Hog pasture question

[CARS]

I am thinking of getting a couple (maybe few) pigs for meat this spring.

My farm had hogs on it up until we bought it. Off the concrete slab that used to have the hogs on it is a ditch for the lot run-off. It's still pretty spongy ground and you can still see the hog waste in the low spots.

I would like to fence this area off and allow the pigs to use it for their mud pit. It's not mowable (wet or weedy depending on the season) and it's right next to the barn. It's also the farthest area we have away from the house

.

Does anyone think that my pastured pigs will contract any health issues/disease from the old runoff?? I am sure the previous herd were medicated heavily just like a confinement operation.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Does anyone think that my pastured pigs will contract any health issues/disease from the old runoff??

If it's been there a while it's probably safe.​

 

[minnesota birds]

there could be worm eggs but sun shine (nature) takes care of most of these things. hogs use mud holes to cool off, they will find a shadey spot and cool off there is no mud is there.

 

[todd walker]

My hog pen sounds like yours,I burned the area,used 4 bottles of lighter fluid,there was not much to burn,but made me feel better knowing what ever was there is gone now.
good luck

 

[CARS]

Thanks for the replies. I finally located some pics of what I am talking about.

Here is the barn. The pigs would use the first 10' maybe 15' X 30' in the steel lean-to for shelter. It's all concrete and the fiberglass boards are still in side of it (so they don't rub on the wood/steel)

And just to the west of the lean-to is the old run off I was talking about. You can see I made a pond off the end of the lowest corner of the cement yard. My dog hangs out in there on hot days. (she must be a little piggie

)

I would like to fence off most of the area to the west but I am afraid the pigs are going to wreck all those young trees.

 

[CARS]

If you look at the last picture, you can still see residual hog run-off in the pond. That is what I am concerned about.

(ya, hopefully this year I will get the steel on the barn. Should have been done in '09 but I was still working on my '08 list of things to do

)

 

[CARS]

That's the first time I got more advice before the pictures

No comments on the residue in the pond?? Or the damage to trees???

 

[ksalvagno]

I don't know much about pigs but I would be concerned about them in the runoff area. Salmonella would be my biggest concern.

Also, the pigs would destroy the trees.

 

[jlapham]

Ok first nice pic's. I understand your thoughts about letting the pigs off of the concrete. Here at the homestead I raise 4 pigs a year for the freezer and the smoker. I had them fenced but free range. I noticed the damage they were doing to the trees so I moved them to a new garden area they did a super job of rooting up the ground, super job. Then I decided to go back to the concrete. My reason was because it was easier for me to handle. I fenced in an area of ground for them to be ya know pigs and to get cooled off during the warm whether. Sorry for rambling. I would have a concern about the standing water that is their,so I would not do that, your trees will be ruined in a short time.
Joe
Nice looking set-up!!

 

[bagendhens]

a small orchard type pig wouldnt be as hard on the trees, but a meat pig would root those trees out in no time, a couple of them would have it mush and yicky.

as for the danger of previous waste, how long has it been since hogs were on the land? it might be worth giving the area a bit of a turn/level out and burning it, just to be safe.