QTee said:
I have some unused grassy/weedy pasture I'd like to get cleared off for planting and was thinking about raising a couple of pigs on it until they reach butchering size. I have raised small livestock and horses for years but know nothing about raising pigs. First and foremost would 2 pigs raised on 1-2 acre pastures create alot of odor as we do have neighbors near-by to consider.
We have four sows with 26 piglets along with sheep and chickens on about nine acres of pasture. There is no odor at all. They stay very clean and healthy on pasture - it is totally different than penned or confined. My wife's aunt, who is a very opinionated woman, told us years ago, "but the whole place will stink if you get pigs!" It doesn't in the slightest. Part is that the animals are cleaner out on pasture, part is that the manure is widely spread and quickly broken up by the chickens and part is that pigs who eat pasture and hay just don't have the stinky poops like pigs who eat grain. We grain fed them when I was a kid in a small wooded half acre paddock and their poops stank. They also destroyed the soil in the paddock unlike pigs out on pasture.
QTee said:
I plan to use 2-3 strands of hot-wire to contain them but do they respect hot-wire or will they try to escape?
We use electric. I have used:
1. white plastic electric twine my least favorite but good for temp fencing.
2. 17 guage steel wire - good stuff but it is not a physical barrier.
3. high tension wire - the best but more work - use for permanent fence.
We have stone walls around all of our fields and the animals pretty much respect those and stay out of the woods. There is no wire over most of the walls. Along the stone walls in front along the road we have a single strand of electrified high tension wire.
Why don't they go in the woods? Because there be lions, tigers and bears in theres. Also we have four LGDs who keep the stock in and move it around according to their own mysterious schedule. The dogs tend to bring the animals in in the evening and put the chickens into the hoop houses, sometimes before the birds thing it is time.
QTee said:
How much food do they require on top of the pasture and what can they be fed besides commercial hog feed when it come to grains such as corn or oats?
None normally. The month before and after farrowing we give the sows some commercial (Blue Seal) sow feed but that is all. We do feed them garden gleanings, easier than composting, and a little waste bread from the bakery as a treat to train them to come when we call. It makes moving them about easy. Dogs help with moving them too and are good for protection.
QTee said:
Do they like or benefit from alfalfa hay?
Yes. We feed hay in the winter. The pigs actually prefer what I would consider the yukkier hay. Given a bale of great hay and a moldering bale they dig into the moldering one first - I guess it is like cheese to them. They thrive on all the hay during the cold months. I have read that if you grain feed then you need to
slowly transition over to hay and pasture to give their digestive system a chance to adjust - a couple of weeks. Since we always pasture and hay feed them we've never been through that.
QTee said:
Do they get sick easy if well cared for?
Don't know. Never had a sick pig. Or sheep. Or chicken. Or duck. Luck or pasture? We don't worm either - no need as the fecal tests are back negative. I wasted $50 on a bottle of wormer that is still in the fridge. Or maybe that was insurance.

I've read that having them on pasture and moving about makes them not get the parasites as much and that having chickens follow lets the birds get the worms before they become a problem. Might be true.
QTee said:
Which are the best breeds for good temperament and over all hardiness?
Everyone has their favorite breed I suppose. We have Yorkshires simply because they are common here abouts and I've read they are good mothers which proved true with our sows. The boar is also a gentleman. I would look around at what people in your area are keeping. They may also have piglets to get you started.
Cheers,
-Walter
in Vermont