new pig house and pen

lakill Farm

Hi All,

I have just appried for my pig number ( the backyard type for up to 5 pigs). I am looking on advice as follows.

I want to rear 4 to 6 pigs a year, divided into 2 pens, with a area of 10ft x 20 ft each pen. I am going to build a slatted tank under them so to keep them clean and i can mix the slurry in with the cattle slurry.

Ok how much slurry would 6 pigs from 8 weeks to slaughter create? 4000 gallons approx?

Would a pen incliuding shelther of 10ft x 20ft be big enough for 2 pigs?

would i need to include an agitation point at the slurry tank? or just an area to suck the slurry (i presume i would need the agitation point would need to be a min of 6ft )

What breed would be best for pork?

How much to have a pig slaughter and stamped in an abitator? I can cut it up myself so thats not a problem.

ANything i should be aware of , apart from the smell

Username John

lakill Farm wrote: »

Hi All,

I have just appried for my pig number ( the backyard type for up to 5 pigs). I am looking on advice as follows.

I want to rear 4 to 6 pigs a year, divided into 2 pens, with a area of 10ft x 20 ft each pen. I am going to build a slatted tank under them so to keep them clean and i can mix the slurry in with the cattle slurry.

Ok how much slurry would 6 pigs from 8 weeks to slaughter create? 4000 gallons approx?

Would a pen incliuding shelther of 10ft x 20ft be big enough for 2 pigs?

would i need to include an agitation point at the slurry tank? or just an area to suck the slurry (i presume i would need the agitation point would need to be a min of 6ft )

What breed would be best for pork?

How much to have a pig slaughter and stamped in an abitator? I can cut it up myself so thats not a problem.

ANything i should be aware of , apart from the smell

Let me open this post with "I know nothing about pigs"

But... building a slatted tank for 4 - 6 pigs a year? That sounds a bit mad?

lakill Farm

ye true John, but i have myself lined up with slates and i have sheeting and timber for the roof and i will build the tank myself from 6" solids on there side.I have my own digger so its only sand, cement and blocks. and im 28 and she is 26 and if we do it right now it will be done for the next40 years

Username John

lakill Farm wrote: »

ye true John, but i have myself lined up with slates and i have sheeting and timber for the roof and i will build the tank myself from 6" solids on there side.I have my own digger so its only sand, cement and blocks. and im 28 and she is 26 and if we do it right now it will be done for the next40 years

Yeah, true Lakill, they will always be there.

There is some info in the threads below, might be of some help
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=73864858
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=70685786
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=69383900

Let us know how you get on.

lakill Farm

Thanks John,

I will, i guess its a it of fun more than anything.

Whats the best breed.

fodda

lakill Farm wrote: »

Thanks John,

I will, i guess its a it of fun more than anything.

Whats the best breed.

http://www.grow-your-own.ie/pigs.html

http://www.grow-your-own.ie/pigbreeds.html

La Gun

Hi Lakill, Good luck with the pigs,
My first pigs are saddlebacks, its being a great experience got them in september they were 10 weeks old when i got them going for the chop wednesday week, That means they will be 22 weeks old, next time I will only get 2 and and rair them to 7 months old will try 2 different breeds this time maybe an Old spot and a Tamworth,
But like your self im going to put down a concrete slab and slat part of it just to make it easyer to clean and feed them on. Maybe you could get a mix and match of breeds to see whitch you prefer your self,
They Take some feeding tho thats why ill drop it back to 2 for next time,
One for ham and one for pork, ill let you know what i get back from the butcher is like, if its too faty or too lean and so on,

dzer2

Dont know how building an expensive sty would pay with just a few pigs.As long as you have the space just fence them in and get a pig hut. Failing that get some old gates at a local market and drive a few corner stakes and erect a hut that way you will pick up a few sheets of ply wood at any building works and make a roof a pig is happy as long as he has a dry place to lie and enough to eat and drink

La Gun

I found it very mucky and difficult to clean their pen and feed them after 3-4 week of them rooting and all the rain, their is plenty of good tips to be seen on y tube, I put some 804 down on over an area 8ftX4ft to level off the ground and just put a sheet of old ply down and put the trock and water container on top,
Used a few speed screws to fix them to the sides to hold them, easy area to clean good ground under my owen foot, but only figured these things as i went along.
I made their ark out of pallets and a bit of old tin They love it, plenty of straw and food 9 times out of 10 when i go down to feed them they are piled up on each other asleep.
The only reason i want a concrete apron for them is because it will last year after year, and i could run a more permanant water line to it for drinkers and cleaning and to give the pigs a rinse before going for the chop.
I can do all the work my self so would pay me back in 2 years easy,
Really love the experience of rairing them.
And looking forward to the rewards,

La Gun

Now best breed will depend on what you want to eat, My Saddle backs 3 of them went to slaughter last wednesday, I am using 2 butchers, 1 pig went to one to be done into hams, Now that butcher rang and said to much fat on this pig for belly rashers, that he will do ribs ham and back bacon,
He recomends Tamworth for ham, so ill bare that in mind for the next time,
The butcher for the pork i will ask what he recomends to do with the bellys to maximise the usage,
Im open to suggestions too,
So one pig next time will definatly be a tamworth for hams,

User2611

How much would you get for a 5mth old saddleback in the factory?

Conor556

How did you get on with you pig house lakill, did you use slats and if you did how did it work out, do you get much slurry from them?

La Gun

No idea hardly worth trying would be my guess,

La Gun

Conor556 wrote: »

How did you get on with you pig house lakill, did you use slats and if you did how did it work out, do you get much slurry from them?

did not buy any this year, money had to be spent on getting a road accross the land to the old shed i am going to put a concrete floor into, splitting the shed into 2, half for the pigs and other end for my gear food fencing bedding,