Pigs and sand?

[poultry bro]

Hey everybody i had a question about pigs i have never raised pigs but i know my mom did when she was a kid and she always talks about how messy they where and obviously thats true but i know some people raise their chickens and other animals on sand why couldnt it be done with hogs? using a scoop i think it would be possible to pick up their droppings everyday and maintain a clean pen but my mom is against getting hogs all together because they are messy i just wanted to know if there are any health risks involved if the hogs are able to sleep on sand and live on it for most their life any advice would be appreciated because i would love to raise a pig for the freezer.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I don't see why you couldn't use sand, but I'd think they'd be happier with some dirt to root through and a good mud hole to wallow in. A good sized pen will also go a long way in keeping things cleaner. We raise our pigs on pasture, so I don't deal with a pen.
But, this reply should bump up your post so someone else can see it to offer another opinion.

Good luck!

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I would be concerned about sand impaction in pigs kept on sand. Pigs like to root and they will eat anything, anywhere, even if it is covered in sand.

I would wait to see if someone more knowledgable about pigs stops by and has some better information. I'm going off the experience of a pet pig we had when I was younger!

A lot of pigs can definitely smell, but a couple of pigs kept on dirt would not be difficult to clean up after. They have fairly solid poop on the right diet. Ours never smelled! They do root though, so be prepared for mud and a destroyed pasture wherever you keep them.

 

[cassie]

Pigs can make a mess out of anything. I'm not sure sand would help. A larger pen would, though. They will usually do their business in one area away from their feed and you can clean that. They need a mud wallow to cool off in when the weather gets warm. They will root and keep things stirred up.

 

[Tumbling K]

allot of it will depend on your pen.

is your pen completely covered?

what is the location of the pig's water source? if your pen is covered, this will be where they will set up their wallow. One way to eliminate that, is to have a large concrete slab by the hog nipple. slope it away from the pen. this will help keep the pig from just biting down on the nipple to let the water run out and make mud, and make a wallow.

pigs do fine in sand, but they will pack it down so much, that using a scoop to pick out the poop, will be ineffective. I know some folks that raise their show pigs on a full concrete slab.

something else to consider is your climate. if you have hot, unbearable summers, and that is when you're raising the pig to butcher, you lose more money during the summer months, bc they don't want to eat and put on weight when they are hot. so consider a misting system, and a fan.

 

[Abster2]

I raise meat hogs and I would say that putting them on sand is bad for them. They need the mud, soil and dirt for many different things. First and foremost, they don't have any sweat glands. They can't sweat so, they could over heat and die if they don't have dirt, soil or mud. The dirt will be naturally cooler than the air so to keep body tempuratures down, they will roll in the mud in the dirt or in the soil. Keeping them in the sand will not only confuse them but could potentially kill them due to over heating. Mud is not a necessity for pigs but it is recomended that you use it. I have an old pasture and I just let them run about in that. They will do most of the wor themselves, rooting around and pulling up all of the grass to reveal the dirt. I mostly do this in the summer but you can do it all the time if you please, when I go out to water them I spray the dirt near their shack until it turns to mud so that they can play in it. My pasture has shade so I sometimes spray the pigs with the hose. If you don't have shade don't spray them or else they will get sunburnt.

allot of it will depend on your pen.

is your pen completely covered?

what is the location of the pig's water source? if your pen is covered, this will be where they will set up their wallow. One way to eliminate that, is to have a large concrete slab by the hog nipple. slope it away from the pen. this will help keep the pig from just biting down on the nipple to let the water run out and make mud, and make a wallow.

pigs do fine in sand, but they will pack it down so much, that using a scoop to pick out the poop, will be ineffective. I know some folks that raise their show pigs on a full concrete slab.

something else to consider is your climate. if you have hot, unbearable summers, and that is when you're raising the pig to butcher, you lose more money during the summer months, bc they don't want to eat and put on weight when they are hot. so consider a misting system, and a fan.

Another way to raise them like BertS said, is on a concrete slab. That is where we keep our pigs at the fair and show grounds as they more often that not won't have a free pasture. You would also want a shady area for this so that the concrete won't over heat and lead to uncomfortable and burnt pigs. You can use this meathod as their primary housing but mud, dirt or soil is always the best option. I hope that this helped and if you want any more tips or info on pigs just send me a message and I would be glad to help!
-Abster2

 

[poultry bro]

Im not sure if I said this but the pen would be sand and the pasture dirt but I wont be getting hogs anytime soon

 

[Tumbling K]

I raise meat hogs and I would say that putting them on sand is bad for them. They need the mud, soil and dirt for many different things. First and foremost, they don't have any sweat glands. They can't sweat so, they could over heat and die if they don't have dirt, soil or mud. The dirt will be naturally cooler than the air so to keep body tempuratures down, they will roll in the mud in the dirt or in the soil. Keeping them in the sand will not only confuse them but could potentially kill them due to over heating. Mud is not a necessity for pigs but it is recomended that you use it. I have an old pasture and I just let them run about in that. They will do most of the wor themselves, rooting around and pulling up all of the grass to reveal the dirt. I mostly do this in the summer but you can do it all the time if you please, when I go out to water them I spray the dirt near their shack until it turns to mud so that they can play in it. My pasture has shade so I sometimes spray the pigs with the hose. If you don't have shade don't spray them or else they will get sunburnt.
Another way to raise them like BertS said, is on a concrete slab. That is where we keep our pigs at the fair and show grounds as they more often that not won't have a free pasture. You would also want a shady area for this so that the concrete won't over heat and lead to uncomfortable and burnt pigs. You can use this meathod as their primary housing but mud, dirt or soil is always the best option. I hope that this helped and if you want any more tips or info on pigs just send me a message and I would be glad to help!
-Abster2

we've raised them for meat, and for fairs.

hence the misting system to cool them, during the summer months. I would only recommend raising on concrete if you are raising them for meat, and plan to butcher them before they reach 300#. Same thing for a super hard compacted sand based pen. they will tend to injure easily, once they start getting larger on a hard surface.

we currently use a hard compacted sand, and a misting system for the hot months. works well for us. no limping pigs, and good to decent weight gain per pound of feed.

best bet, would be to raise during spring or fall months, to get best weight gain ratio.

I wouldn't leave my breeding stock on hard packed or concrete, but a pig you are raising for meat, and expect to only have on the place for 15-20 weeks? I'd make maintenance as easy as possible on me, and use something you don't have to try and fill in holes or worry about pigs rooting under.