Fencing for pigs?

KateH · #1 10/22/05, 12:51 PM

I'm very much in the thought-experiment stage of homesteading and keeping pigs. I'm just wondering what alternatives there are to electric fencing for pigs in particular, but also for other animals.

There's a good chance that we may end up in an off-the grid situation when we get our homestead set up. The consensus is clear that electric fencing is the way to go with pigs, but without a ready source of electricity, what are the possibilities? We might well have solar panels for a little electric here and there, but I doubt that fencing would be prioritized in such a situation I presume that there must be alternatives to electric fencing for livestock. I'm hoping that someone has a system that allows pigs to be outdoors at least some of the time, without the use of electricity. Without the ability to let my pigs roam at least a little while each day, it wouldn't be worth it to me to keep them.

By the way, a shout out to all Tamworth fans! This is definitely the breed I plan to raise when it's time to do so. I first encountered them in Scotland and am glad to hear they're doing well in the States too.

Thanks for any advice or comments.

Rowdy · #2 10/22/05, 01:24 PM

Last time I raised pigs we used livestock panels. Installed them with wood corners and T-posts in the middle, with about six inches of the panels in the ground. Never had an escape. I think if I were going to go that route this time, and were not going to have baby pigs running around I would build with cow panels, not hog panels, since at the local TSC cow panels are $17 and the hog panels are $21 each.

As for the being outside part, I gave the pigs a small three sided shed filled with straw for shelter, and left it up to them when they wanted to go inside. They didn't mind the winter at all with that arrangenment- if it was really cold when I came to feed I'd find them burrowed down in the straw together. looking and sounding as healthy as could be. (But also I live in West Texas, so our Winters might not be as cold as yours.)

I'm just about ready to have hogs again, but I am going with six strands of high tensile electric, though since I'm in the process of dividing my acres into little pastures, I have the six full strands in mind for the goats, if I were to make an actual pig pen I might use a few less wires.

Rowdy

Mama C · #3 10/22/05, 02:44 PM

There are electric fence power boxes that run on car batteries as well. We find them very handy.

beeman97 · #4 10/22/05, 05:20 PM

Kate,
You can get High Tensil Fence charges that are solar powered already set up ,, they are double the price of a standard fence charger but all you do is hook em up & you have charged fence, in my opinion this is the way to go if your going to have any kind of #'s for hogs, if your only going to be having 1 or 2 around then the hog panel type system will work ok as long as your prepared to move it often so they can have fresh grazing, not to mention not totally ruining your ground.
Good Luck
Rick

John Schneider · #5 10/31/05, 09:20 AM

People have raised pigs for generations without power fences. As mentioned above...the solar fences work wonderfully though. We simply use livestock fencing in 100 foot rolls. Inexpensive. I make sure that the mesh is on the ground or even rolled a little inwards towards the pen area (does that make sense?) Then, I nail a rough 1x6 to the posts along the bottom. In places, some digging will be required to get the lumber flat along the ground along its entire length. They will still root along the perimeter, but you should be out with them daily anyways and you will see trouble spots arise. I just put a few rocks into any hole that they dig. They quit using that spot and move along. I don't have a lot of digging going on along the fence line. I spread some corn in the weed/timber patches in the middle of the pen each day and they spend a good amount of time there instead of the fence.

Philip · #6 10/31/05, 07:22 PM

After finding pigs to be supreme escapologists, I have kept to a large concrete-floored run (two weaners raised to slaughter age at a time) approx 4x6 metres, sides are approx 1.2 metres high with solid posts (I use 150mm rounds concreted in to 600mm deep) and mesh fencing nailed to 150mm x 50mm palings top and bottom, and includes a shelter, lined with plywood and clad with corregated iron with plenty of straw provided. Pigs always dung in the same spot so daily cleaning is easy. Theres no worries with smell or flies, and you can ensure that you are providing the optimum amount of feed. Its a bit of an undertaking building it, but once its done it will last forever

John Schneider · #7 11/01/05, 09:38 AM

HogEmAll...No, I use standard 5' fence posts pounded at 8' on center. The farm fence is stapled directly to the posts and then the 1x6 is nailed over top of the fencing. This way the pigs can not simply root out a little hole and then push the fencing up enough to squeeze out. With the way I am doing it, they would actually have to dig a 'pig size' hole large enough to crawl completely under the fence (the 1x6 is completely rigid of course). It takes quite a while for a hole of that size to be dug and they would have to want to get out pretty bad.

Another aspect of what I am doing and what other producers do who don't have escape problems is to make sure that the pigs don't want to leave! If they have a good sized enclosure with good food and a warm bed and water and some structure to root around and keep them busy, they would only escape once to realize that outside the pen isn't very fun!

computerchick · #8 11/01/05, 10:34 AM

I have two Tamworths coming in this weekend - I'm going to start them in a dog kennel with skids so I can move it around. I WANT them to root/till everything up.

I have hog panels I was going to use, because they are easier to move, was thinking of using ground staples? Maybe running one hot wire around them? Thoughts?

Andrea

John Schneider · #9 11/02/05, 10:29 AM

Andrea...your idea is called a 'pig tractor'. A very efficient way to handle a small number of hogs for sure. As they get older, you could simply make a larger 'kennel' using your hog panels and lumber or steel and follow the same prodedures that you will use with your dog kennel? The link below is a brief description of a hog tractor.

http://www.ottermoon.com/articles.ph...n&pg=114&prt=1

computerchick · #10 11/02/05, 03:31 PM

Thanks John! I figured it wasn't so original :-) My only experience was at Va Tech with confinement operations, and recently with a friends 'free ranging' so I'm trying to find a happy, healthy in between.

I SINCERELY appreciate the link.

Andrea

John Schneider · #11 11/03/05, 09:17 AM

I am going to look at a Tamworth boar this weekend for my white 'girls'. I have heard that the Tams are probably the best meat. There is a farm in NY called "Flying Pigs Farms" that raises Tamworths. What made you choose Tamworths Andrea? Have you raised them before?

computerchick · #12 11/03/05, 04:25 PM

I haven't raised Tamworths - but I wanted a heritage or conservation breed. Checked ABLC list, found Guineas, but can't find guineas, if ykwim, then started researching others.

Was doing my regular paper read, and saw Tamworths advertised, started asking around etc etc...

I like the fact they are good diggers and are very self sufficient. Slower growth means I won't have a 300 lb monster on my hands by the time the garden is grown. They do really well on poorer pasture (more for less) Apparently they are better as a bacon breed too.

Picking up my lil boys on Saturday - actually kinda excited! Thank goodness she actually had two left for me.

A friend of mine raises heritage hogs, and I adore her spots, but I would get attached big time. Floppy ears big round hog, wagging tail...I would have another pet lol.

Good luck with yours, I'll post pics!

Andrea

**highlands** · #13 11/10/05, 01:12 PM

We pasture our pigs in the warm weather and put them in garden corrals for the winter. The fields are fenced with a mix of high tensile electric, temporary electric on step in posts, poultry netting and even just stone walls. All of these work. The high tensile electric is the best because it requires the least maintenance. The stone walls work well as long as there is plenty of food in the fields - a problem in late fall.

This past month we just finished up putting high tensile fencing around the south field. See some discussion in this posting in my blog (http://sugarmtnfarm.com/blog/2005/10/more-fencing.html) and look at the previous postings for more.

For our garden corrals we use high tensile woven wire for the most part along with a hot wire around the bottom. This works great.

Fence chargers do not use very much electricity. Get a good strong one. I would not bother with less than 1.5 joules and I wouldn't get one of the solar electric fence chargers. Better to just run it of your house 120v system or a mini-inverter and a deep cycle marine battery. You can just setup your automobile to have a place in it for the deep cycle battery so that when you go driving you can charge one while the other is out driving the fence in the field.

Cheers,

-Walter
in Vermont