Tell Me Why This is a BAD Idea

[Beekissed]

That toxin is produced by the actual tree roots, with only minimal amounts to be found in leaves and hut hulls, and won't be a problem after processed through a pig's gut.

Its roots, which may extend 50 feet or more from the trunk, exude a natural herbicide known as juglone that prevents many plants from growing within their reach. Tomatoes, potatoes, apples, pears, berries, and some landscape plants such as rhododendrons, azaleas, and lilacs may be killed or stunted if grown in close proximity to black walnut roots.

Minor amounts of juglone are supposedly generated in several other ways: by leaf decay on the soil surface, from nut husks, and even from rain water dripping through the leaf canopy. The quantity generated by these other means, however, is small. In addition, juglone is not very water soluble, so it will not move far in the soil.

 

[k15n1]

I think i will focus on alternate wormers. I hear garlic and black walnuts work well on hogs. I have lots of black walnuts here!

Black walnut husks, leaves, etc, effect some plants. It sticks around for a while, too, so be careful of the area where you want to plant potatoes another sensitive crops.

 

[baymule]

Bubba, you could plant areas in turnips, if you have enough space and they would have time to grow. Turnips are high in protein. You could let the chickens in first to eat the greens, then the pigs to dig and eat the turnip roots. Just a thought...

 

[Emerald]

When someone mentioned dangerous I have no doubt it was not related to the chickens and I still get eggs even when the raccoon breaks in and terrorizes and kills one or two.
But moving hogs-that can be dangerous and more. Pigs can become very mean and even small pigs can be vicious and bite very hard.. not saying all hogs and piggys are this way but I've been trampled and bitten by small ones on my uncles farm(when younger) when we went to dump garden refuse in. and my neighbor down the road raises a few every year and one year he had one so mean that it knocked into the fence and knocked the cat into the pen and they ate that cat!! it was so unreal how awful it was. That is what I think they meant.. (hehe.. i'm sure someone will come back and post that no.. it was not haha)

 

[bubba1358]

When someone mentioned dangerous I have no doubt it was not related to the chickens and I still get eggs even when the raccoon breaks in and terrorizes and kills one or two.
But moving hogs-that can be dangerous and more. Pigs can become very mean and even small pigs can be vicious and bite very hard.. not saying all hogs and piggys are this way but I've been trampled and bitten by small ones on my uncles farm(when younger) when we went to dump garden refuse in. and my neighbor down the road raises a few every year and one year he had one so mean that it knocked into the fence and knocked the cat into the pen and they ate that cat!! it was so unreal how awful it was. That is what I think they meant.. (hehe.. i'm sure someone will come back and post that no.. it was not haha)

OK. That makes more sense.

I definitely practice safety first. I would essentially have 3 connected pens - the first, open on fresh ground to let the chickens into on moving day. I would move one panel out of the way, let them come though, move the coop, then close them up. Next would be the vacated pen from the chickens, to which i would do the same- detach one panel and the piggies into fresh ground. THE final pen would be the one that had just housed the pigs. I can arrange this so i never have to enter the pen itself. Station feeders and waterers so I can feed from outside, and attach/detach the fence from T-posts from the outside as well.

I do believe that overall this will be less stressful on my chickens than what i do now.

Anything else to consider from the garden perspective? If i decide against cover crops and follow the 90/120 guidelines, are there other garden-related items to factor into account?

 

[~gd]

I just re- read this whole thread. Sounds like the best defense against pathogen activity is simply time.

Somone had suggested running the chickens through first - would this cause a buildup of flies in the pig manure? I was thinking the chickens would handle the leftover seeds and maggots from the pigs but i do see the merit in giving the chicks fresh grass. Can i have my cake and eat it too on this?

Also - someone mentioned moving them so frequently might be dangerous. Could you elaborate please?

I think i will focus on alternate wormers. I hear garlic and black walnuts work well on hogs. I have lots of black walnuts here!

Anything else to consider?

Thanks everyone!!

"available scientific evidence does not support claims that that hulls from black walnuts remove parasites from the intestinal tract ..." source American Cancer Society. They heard the same as you and tried it out on pigs. [parasites include worms] ~gd

 

[bubba1358]

What would be a good non chemical worming program for pigs in a garden setting?

 

[Emerald]

What would be a good non chemical worming program for pigs in a garden setting?

About 1 inch square of chewing tobacco per animal. don't know how safe it really is but uncle used to feed it to his goats and horses but I can't remember if they fed it to the pigs. nicotine is a very deadly poison.. said it helped keep the worms down in the horses. might be worth doing a bit of google foo on that..

 

[Denim Deb]

I went to a worming clinic last year and asked them about that. They said it didn't really work.

 

[Emerald]

I went to a worming clinic last year and asked them about that. They said it didn't really work.

Thanks Deb! I wasn't really sure if it did or not but I can remember him cutting hunks of chew off for the horses about once or twice a month.. I wish that he was around to ask.. his idea of great bug and insect control in the garden was paying me and my cousins cold hard cash for every critter/bug in the garden.. we then got that money to go to the summer fair(big county 4-H fair) I found more tomato horn worms than anyone else.. I got a nickel a piece for them no matter what the size.. I know that I had almost $20 worth of bug control in the garden. we got a penny a piece for potato bugs. if we found praying mantis outside of the garden to put in the garden we go a whole quarter..