Goats or a Pig?

[SarahFair]

My SO said I could have either Goats or a Pig which I found to be reasonable.

See with the logic Im thinking with if I get a piglet this month itll be 4 - 6 weeks old (I wanna have it during the fall/winter to help keep smell down). By the time its ready for slaughter itll be Fed/March. By that time new growth should be growing (plus what the pig leaves behind) in the pen for a couple of goats.
This way I can have both..just not at the same time..

So do I even want to try a pig or should I just get goats and move a pig in after the SO gets use to the goats?

I just think I keep hyping myself up about a pig. Like I havent read enough on them (Ive been reading for about a month). Are they honestly hard to raise?

 

[Amyable]

Way to work the system

Homegrown pork is to die for. After SO tastes it and is hooked, suggest raising a pig every year or two in addition to goats. It's not like the pig will be there very long, anyway.

Edited to add: really simple to raise a pig. My folks have done it for years. They don't need much room, just food, water and a small shelter (even just a lean-to.) They love extra produce, and if you handle them a lot they can be really friendly.

 

[Julie_A]

How big of a pen are you thinking of?

 

[SarahFair]

Well I wanted the pig to till up a few gardens for me while it was young so I was going to move it around in 16x20 sections. Once it got about 100 - 150lbs I was going to put it in the goat pen wich would be close to about 60x100 ft pen

 

[Julie_A]

As you can tell by my avatar, I'm a goat person. Our goats are really into browsing. We've had nubians, pygmies, alpines, mixed goats, etc. They aren't into grass. Ours walk along and eat the seeds. They'd really prefer to be eating leaves and weeds in the brush.

My main concern is that your goats wouldn't have enough to browse on. If they browse too close, you have to be careful with parasites. Also, you'd have to watch the area the hog was in to be sure it doesn't leave wet spots that could lead to hoof rot in goats.

Not trying to discourage you, just learned a hard lesson this year. I had the goats for a year and sold them all. Bought a small herd of Katahdin sheep. Thought I had the perfect setup. They ate everything I had and were eating me out of house and home. Sold them and back to goats...

If there's anything else you'd need or like to know, please don't hesitate to ask.

 

[()relics]

if you got a doe goat now, maybe a boer, that has been exposed to a billy....Then come early next year you could find yourself with kids....JMO...I like pigs too but prefer them in the freezer not the barn...again JMO

 

[SarahFair]

Quote:
The area the goat pen is would not be near the house. They have a small wooded area with tons of baby trees for them to pick on + weeds upon weeds upon weeds. Thats why Im putting them out there to eat the stuff up. Its not even grass anymore really. Only a small section is.

 

[jojo@rolling acres farm]

I vote goats. I've had both...you want goats.

 

[SarahFair]

jojo@rolling acres farm :

I vote goats. I've had both...you want goats.

Yes, but why?​

 

[Skyesrocket]

Pigs do an excellent job of tilling up gardens. I let my pots have at my garden in the fall.
I think your plan of a pig now and then goats is a good one. This way you will have goats in the warmer months and will be able to enjoy them more.