Keeping Pigs

[woodswj21]

Hi
I have just thought about keeping two tamworth pigs and eating one and getting the other in pigs and selling and keeping some of the weaners,
How much land do i need for two pigs?
What Do i feed them?
Will

[Bonniegirl]

While your waiting for some more advice, take a look at this site, there is some great advice there:

http://www.lifestyleblock.co.nz/articles/pigs/pigs.htm

[Thurston Garden]

The first year we kept pigs, they were in the house garden in an area about 30m by 50m. It was overgrown and we wanted them to clear it (which they did pretty quickly!). In the middle was an old shed which had a flagstone floor. I made a false roof about 4ft off the floor - this was used to store bales/feed on, and the pigs kipped in the compartment underneath. It worked well and was used as the training run in year 2 when we kept them behind electric fence.

Any nearby farmer who keeps cattle will have (or know a neighbour who has) a supply of bruised barley. Barley which is rolled so the grains are burst that is. In year one, this is all we fed our pigs on, although they got some greens from the garden too. No food waste, be it household or otherwise is to be fed to pigs nowadays. Ignore John Seymour's pig bucket article!

You do need (certainly in Scottishland) a holding number for the land the pigs are to be kept on. Whoever you buy your weaners from will need this number to put on the movement license and the local trading standards officer will be informed you have them. (Similarly, when you sell or slaughter them, the receivers holding number goes on your movement license).

We will be collecting 2 Berkshire weaners in a couple of weeks time. They are from a SA Certified farm and will therefore cost £65 each. A bag of bruised barley is £5 here, but I am able to buy organic pig nuts from the farmer. Last year they worked out at £7.50 a bag. If I can get bruised barley locally I might mix this 50/50 with nuts. Pigs nuts, I think give a better fattening diet than barley alone - more meat, less fat.

Fencing is probably the most important (second to feed/water/shelter). In year 1 we had standard pig mesh with a barbed wire strand along the ground in an effort to stop them rooting under the fence. Instead they climbed over the top. They only escaped twice in 6 months - we were both working in Edinburgh, 30 miles away, but thankfully they escaped on weekends. Kind pigs! Make a hell of a mess of the lawn though!

In year 2 we bought electric fencing. This is the ONLY way to keep them in. 3 strands of wire on plastic posts is what we use. When the pigs are bigger, I reduce this to 2 strands and enlarge the run.

You can see my pig escapades here: http://thurstongarden.wordpress.com/tag/pigs/

Feel free to ask any more questions, either on here or pm me. Beware though, pigs are addictive! (And very very tasty!)

[Bonniegirl]

Can't you feed any food scraps from the home at all? No veggie scraps, no bread??


Heck it's gone mad over there hasn't it!

[Thurston Garden]

Technically no.....

Although I fail to see why, if you don't purchase any processed foods and almost all of what you eat comes from your own holding, and you don't feed any animal derived stuff (i.e. only veg scraps/peelings, home made bread etc) that you can''t. But, you can't......

Red tape, red tape, red tape.

[Bonniegirl]

Oh dear!

There is a rule here about cooking all food scraps before feeding out here, but we don't bother, our pigs don't get any meat scraps so I don't see what the problem is, we're the only ones eating them!


How on earth did we all survive up until now! Before the Nanny State stepped in.

I do however understand that the UK has had it's fair share of problems eg: Foot & Mouth, BSE etc, so maybe these steps are necessary!

[Thurston Garden]

Aye, problems caused by factory farming practices driven by the constant thirst for supermarkets to drive farmgate prices to the absolute minimum.

This is exacerbated by endless marketing campaigns by the said supermarkets to convince the cumsumer that £££ is all that matters when it comes to food. "LOOK! We are 2p cheaper for X than our competitor!"

Funny how the average Joe probably would not bend down to pick up that 2p if he/she dropped it on the pavement, but would scramble to save it at the supermarket without thinking about how the saving was made, or who paid the price......

[Stonehead]

and you don't feed any animal derived stuff...

But what about self service? One of our sows ate a crow - I know because the head and feathers came out the other end.

The boar and another sow ate a rabbit - I shot it, it took about four jumps through their fence and by the time I got there they'd ripped it in two and gulped it down.

And you should see them go for worms - they're faster and more effective at hoovering up worms than the chickens are.


The big problem we have is walkers and passers by feeding their lunch to the pigs. (Someone feeding a sandwich containing contaminated meat to pigs was the most likely cause of the last big Classical Swine Fever outbreak in the UK in 2000.)

But when I challenged one group of walkers who I'd spotted feeding the pigs they told me it was their right to go where they want and do what they want in the countryside as they have "the right to roam". Oh, and besides that, "they're Marks and Sparks sandwiches"!

I keep chasing people like this off - so it was probably someone like that who reported me to the animal welfare officer (who gave us a clean bill of health).