Free's piggie thread...new pics p 19

[noobiechickenlady]

Can't wait to see what the finished teepee looks like!

I'll never get pigs... DH said so.








He said that about goats too! Mwahahahahaha

 

[Henrietta23]

Can't wait to see what the finished teepee looks like!

I'll never get pigs... DH said so.








He said that about goats too! Mwahahahahaha

Same here. The kid next door once raised a pig. We never knew it was there. No smell, no noise. It won't happen here but if we have more land I bet I could talk him into it....
I'm getting goats too after all!

 

[Occamstazer]

I used to think I could probably handle pigs one day, until BBH shared with us how her pig screamed for a day straight over a food change.
(am I remembering that correctly?)

After the guinea-screaming horrors, the thought of something louder makes me want to

So...I will pig vicariously for now.

 

[FarmerDenise]

Love that pig A-frame. Would that work for goats? I am trying to figure out housing for my cuties. Those side look steep enough that I don't think they could use those to escape.

 

[freemotion]

I hope to talk the guys into building another one...or two....or three! It would be perfect for goats, as long as you aren't fussy about keeping it spotless. It would cause some serious backaching if you felt a need to clean it often. You can't stand up straight in it.

As long as you put it far enough away from any fence, it should not be useful as a goat launcher. I am SURE they will run up the sides and leap in a Jackie Chan move. As long as there is no fence to leap over, it should be fine.

 

[FarmerDenise]

I think this will be perfect for me. I'll skip the floor. I plan on putting it under a tall pine tree anyhow. That corner of the property is bordered by the neighbors garage and a 7 foot wood fence (vertical slats). I will leave both ends open, since it will be in a sheltered spot anyway. If need be we can close it off some, for the winter. We worry more about summer heat most of the time.
Now to hunt up some sheets of 4x8 exterior plywood

Oh and I figure this could be set up on haybale walls to make it taller. That would give the goats more protection in the winter too. I will have to make sure I get lots cheap haybales after the fair this year.

Oooh, I am excited now that I have this idea, thanks

 

[freemotion]

Um....those haybales will be toast within minutes with goats......

We got the T111 at Grossman's outlet. It all had some damage that didn't matter for a pig house, and was $15 per sheet. We used free pallets for the base and if we'd had more time, we could've used pallet wood for lots of the supports and braces.

 

[freemotion]

Here is tonight's e-mail correspondence:

Bob: Planning to swing buy on Wednesday Morn between 8 and 9 am.

Me: Woohoo!!

My cell phone is working again....(xxx) xxx-xxxx. As long as I don't drop it in the toilet again....call me when you hit Southwick and I will meet you at the back gate. Go in through Choose & Cut Farms, just past my house, where you see the big brown barn with a porch on the xmas tree farm.

BACON!!!!

Bob: Ok. I will have a pretty big trailer so I hope the area accomadates that. I have to tell you that I never dropped off pigets in a fenced in area without a barn or shelter to keep them in for a few days to get them familiar with you and the new surroundings. Releasing them into a field will be, if nothing else, entertaining for us all. They are being taken from their mothers that day. I wish you had a shelter we could contain them in while you introduce yourselves to them, Like a barn or a stye. I will be there on Wednesday morning.

Me: We could slap a half-door on the pig ark. It has a back wall and an open door in the front. The floor is 6x8'. Would that work?

Eek. Nervous again.

Bob: Slap away! Just like them to feel at home rather than turned loose in an unknown field. Hard to tell what would happen. It usually works best for them to adjust to a knew location after being taken from nursing. They will be worked up to say the least. Keeping them closed in for a few days allows them to adjust to the change. Anytime i got new piglets I kept them in until they got over the change and used to the new surroundings. They are used to being in a pasture so they may be fine anyway. If they get out it will be hard to get them back.

See you Wednesday morn.

Me: Ok, tomorrow's project....how high does the door need to be to contain them? I think the top half should be open, as it will be the only ventilation. Then we could also feed and water them without opening the door. I now have visions of piggies running through McD's parking lot with me chasing them, bedhead and all.....

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While waiting for an answer, I forwarded that conversation to my father, since he will be slapping the door on. This was his reply:

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Dad: Remember! According to Mother Earth News pigs don't jump.

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Just so y'all know, when I was a teenager and we had a couple of pigs in the pasture, I got very upset when they would get into my horse's stall and poop in her precious shavings. I actually had old gloves that I used to do the final cleaning on her stall a couple of times a day so that I could get every last crumb of doo-doo.....shavings werer very hard to come by, and I had to make them last for weeks and weeks.

My father read an article in MEN where the author stated that one could keep pigs out of an area with larger animals by putting up a couple of boards so many inches high and so many inches apart in the doorway. This was easily stepped over by the larger stock, but the pigs would not be able to get over the two boards.

Yeah, right. When pigs can fly. We had The Famous Jumping Pigs.

Edited because, like an idiot, I posted my cell phone number online..

 

[TanksHill]

That's a great idea. You know that ark with a door would be a really good house for lots of things. And maybe if you put wire over the ends it could be use for poultry???

I can just see a field fill with little arks!!!

Woo Hoo I can't wait to see the piggies!!

 

[freemotion]

Me, too! I see my pasture all cross-fenced, with a little tent-like ark in each section. Uh-oh. That would allow for.....more goats!

Here was the answer from Bob via e-mail:

The best thing would be to have a smaller fenced in area that is attached to your structure. I don't know how to attach it to a triangular structure but maybe your dad can get creative. This way here they can be outside and go in if need be. Maybe some green fence posts from tractor supply with two inch page wire 3 or 4 ft high. It is always nice to have a small fenced in area(8ft by 10ft) or 8x8, or anything small, where you feed them and water them, in case you need to close them in or catch them for any reason. Put some bedding in the shed also, so they want to be in there.
Good luck.
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So I am thinking.....I could price hog panels at TSC, or I could take the last bit of horse fencing off the garden and replace it with chicken wire. I think I'd prefer hog panels, but I may have to re-configure the garden fence because of the time factor and the fact that we don't have a truck and may not be able to find someone with one today on such short notice to transport the panels. TSC is only a couple of miles away on the same road that we live on, but it is a busy road and too far to walk dragging hog panels!