Raising a pig for meat

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
How bad do they root up that large of an area? Does it still look like pasture or have they tore it all up?

 

[mtnhomechick]

I bought two castrated male pigs about 3 weeks ago. I can't report too much right now. Just wanted to say that I clean the run every morning when I put out the food and water and there is no smell at all. It's like picking up after a dog. It takes 5 minutes a day and it's better for me if I keep up with it everyday.

 

[skeeter]

lol,unreal

 

[ozark hen]

One other thing I just remembered.....our two pigs always "poohed" in the same spot every day! Now they peed anywhere. ha ha We also threw balls inside..large ones..as they love to play with things. Ours were in a maybe 10x15 area.

 

[robot rooster]

How High does the fencing need to be?

 

[ozark hen]

Welcome to BYC robot roo- I wouldn't worry so much about the height...it is the strength of that fencing. You could keep them in a 3 1/2 ft to 4 ft. fence and they will stay as long as it is stronger than they are. Electric fencing around it...I have heard of folks using two strands will do the trick.

 

[ashtray]

i raised 2 pigs about 3-4 years ago feed was high then its probably alot higher now . if i recall correctly to feed and butcher them was around $400-$500 . i gave the meat away to family and friends

 

[Fredster]

Quote:
(sorry for the delay, I lost track of this thread until juts now

)

For the very most part, it still looks like pasture. They root right around the perimeter, and there's a bare spot here and there, but generally speaking it still looks like grass. They like to chew on the weeds, like cows.

Look at these two pictures (specifically, the background) :

Those pictures are from when we got a pair of pigs last September. We had two full-sized pigs (one 325 pounds, one 240 pounds) on that same land just two weeks before, raised from about 6 weeks old. You can see it still pretty much just looks like grass. If they have plenty of room, they muck it up a lot less.

They do like to hollow out spots in the shade to lay in, separate from the big wallow I dug them.

 

[Fredster]

Quote:
Ours are behind standard 39-inch field fence, with a single electrified strand about 10 inches off the ground on the inside. I've never seen them go beyond the electrified strand and actually touch the field fence, but I don't trust the electrified enough to rely completely on it.

 

[partimer]

Hi there little farmers. Hey pigs, hogs or swine interesting animal. Raised a few years ago, great meat and economical at best. Garden stuff works real good, plant a little extra, they eat it all. As to stinky smell, yep, just clean as you go. A very good concrete floor slanted to a pit works great for wash down and removal. Slate floors work but need a bit more muscle to keep clean. To eliminate extra water around the pen, they sell nipples that connect to a water line and they just go up and drink wgen thirsty and don't dump a water pan or trough and less muddy mess.
For me, yes raise your own, breed some and sell. Todays markets are getting better for those looking for quality and non-commercial product.
Have a porky day;;