Pigs

[RhodeIslandReds]

Alright thanks.

Thanks,
RIRs

 

[mstricer]

Quote:
My Amish friend told us if you put a ring in their nose they don't root under fences

 

[RhodeIslandReds]

Ive heard about the RING in the nose before. The thing is that no one around me does that kind of stuff.

 

[SteveH]

Quote:
Ringing pliars and rings are very low priced and very handy to have around for attaching poultry netting or mesh to regular fencing , fabric to wire , or splicing two pieces of mesh or netting together where there is no joint behind them to staple to . The ring just goes over the that hard lip of tough tissue over the top of the snout , squeeze it shut , done . [ Usually one centered and one a little to each side of it . ]

 

[eggbuster]

I want my pigs to root. They have other uses then just meat to eat and are important to sustainable farming. No rings here. I think Joe Salatin coined the phrase "pigerators". Their job next summer will be cleaning up the fence lines so I don't have to. I also utilize self propelled riding lawn mowers. The gas one only gets used when some $%!t needs to hit the fan. Hockey sticks and kids work pretty well for that as well. Lawn bowling anyone?

 

[Brunty_Farms]

It's hard to pasture pigs without the rings though. They are horrible to a pasture if left too long on it. I only have 17 acres and a mere percent of Salatins 500+ that he has. Plus mine is all pasture and no woods.... Salatin is both and he keeps his pigs in the woods and rotates them frequently. Many of us don't have that option which is why it's wise to ring if your wanting them to eat grass. Currently I don't ring but I am looking into it.

 

[RhodeIslandReds]

I want mine to root and till the land a little bit.
Can anyone post pics of there pens and pastures with pigs in them???

Thanks,
RIRs

 

[eggbuster]

I think pictures would be very helpful as well along with the breed name. Not much point in me posting just yet as I have just moved my pigs from the barn (where they stayed while I got a place set up) to their winter digs outside and I doubt there will be much rooting going on until spring although I fenced around the manure pile and they are having a ball with that. I think breeds will have a big say in how much rooting takes place. I will take a before picture now and one in the spring before they are moved to pasture. I intend to use portable electric fencing to keep them moving along the perimeter fences hoping they will root out the weeds that have been left uncontrolled for countless years before I bought the place. Since I have installed electric perimeter fencing, it is quite a time waster to keep the lines clear and I am hoping the pigs will take over. Once they start breeding, I will pen them in the worst sections of the pasture to do some renovation.

To ring or not to ring really is a matter of land base and as previous posters have said they don't have the space to have the place completely rooted up. If this does happen throw some turnip or kale seed on the bare spots and the pigs can be rotated back again when they have sprouted. In the fall sow some winter rye or frost seed with a good pasture mix in early spring and the pasture should recover enough for mid summer grazing the next year. Rooting up the pasture doesn't have to be a disaster. The real problem is if one is restricted from moving the pigs. Thats when ringing will buy some time and be best over the long hall but ringing will not prevent a pasture from turning into a wasteland if the pigs are never moved and the area is just too small for the # of pigs living there. The original poster was just trying to keep the pigs inside the fence and ringing will help do that.

 

[RhodeIslandReds]

I have been talking to some family and friends that have had pigs and used them for meat. Some of them said that the eletric wire is good but the pigs find out that the wire only herts for those few seconds. From there they said the pigs learn to take the eletric shock and go through the fence to another part of the farm. I was wondering if this is true or not?

Thanks,
RIRs

 

[Royd Wood]

Can't imagine your friends and family telling porky pies so it must be true.
As eggbuster says it will have more to do with breed types for rooting and Houdini great escapes. I am repeating from my previous posts but our Large Blacks do NOT escape from a simple 2 strand electric fence. Its personal for me but dont like rings in pigs noses and dont mind the mess they make.