Pigs

[SteveH]

Quote:
I've never tried anything other than straight or barbed hotwire , so no idea of that type . Just in case you've never used electric fencing , livestock have to be trained to it ; otherwise they often run through it at first ......... and I've seen spooked livestock do it anyway .

 

[RhodeIslandReds]

What do you mean by straight or barbed hotwire? I have animals with elecrtic fencing so I have seen them run and get spooked. Most of the info I have read says they will learn what that wire is and they will respect it.

Thanks,
RIRs

 

[Royd Wood]

T bars and poly wire works great RIRs - used it here in the past with no probs
try this link for backyardherds http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=3379

 

[Brunty_Farms]

Funny you posted this, I just taught 4 baby feeders how to use their fence. Do yourself a favor and start with 5-6 week old pigs that way when they do get out you can easily catch them and put them back in. I just put mine in yesterday and ran a single wire about 7 inches from the ground. The little pigs are finally respectful of the wire after a mere 24 hours. I just use the smooth wire and it works great.

Do keep in mind that when it comes time to move them it will be hell to get them to cross the where the wire once stood. It takes mine days to cross over into a new paddock or section. Don't force them, especially when they are big because when they think they are smarter than you and they surely think they are.... add that to the fact that they are stronger than you and for some reason they know that too, it makes for a fun and exciting day. I've had big pigs get out and it's a pain to get them to do what you want them to do. Mel and I have chased pigs for hours.... and in the dark. They don't see well in the dark and that makes it worse. Just keep your fence on, because pigs will test the wire daily and if it's not on, they will get out.

SO all in all just plan for processing time. This way it's very easy to load them and you're not stressed nor the pigs. Pigs can be very easy to load if you plan for it. Oh and like Steve said..... make sure they are in a spot that you don't mind getting tore up. Because pigs will decimate land very quickly. Their snouts are strong as heck...

I will try to get some pics up this evening to show you my set up.

 

[SteveH]

Quote:
I mean steel wire , either single , or twisted with barbs incorporated . I've never used electric wire to contain an animal that had not already learned what a fence was , but learned to tie strips of white trash bag into it anyway to make it more visible . I have had both goats and hogs lunge through an electric fence at first contact instead of turning away from it , so mentioned the learning period due to those experiences . My horses and cattle were always trained by a hotwire added to regular fencing before being moved to a place where temporary electric fencing was used . The more visible the fence is the better IMO , though there are always going to be spooky individuals that run blind when frightened and require a fence strong enough to withstand some crashes ; hopefully your new pigs will have good dispositions .

Jeff gave you some great advice . For some reason my dogs never try a fence after one or two times of getting " bit " ; but I've seen both a pony and goats stand looking at it with their ears cocked forward , determine its off [ I don't know how ] , then climb through in the case of the goats or , in the case of the pony , actually back into it to use the woven wire behind it to scratch her butt LOL .

ETA: hotwire is local slang for an electric fencing wire

 

[CMV]

I had pigs a few years ago. I used the same electric mesh fencing that I use with my birds. Mine were trained to the fence when I got them, so I didn't need to worry about that. They were fine with the fence until it came time to transport them to their final destination. When trying to force them into the trailer they lunged through the fencing and ripped it to shreds. We had to build a chute out of pallets and plywood to get them into the trailer so they couldn't fight their way out.

Housing for them is really easy. I just slapped up pallets and plywood in a low-slung design and stuffed it floor to ceiling with hay. I over-wintered my pigs, so I had to build to withstand a NH winter. If I was just raising them up for the season I wouldn't have bothered with the plywood, except for a roof. The cold doesn't bother pigs very much, but the heat does. A wallow and lots of shady areas are essential in the heat of summer.

Feed and water are simple. The only issue with feeding is that pigs go through a ton of water. They spill it everywhere and love to roll around in the mud. If there is no mud available then they will make their own. I had 3 pigs and they routinely went through 32 gallons of water a day. That's a lot of hauling if there isn't a water source close by.

Pigs destroy the area in which they are confined. They root up everything and then trample it into dust. They girdle trees and rip out all the vegetation. They are great if you have some forested area that needs to be cleared, stumped and rocks rooted out, but I found I was having to rotate their pens every couple weeks to keep them from completely decimating any one area.

When all was said and done I enjoyed having the pigs. They did some good work clearing a heavily forested area of my yard, and they were delicious in the end. I'd have them again.

 

[RhodeIslandReds]

Thanks for all the info guys and gals!
I need help deciding if im going to get the insulators from TSC and put them right on the fence I have, or buying T-post and hooking it up to the T-post. The fence I have in my yard is 6ft and done nicely, I also have 2 main gates to the pen should I put eletric on them as well? Im planning on gettings Yorkshires should I get the darkest ones or the lighter ones I dont want them to be getting sunburn.

I would love to see Pics of you guys set-ups please..

Thanks,
RIRs

 

[Brunty_Farms]

Sorry no pics yet, I ran out of daylight.

For your post, I use rebar. Get the 10ft pieces from Lowes or HD and use a metal blade on a circular saw and cut them in 3 ft 4 inch lengths. Then you can get the insulators that work for a round post. Since this is your first time with pigs I would run three wires about 7 inches apart that way the it gives you some added security. Keep in mind if you go the rebar route that a piece is like $2.40 and you get three per 10 foot piece which makes it very affordable and the fence is attractive too, especially if you get your wire tight.

For the gates I wouldn't run wire across them just because this way the pigs will feel safe crossing those gates when the time comes. Even though they test the fence daily, you can remove it and it would be days before they decide to venture outside those boundaries.

For the type of pig, ya get the darkest ones. However a way to get around that is to fill up one of their holes that they make with water and they will roll in the mud and get a black coat on them. This will keep them from getting bit by bugs and also help on the sunburn.

I think you will be surprised how easy pigs are once you cover all the basics. TSC even has those metal round post outside but they aren't as strong as the rebar.

 

[SteveH]

Quote:
I like to use what I have if its secure , and get by as cheaply as possible . I'm poor , keeping expences down is a necessity ; but keeping my livestock in and everything else out is an absolute must IMO . If your gates are well built there's no actual need to run a hotwire across them unless you have predators or a dog problem . Coyotes can develope a taste for young pigs and I've been told bobcats and cougars like them also . As far as getting them out eventually ........ once they've been confined for awhile its nearly impossible to drive them through a gate , hotwire or no hotwire ; but leave a gate open accidently and they'll escape in minutes LOL

I guess I've been away from hogs too long , the Yorks only came in white when I last had hogs . White hogs can sunburn , but with a shade roof and wallow its seldom a problem ; but Durocs and Hamps were once popular here due to their ruggedness and lack of sunburn problems back when hogs were raised in timber lots , fields , and pens . .

 

[Brunty_Farms]

Steve, I know a popular mix breed is the yorkshire x hampshire or "blue butts" they have a darker color to them as their but is solid grey/blue along with blue random patches. I don't know if thats the case in this situation but when the OP mentioned "darker" that's what I assumed. But ya, the yorkshires are all white and I don't think their is much of a shade difference in color.... just white.