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Six Little Piggies
by Robert
Karen got six little piggies on Monday. They're up on the back forty where we could use extra fertility. Pigs dig up the ground something fierce, leaving it rough, but they also leave it fertile.
Pigs are fun and trouble-free if you don't keep them too long. They're way too smart and they get awfully big. The last month or so can easily become a battle of wits that the farmer loses.
We keep them on pasture, first in a sixteen-foot square of lightweight hog panels, then a larger area of electric fencing. Pigs can get significant amounts of nutrition from pasture. We use galvanized "Porta-Huts" for pig houses. These can be dragged around pretty easily by hand and tossed into the back of a pickup truck for longer moves.
We sell pork by the half-pig to customers who sign up in advance. This year, for the first time, Karen called the butcher (The Farmer's Helper in Harrisburg, Oregon -- they're the best) as soon as she got the pigs, and set a butcher date (August 15). That's farming for you. You don't even get a day to enjoy the little piggies without considering their future as pork and bacon. Last year we had to keep the pigs about six weeks longer than we wanted, past the dry season and into the soggy Oregon winter, because we didn't get on the schedule soon enough. Never again!
04/21/09 09:51:23 pm, 
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8 comments
Do you stake down your pig-panel pens in any way? How about the corners, do you just wire them together?
Chicks are in very short supply too -- everyone seems to want to raise chickens this year. Phinney went out of business and apparently the other hatcheries are having a hard time keeping up with demand. To get chicks through local feed stores you have to put your name on a waiting list at least two weeks in advance.
When they're small, you can confine them with lightweight hog panels tied together with baling twine. When they learn how to lift the panels with their snouts and squeeze under them, it's time to stake down the panels with T-posts or use electric fence. Or give up and let them roam free. Can't do that in my neighborhood. Loose dogs, yes: loose pigs, no.
The key with getting piglets is the same as with setting butchering dates: place your order so early that it's almost ludicrous, and you should be fine.
It's normal to have to wait a couple of weeks for chicks: we count ourselves lucky if the hatchery can ship the same week we place our order. (Of course, we usually order around 100 chicks at a time.)
Right now our piggie setup is rudimentary except for the house, which is a Port-a-Hut. Can't recommend them too highly. They last forever and are not too big to drag around by hand.
We're using big rubber feed pans for both feeding and watering. This is bogus, especially for watering, since the pigs muddy up the water instantly by standing in it. We put a float-valve waterer on the back of the Port-a-Hut that is too high for them to get their feet into, but we haven't hooked it up.
We also need to add a self-feeder for pig feed, too. We'll make a stand for it and tie it to the hog panels. Then we'll need the rubber pans only for feeding hard-boiled surplus eggs and other treats.