Thursday, 19 October 2017
How do pigs compare giving birth in the field vs pigs giving birth in farrowing crates?
After a two years of keeping the grower pigs in cages, I decided to release them onto a total of 6 hectares ( 14 Acres ) of land to graze on. I made two camps of 3 hectares.
I kept the sows in an open area close to the cages, so that they can still sleep there at night.
This area is closed of with fences and is about 120m2.
Once they got used to this system, I let the pregnant sows out of the camped area and let them farrow on the land. This was scary at first, as I did not have experience of sows farrowing outside and was afraid that they might lay on top of the new born piglets.
No piglets were lost as a result and last night's pigs were born in 4 degrees Celsius.
The mother's sow also looks a lot more at ease and the work is less intensive on my part.
Please watch: https://youtu.be/e-UTEH4T_8s
With this picture you can see how the pig made a good nest that protects her and the pigs from the wind and sun.
I kept the sows in an open area close to the cages, so that they can still sleep there at night.
This area is closed of with fences and is about 120m2.
Once they got used to this system, I let the pregnant sows out of the camped area and let them farrow on the land. This was scary at first, as I did not have experience of sows farrowing outside and was afraid that they might lay on top of the new born piglets.
No piglets were lost as a result and last night's pigs were born in 4 degrees Celsius.
The mother's sow also looks a lot more at ease and the work is less intensive on my part.
Please watch: https://youtu.be/e-UTEH4T_8s
With this picture you can see how the pig made a good nest that protects her and the pigs from the wind and sun.
Wednesday, 18 October 2017
Start your small piggery with Weaners
Weaners pigs for a start.
Our winters here on the farm is 4 degrees Celsius at night and we do not have a heating system for our pigs or piglets.
I do not know how cold it gets in the evenings in your area, but if you can add heat, it's good. You can add heat in the form of UV lights or a hot water system.
It's going to be very difficult to buy a pregnant sow from a farmer, but if you're lucky enough you're on the winning side.
Buying weaners are the first step if you are starting a small scale piggery. Your income turn around is faster while you wait for the sows to farrow.
If weaned pigs are bought, treat them as if they have not yet received any medicine. 90% of sellers promise your heart and soul the pigs are De-wormed and everything is right. So you immediately give the pigs Dectomax or medicines of choice with a shot of Terramycin la.
Keep track of eyes, ears and tails.
If the ears are hanging and the tails are straight, then chances are your pigs are unhealthy, have worms or has lice.
Do not buy sick pigs, it takes months for them to recover and get back in shape. The hips of weaners must be round and firm. They should not be hairy at all. You will lose 100% of your money in the feed / growth process if you buy a sick weaner. Most problems with pigs are worms and scabs. For worms (tears in the eyes, hanging tail or hanging ears) you can de-worm the pigs twice a month.
For scabs (scab-mite) you can throw old oil on the pig's back.
The photos below show the difference between healthy pig and a sick wean pig'.
Our winters here on the farm is 4 degrees Celsius at night and we do not have a heating system for our pigs or piglets.
I do not know how cold it gets in the evenings in your area, but if you can add heat, it's good. You can add heat in the form of UV lights or a hot water system.
It's going to be very difficult to buy a pregnant sow from a farmer, but if you're lucky enough you're on the winning side.
Buying weaners are the first step if you are starting a small scale piggery. Your income turn around is faster while you wait for the sows to farrow.
If weaned pigs are bought, treat them as if they have not yet received any medicine. 90% of sellers promise your heart and soul the pigs are De-wormed and everything is right. So you immediately give the pigs Dectomax or medicines of choice with a shot of Terramycin la.
Keep track of eyes, ears and tails.
If the ears are hanging and the tails are straight, then chances are your pigs are unhealthy, have worms or has lice.
Do not buy sick pigs, it takes months for them to recover and get back in shape. The hips of weaners must be round and firm. They should not be hairy at all. You will lose 100% of your money in the feed / growth process if you buy a sick weaner. Most problems with pigs are worms and scabs. For worms (tears in the eyes, hanging tail or hanging ears) you can de-worm the pigs twice a month.
For scabs (scab-mite) you can throw old oil on the pig's back.
The photos below show the difference between healthy pig and a sick wean pig'.
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