Housing pigs & other ques.

[MyPerfectChicken]

No... you cant buy a pen for them... you do have to make one for them.... 4x4 posts and hog/cattle pannels... you can also use t-post to go inbetween the 4x4 posts. If you want I can take a pic of our set up... just let me know....

Yes a pic would be great!!

Be sure you do your homework and know what square footage is needed for each pig!!!

Let's say I was only building for ONE pig at a time???​

 

[WindyOaksYokes]

I will take a pic and put it up tomorrow... By the time I get down there tonight... it will be too late.

Building for one at a time... is okay... I would go ahead and build the similar to our size (as the origal w/o add on that we did) and then you can just add on to it when needed.... I have to wait for DH to come back for measurements.... I will post pic and measurements tomorrow.

If you have a Tractor Supply store near by... call them...you may be able to get free wood pallets from them... we do... also you may use the pallets as to build with... but warning... if you do... it will have to be replaced almost every year... personally we spent the money up front and bought the exspensive wood so that we do not have to replace it any time soon...

 

[mdbucks]

I think you want to have more than 1 at a time they want friends, my uncle raised them for years and would not sell a solo pig, he said they needed to be raised in pairs.

 

[WindyOaksYokes]

I think you want to have more than 1 at a time they want friends, my uncle raised them for years and would not sell a solo pig, he said they needed to be raised in pairs.

Thats true... didnt even think of that... and DH was not here at the time to remind me LOL.​

 

[AK-Bird-brain]

I've been told that its not so much a matter of loneleness, but for weight gain.
1 pig by itself will eat its fill, 2 pigs will eat as much as they can before its all gone. because of this they reach market weight faster. BS or not?
I raised 1 by itself this spring and he did just fine.
We housed ours in a 10 x 20 pen with solid wood walls on 2 sides and chain link fence on the other 2 walls.
For cost figure on 5 pound of feed a day + what ever is left over from your/firends kitchens. Our feed cost about $17 for a 50 pound sack. Ours went from 15 to 225 pounds in about 3 months (thanks to a quart of ice cream a day from a gas station with a broken freezer).

 

[WindyOaksYokes]

Here are the Pictures I promised... I still forgot to get the measurements... will ask DH when he gets home.

Our feed cost about $17 for a 50 pound sack.

That is CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!! We only pay 8.00 a 50lb bag for feed.... plus if we feed them corn... another 8.00 to 9.00 for a 50lb bag. Doing it this way too... also stretches out the feed.

As you can tell my pigs are very HEALTHY... I am getting ready to butcher 1 that is 450 lbs. She is approx 16 months old.​

 

[WindyOaksYokes]

Finally rememberd... sorry it took me so long.... the measurements are

box - 8' x 10'
Panels - 12' x 30'
and the whole electric fence is about 40' x 40'

and I can add more if I want... but spaciously takes care of 4

 

[mdbucks]

Quote:
I'm having childhood flashbacks----isn't 450 big for butcher hog? seems like 220-250 was Ideal market weight? Are you breeding your own?

 

[WindyOaksYokes]

I'm having childhood flashbacks----isn't 450 big for butcher hog? seems like 220-250 was Ideal market weight? Are you breeding your own?

Yes she is a little big... we should have already taken her down... but as you can see in the last pic (she is the one on the right)... she is alot larger than the others and from what the butcher tells us its okay. So we will take her down next week. We will just have to deal with a little more fat than what we wanted too. Yes, we are breeding our own... its so much fun

 

[mdbucks]

I was gonna say I have egss if you have ? bacon/sausage/ham/porkchops but I guess your set for eggs too. No free breakfast for me I guess.

I thought I remembered that and when bred it takes 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days. Used to give farm tours at uncles