Thinking of keeping a sow or 2. Need some opinions

[HoosierHog]

I need some advice

I'm thinking of keeping a berk sow or 2 next year, but I have some questions
I hope you all can help with.

First, I don't have power out to where we keep our animals and probably won't any time soon. I do not have a barn I can put my pigs in. Can I still farrow in Feb so I can sell piglets to 4H kids, or will i need a heat lamp and barn?

Second, how do you all keep ice from forming in you hog waterer, if you have no power? My only idea is to use a black rubber 10gal tub, fill it every day, breakup the ice and remove it as it forms, replacing water as needed. I wish I could find a solar deicer for a drum waterer.

Third, I have also been considering GOS instead of Berks, but it would require quite a bit of travel to acquire a breeding pair. Can I keep a boar for just 1 GOS sow? I have a very good Berk breeder very close that will charge me 50 bucks to breed my sows when ever I want. I can use his boars or will AI them for me. So I'm leaning towards berks cause they are close, and I've liked all the berks feeders I have raised. What do yo all think of berks?

[rippdog]

i don't have powder or auto waters (yet) so i have to check water 2 times a day. brake ice and add water-not fun,feed before the sun sets, the gilts also get the water dirty right away and you have to dump and refill each day-hot or cold. If you put a heat elment in it the hogs are going to throw things everywhere. then i run a hose and drain it each time or bucket it. next year new barn and auto waters! i know you need a shelter for farrowing in cold weather and a heatlamp or something for winter months.
Berks aren't the biggest show pigs is what they say they usally use a cross of purebreds for the 4-h show(to win). the F1 cross. anyway good luck.

[TamBerk]

I don't have power where my pigs are and breaking ice and watering this time of year just becomes a extra chore. As for farrowing,we do it in the winter time using the "english style" farrowing Porta-A-Huts with no heat lamps. They worked very well. Bedding is very important with farrowing. I usually start bedding with old course 1st cutting hay to help create a pack in the hut and as the sow/gilt gets closer to farrowing, I start putting some straw in the hut for bedding. So far, I've never lost a piglet to the cold. Keeping the farrowing hut "draft free" is also very important. Good luck.

[highlands]

We use continuously flowing water. Despite being in the extreme cold we have it year round because there are warm springs. If they are sheltered from the wind they trickle all winter. With some tricks of making micro-climates around the waterers piped from the spring in series down the mountain we have continuously flowing non-freezing waterers.

This only works with a slope and the warm spring so it isn't for everyone. But it sure beats hauling water and breaking ice. Think about what can you do to use earth heat, thermal mass, aeration, micro-climates and flow in your situation.

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs, Sheep & Kids
in the mountains of Vermont
Read about our on-farm butcher shop project:
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/butchershop
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/csa

[Feathers-N-Fur]

If you want to sell to 4H kids, make surd there is a market for that breed in your area. Here, the kids only buy Yorks, Hamps, and crosses of those two, and a few show Durocs, but not many. We got our Berks because I thought there was going to be a big demand, nope. They are the last piglets to sell to butcher pig buyers, never to 4H kids.

[Rogo]

I've had livestock for years but won't have a barn. I just don't think they're healthy for the critters.

I have loafing sheds - 3 sides and a roof - so the critters can get out of the weather if they want to. For the pigs, their sheds are loaded with Bermuda hay for them to free choice feed it and bury in it to keep warm.