[Tango]

Do those of you who pasture pigs (free-roam within a large fenced area with more than one sow), move them to farrow? Or do you leave your herd alone year-round? My two big girls broke down their gate today and I saw how enthusiastic they were around the place. Made me feel bad to leave them in a pen all the time and the area I am currently building for them will be pens with a separate farrowing room in each pen. For the same amount of money I could fence in 1/2 acre and let them do their thing. That brings up other questions for breeding since they have to be timed (for 4H seasons). Does anyone do it this way or are your good sows all in pens?

 

[Farmall]

I and most hog raisers I have known keep their pigs in pens. <u uncle kept is on pasture, around 5 acres. I keep m,ine in pens that equal around 100 by 200 witha 30 to 36ft pond around 3/4ft deep in it. It isnt pasture as it is heavly wooded, but they get to roam around alot, and it seems to satisfy them

 

[Guest]

According to my mother, who was born in 1921, when she was a young child growing up, people didn't fence their livestock in but they fenced their livestock out. In other words she said that the only fence that was put up by the farmer was put up around their house and yard and the livestock was allowed to roam anywhere they wanted. They always stuck around the farm as long as you fed and watered them daily.

That was probably the thing to do back then when neighbors were approximately a mile apart from each other. But today neighbors are less then a quarter of mile within each other so I don't believe it would work out very good to let your livestock freerange.

 

[Farmall]

That is done depending where you live, or came from. Letting them run loose was the way in S Mo in times gone by,and it probably was done alot durring the depression than it was in the decades of the last century before it and crtainly after. Some did it ine Kansand NW Mo, but not t many that Iever heard of as most people raised corn, and corn got so low in price during the depresson that peple would burn it for fuel if needed,so i know tat they wouldnt hinder to feed it to the livestock. The dust bowl didnt hardly effect the ground like it did out west. just the air. Now, when the grasshoppers came in 36 and ate EVERYTING, then they might haver had to turn them loose to get what they could, but like I said, it was rare at home, but it was done, that of leting them run free. B ut all woods were fenced along with the psture so it would be easier there to let the hogs out with the cows and hope that they would kinda stick together, and 1/2 watch them

 

[arnoldw]

When I was Arizonia a farmer raising pigs had 25 sows with pigs all togeather in a 5 Acre fenced in area. Each sow had its own house, Hay bales stacked around with ten on top. They where placed about 50 feet apart. each had its own feed and water. I asked him about proublems with the sows. He said the only time they where seperated was to bring the sows back into heat. The babies where sold as son as they where weaned.
I personaly seperate mine for farrowing.
Arnoldw

 

[Farmall]

As I understand your post Arnold, you say the farmer haad 25 hogs in one pen, (together) with 25 houses for them, ne for each. Am I right so far? If so, did they each now their own house and repeatably go to their own houses, or play musical chairs, or houses? Or did he have the pigs spread out over the acerage with a pen and house for each hog, and tey were confined to the pen and house

 

[arnoldw]

All the houses where spread out over the 5 acres and they are knew where there babies where and seemed to hang out around there on house. I actually walked in the 5 acre area didnot have any proublem walking past the sows with pigs. there was no inside fencing. He had small pens on the outside where he took the sows out to get them to come back in heat.
The boar had a run in front of the sows to bring them in. They babies where pulled out when the sow was moved.
arnoldw