pigs!

[nikkianddave]

Getting my first pig this Friday, 12 week old

the pen is well underway, it is approx. 20m x 6m wide, which is over three times the size recommended in the corner of my garden

We are making a bespoke ark for her and I am looking for ideas for the following;

* wallow
* feeding trough
* drinking water
* feed!

there is a lot of information on feeding on the internet, but some contradicts itself so I am looking for clarification

I keep my fruit and veg separate from my meat. My meat is kept in the fridge and my fruit and veg is kept in the pantry cupboard. Would it be legal to feed my pig fruit and veg stored in the pantry away from the meat??
I will also be feeding pig feed, recommended allen & page pot bellied pig, apparently it's the best feed on the market for pigs.

We also have chickens in our garden, we are going to be moving them into a smaller pen approx. 6m x 8m as they do not need that massive area anymore, but they can be flighty so hoping the pig doesn't eat them!!!

any advice from fellow pig owners highly appreciated.

TIA. x

 

[MotherOfChickens]

just one pig?

 

[Clodagh]

A friend of mine has pigs for meat, and they did eat all of her meat chickens. Not that the chickens were very flighty, if they were perhaps they could have got away better.

 

[nikkianddave]

Yes just one pig, pigs quite happy live alone providing they get enough attention from humans and other animals which there are plenty of

 

[nikkianddave]

the pig isn't for meat, although my husband wanted to get a breeding pair so we could use them for meat, that isn't my cup of tea! I just couldn't eat something I knew

 

[MotherOfChickens]

Yes just one pig, pigs quite happy live alone providing they get enough attention from humans and other animals which there are plenty of

hmm, we'll have to agree to disagree on that one. I don't believe any animal should be kept isolated from their own species indefinitely. pigs are clever, they'd be better off having one of their own kind for company-same as dogs, horses etc.

 

[Carlosmum]

Forgive me for asking the obvious but do you have a holding number? Necessary if you are keeping pigs even if only a pet!

 

[nikkianddave]

Hi, yes I do have a CHP number and also registered with Defra and she has her herd number.
We have quite a few single animals, most rescued from animal rescue centres including a pygmy goat and a ewe. All are very happy socialising with each other.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

Hi, yes I do have a CHP number and also registered with Defra and she has her herd number.
We have quite a few single animals, most rescued from animal rescue centres including a pygmy goat and a ewe. All are very happy socialising with each other.

what rescue centres are rehoming single animals to people who dont already have one of the species? Dont get me wrong, I think alot of animals can cope with it-I just dont agree that they should.

 

[meleeka]

Yes just one pig, pigs quite happy live alone providing they get enough attention from humans and other animals which there are plenty of

I'd disagree with this too. Any reputable breeder will only sell in pairs because of their need for their own kind. Pigs are incredibly social animals and it's rare to see one not cuddling up to their friend when asleep. I have two Kune Kune who get a lot of human attention but it's no substitute for each other.

I feed mine Allen & Page Pot Belly food and fruit and vegetables. It's illegal to feed them anything that's been in a kitchen, but most people do, just carefully. The reduced section in supermarkets is also a good place to get things cheaply. Our local Asda sells huge bags of bananas that are past their best for 50p.

Dog food bowls will be fine for food while it's small. Mine have a small automatic trough fixed to the bottom of a fence post for water. Pigs will tip over anything not fixed.

Mine are fully grown so have a wallow made with a pond liner but when they were small they had one of those shell shaped paddling pools dug into the ground.

 

[Equi]

If they are not being slaughtered i doubt it matters much what scraps they get

 

[Parly]

Nawww could you not get a second piggy friend for him?

I like pigs but they're vicious sods when they want to be. As a kid I was scared of the farmer's dog (horrible snarling collie that used to herd you into corners then pin you there) and was worried by geese that would come at you but nothing put the fear of God into me more than hearing farmer shout "Pigs are ehhht!!" from round the back of the sheds and the lot would come hurtling round the corner at you. Nasty.

 

[meleeka]

If they are not being slaughtered i doubt it matters much what scraps they get

It very much does matter and is one of the ways Foot and Mouth is spread. Meat from abroad is more likely to carry it and it can be caught by eating contaminated meat. Even things like eating onions can cause symptoms similar and i for one would be devastated if my pigs were pts because it looked like they had it.

 

[Clodagh]

It very much does matter and is one of the ways Foot and Mouth is spread. Meat from abroad is more likely to carry it and it can be caught by eating contaminated meat. Even things like eating onions can cause symptoms similar and i for one would be devastated if my pigs were pts because it looked like they had it.

This. It seems overkill but feeding scraps is what caused the last outbreak, and it cost millions and devastated peoples lives.

 

[Wimbles]

We only have pigs that we breed and raise for meat but the same rules still apply.

Make sure your pig has some decent mud to wallow in as they use this as a natural sunscreen and can suffer badly from sun/heatstroke. Mud is also great protection from insects. Make sure that there is plenty of shade. Your fencing will have to be robust as pigs have a great habit of doing a great escape and tunneling their way out!

An area of hardstanding is advisable as this helps maintain good foot health.

Unfortunately pigs can and will eat your chickens.

When you say that you have given up a large proportion of your garden, are you prepared that your garden will never be as you know it again. Pigs make excellent rotivators no matter what their size!

Be careful not to overfeed as this causes horrendous problems with joints and feet. Even our biggest breeding boar gets a fairly small ration of pig rolls and is left to do what pigs do naturally and root around for stuff.

Please consider getting a pair. Pigs are incredibly sociable animals, if you have spent any time with them previously then you will know how much they communicate, far more so than many other animals. Ours are always "chatting" away to each other as well as romping round, squabbling and bickering and they rarely lie down alone, more often than not they form a pig pile on! I have a donkey that prefers the sheep, sheep that prefer the geese but I have yet to see a pig that chooses the company of another species over that of its own kind.

They are great animals but a bored or unhappy pig can become a real menace and even the smallest ones can be unbelievably strong, they ALWAYS turn out bigger than you think and this is why there are so many being given away free and clogging up rescue centres.

Sorry if it all sounds really negative, I just want to give an honest view. Pigs are great and I think pretty easy to keep once you have your set up right. Certainly a lot easier than sheep/horses/chickens.....

 

[debsandpets]

Having kept pigs for meat and knowing how much they stink I hope you don't have neighbours close by to where the pen is going to be. I couldn't imagine anything worse that having that smell when trying to relax in the garden !!!! And also agree with everyone else in the keeping a single pig thing - not fair for the animal at all to be kept in isolation for its lifetime - you can't be there 24/7 to interact with a high;y intelligent animal etc.

 

[Cecile]

I think Pirbright AH were responsible for the outbreak of F&M last time around as their drains were in a shambolic mess

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_United_Kingdom_foot-and-mouth_outbreak

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6931830.stm

I hope they tidied the place up since as I went there years ago and it was a hell hole, I was shown through the fence to save us walking up to the gate!

I had a message a couple of days ago to say someone has 2 very friendly kune kune females to rehome fairly urgently, only due to selling their property and being let down regarding them staying put if anyone is interested, it came via the small shepherds club

 

[Sarah_K]

Nawww could you not get a second piggy friend for him?

I like pigs but they're vicious sods when they want to be. As a kid I was scared of the farmer's dog (horrible snarling collie that used to herd you into corners then pin you there) and was worried by geese that would come at you but nothing put the fear of God into me more than hearing farmer shout "Pigs are ehhht!!" from round the back of the sheds and the lot would come hurtling round the corner at you. Nasty.

Indeed they can be. My brother in law is missing a fair proportion of the muscle from his calf due to an aggressive pig. Other brother in law bought his parents 3 pigs for Xmas one year (what do you buy the farmer who wants nothing ) They made very tasty sausages.

 

[meleeka]

I think Pirbright AH were responsible for the outbreak of F&M last time around as their drains were in a shambolic mess

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_United_Kingdom_foot-and-mouth_outbreak

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6931830.stm

I hope they tidied the place up since as I went there years ago and it was a hell hole, I was shown through the fence to save us walking up to the gate!

I had a message a couple of days ago to say someone has 2 very friendly kune kune females to rehome fairly urgently, only due to selling their property and being let down regarding them staying put if anyone is interested, it came via the small shepherds club

There's a BKKPS Facebook pads and also Kune Kune UK. It might be worth sharing the ad on there

 

[Cecile]

There's a BKKPS Facebook pads and also Kune Kune UK. It might be worth sharing the ad on there

Thank you meleeka
I dragged my husband to a show and sale held by the BKKPS in Wales years ago, totally adorable pigs and when they rolled over so my husband could tickle their belly I wondered how many he was going to try to take home