because there is not many things available, anyways. My nanny (used to be) raises pigs I call them the pink ones but are the landrace and the other with the erect ears, she has a really nice place for her pigs this is a rectangle made in concrete floors witch are a bit in a slop so when cleaning time cames she just hoses the area and everything goes down the little slop to a small concrete dich and to a box like a septic tank for pig manure.The rectangle has 4 walls made in bricks , the feeder is made in concrete and is on one of the small walls, one of the large walls has a door witch is metal, the other long wall has the sleeping quarters with are for the babies and not for mom, mom has the run of the whole area and the babies have the sleeping quarters this is really simple, nice looking an very economic, is made with rebars (rods) place in the concrete and then vend in and angle to the wall that way is like a cage for them mom can not crash them and they can go in and out when they please.
Maybe you can use this idea for a next project or maybe will work for somebody else.

 

[piglett]

what do you think OZ?
rebar is cheep & i like the idea that the floor has a slope
maybe the pig pee would drain better?

Jime you don't be chance have a foto of this setup?

 

[LFchixranch]

I grew up on a farmett and one of Pop's bright ideas was to get pigs.. He got Yorkshires, a long white breed much like your big whites. We also had acouple Duroc's. There were a few that got to be almost 600 lbs... Big Pig... I remember Pop was in cleaning a stall of a mother pig one day and she charged him.. Pop smacked across the head with a grain shovel and knocked her off her feet... She didnt do that anymore..

Also had one eat her litter, vet said it was a salt deficincy??

 

[ozexpat]

Hello OZ and everybody I am a follower here love this thread my husband not so much because every time I finish with the reading I want anew animal.
Maybe I ma too late but I thought I could give and idea here with the sleeping arrangement for mom and babies,in my country(Peru) people has to figure out easy and cheep ways to build stuff because of price and because there is not many things available, anyways. My nanny (used to be) raises pigs I call them the pink ones but are the landrace and the other with the erect ears, she has a really nice place for her pigs this is a rectangle made in concrete floors witch are a bit in a slop so when cleaning time cames she just hoses the area and everything goes down the little slop to a small concrete dich and to a box like a septic tank for pig manure.The rectangle has 4 walls made in bricks , the feeder is made in concrete and is on one of the small walls, one of the large walls has a door witch is metal, the other long wall has the sleeping quarters with are for the babies and not for mom, mom has the run of the whole area and the babies have the sleeping quarters this is really simple, nice looking an very economic, is made with rebars (rods) place in the concrete and then vend in and angle to the wall that way is like a cage for them mom can not crash them and they can go in and out when they please.
Maybe you can use this idea for a next project or maybe will work for somebody else.

what do you think OZ?
rebar is cheep & i like the idea that the floor has a slope
maybe the pig pee would drain better?

Jime you don't be chance have a foto of this setup?

Excellent input Jime. Thank you.

And there is the dilemma.....

My current "piggery" has 3 concrete block stalls about 3 feet x 6 feet and a 4th stall 6feet by 6 feet. They have sloped floors and a 3 inch drain into a septic. We have a re-bar cage for the farrowing pen. It sounds pretty similar to the South American style.

We had 2 sows. Betty and Wilma. We did not have a good animal guy during the pigs second litters and Betty had to be put down while Wilma had 13 still borns.

I blame the guy we had but also myself as I just let everybody do it island style because, after all, it worked. Well sort of.

As with our poultry, where we all want to maximize our success without pouring our life savings into it, I want to give the pigs the best chance of succeeding.

I managed to get some pig flooring from a classified add in Manila very cheaply. Its slatted and very sturdy. The plan is to elevate the area so the waste falls through and is easier to keep clean. My modifications will be a 2'x2' concrete tile instead of slats in the creep areas at the sows head and a 6'x2; concrete tile for mother to rest on and just have her but over grate.



A brooder light over the concrete will keep the piglets at prime condition for the first 10 days.

A few things to consider:

Steel is very economical in the Philippines. - a 20ft length of 1" ID GI pipe in our local hardware store is $11.00, A 20 ft 1.5"x1.5"x0.25" angle bar is $11.50 and 50lbs of welding rods is $75.

Labor is also very cheap.

So................

Do I build a Taj Mahal and follow the guidelines that are proven in the modern pig industry or a "local tankal". If the system gets one more piglet to market each farrowing, it will pay for itself in 18 months.

Thoughts??

 

[LFchixranch]

Do it right the first time to modern standards.. Most of the other configurations is because of costs for materials or labor. I think it just makes sense to do what the profitable industry does. And it saves you in re doing the job twice.... JMHO

 

[ozexpat]

how to peel an egg, russian way

 

[gryeyes]

I was speechless, watching this. For about a minute, after which my cheeks hurt so much I had to blurt something. No longer speechless.

I do need a hankie, though. Thank you.

 

[jime]

About the pig housing I do not have pics for now,I just asked my nanny's son to take some pics and send them to me so I will have to wait until he can get those done.
Going fancy or not in my opinion it does not matter how fancy it is, is all about the way you care for the animals, if it was me I will not spend much money (fancy things).In Peru is a study going on raising pigs and they are coming to the conclusion that when the moms are in those special nursery things actually are not careful laying down they just let them selfs felt down (they have not space to move)if the babies happen to be there then they are done if she has more space she will actually move before she lays down, she will sit first and then lay so babies can get out of the way.
When I go to Carmela's house I never smell pigs,pigs are actually really clean they go do their business just in one big area, her set up is so clean all the time the moms are happy in a big space and babies as well if they need to hide they run into the cage, she has been raising pigs for 25 years, she had some still borns and then she sell that mom, she lost only one mom 2 year ago she delivers 19 babies but could not make it was a first timer, the babies got bottle fed, not all survive but she end up with 12 of those.She keeps 3 moms not boys and she get all he girl program for close delivers that way she deals with baby care at the same time.When I was asking for pics I got to talk a bit as well she said she has lost less than ten babies to crushes, gets rid of the mom with still born babies keeps the moms that give her less than 12 but more than 5, she feeds them old bread or bead that did not sell( she is a baker), she grows potatoes so they get the plants and corn so they get the canes, she buys bran and mix it with whey or milk or even just water what ever she has those days.
I don't know much about pigs, what ever I know is from going to visit Carmela's (nanny)house and seen all the pigs she has,and the comments she or her son and daughter make.
They are the big threes (3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days)that is the pregnancy time, in Carmela's case she is there when the babies are born as soon as they came out they pull their canines (teeth) out, cut tails and put iron as well.his two can change in days but not more than a week old (she does not like it).If she gets two many boys she will castrate them as well then (something to do with the taste of the meat).I don't know how will be the market in Philippines but in Peru and Cajamarca witch is the town where we are from (mountains) she gets better price for dead animal than for alive, she try to sell the girls soon and then keeps only intact boys that have been pre order the rest she fix and grows till about six months and then sell them (meat).