# Should I get a pig?



## VStillman (May 13, 2011)

I live in-town and we currently raise rabbits and chickens. We also garden. It is our dream to move to a farm one day. Alas, right now, we live on a very small piece of land... we want to raise 2 pigs to butcher for meat. I will have to have them in a 16x16 area...maybe a little larger. I have read that this space is sufficient if you are only going to butcher. But my question is this...we have CLOSE neighbors and I am concerned of the smell. If i clean the pen every day and sprinkle lime, would the smell be so horrendous that it will be unbearable to our neigbors? We have 2 roosters and they dont mind the crowing, but smell is another story.  Thanks! Any opions will be GREATLY APPRECIATED!


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## ohiofarmgirl (May 13, 2011)

Storey's guide says 200 ft away from other houses - but i can tell you the truth. pigs stink. bad. like real bad. we have ours on pasture and if the wind shifts.... yuck!

some folks have had luck with keeping the pig's area cleaned up. but i know folks who raise them on cement and they still stink. 

dont forget that they will turn whatever ground you are raising them onto a muddy moonscape. 

that being said, we raise pigs for butcher and its the best money spent. 

good luck!

ps check your zoning - even if you are zoned for ag there may be deed restrictions on your property against any pigs. but maybe if you promise your neighbor some chops they wont mind??


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## freemotion (May 13, 2011)

Pigs eat basically what we eat only much more of it....so they crap more, too.  And like wet areas.  Ick.  

That being said, we had two last year and this year we have four.  Yum!  But they are about 600 feet from the houses and in a large area, about 120' x 80'.  It still smells by the time they get bigger, but not as bad as it would in a small pen.


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## burntmuch (May 13, 2011)

I sprinkle sweet pdz in the spot where they poop. Seems to be working.  Also I put a couple shovels of sand where I just cleaned up poop. Works pretty good. If I clean it out every 4 days or so, the smell isnt too bad. My 2 pigs are turning sand into real good dirt for the garden .


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## VStillman (May 15, 2011)

Thanks for your input.... I think we will wait on it ... we are looking to rent a place with more land until we can sell our house or buy another. I love this site and I look foreward to reading it daily! Thanks again.


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## Royd Wood (May 16, 2011)

With a diet of rolled oats, barley, flax and alalfa hay the smell wont be half as bad as comm feed


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## animalfarm (May 17, 2011)

I am with Royd on this one. I feed wheat, peas, and clover hay and my pigs don't stink. My winter/spring pen has no odour at all.


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## RIRs (May 18, 2011)

Just a question does that have enough protein to raise the pig up the right way?


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## animalfarm (May 18, 2011)

Well, I raised my 2 sows (large blacks) who will be a year old in July on this diet along with milk. I just bought a boar 1 month younger from the main breeder of large blacks here, and he was about 1/3 their size. This was a boar that was kept intact because he was one of the better ones and supposedly a better doer as well. He looked like one of their piglets. 

My 2 girls are as good or better then their best sows and my girls parents came from that breeder originally so it isn't a difference in genetics.

The boar has been on the diet sans milk since my jerseys are topping off angus calves. In the 2 months he has been here, he has doubled in size and his skin condition is much better. We were afraid he was going to be a runt, but are now holding out hope. 

Large blacks are hard to come by but I don't think they do well with corn (just get fat) and commercial feed is high in corn and soy. I tried commercial feed in the beginning but they were always hungry. Not any more. They will always be willing to eat but they are not desperate and I feed more moderately now. I mix my feed about 22-28% protein and clover is around 20 % as well. I use peas and wheat because they are high in lysine which pigs need.  I do think high glycemic foods like corn isn't the best for pigs intended for breeding.


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## RIRs (May 18, 2011)

OK im not going to take this thread to another direction so I will just pm you...


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## ohiofarmgirl (May 18, 2011)

> I mix my feed about 22-28% protein and clover is around 20 % as well. I use peas and wheat


actually i'm interested also. our corn is $7l50 a bag and i'm wondering if wheat would be another option. we only have one season feeder pigs for slaughter in the fall. i actually like a lot of corn so they are good and fat (lots of lard). 

so.... apologies to the OP and animalfarm if you care to share (or start another thread).....

what kind of peas?? like field peas?

in the past we've raised feeder pigs on corn+ eggs+ milk (goats) and whatever we can glean. we've had great results esp since they are on pasture. 

thanks!


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## freemotion (May 18, 2011)

Shoot, I can't get either over here.... :/  It sounds great, though.


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## elevan (May 18, 2011)

On the smell issue: Putting wood ash over their poo area will work to decrease smell and help break the poo down faster.


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## RIRs (May 18, 2011)

I wish I had goat milk or cow milk to give them. I just feeding all the veggies and fruits I can get from a store near by and giving them eggs sometimes but to me there not really growing. 
I have 2 Hampshires


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## animalfarm (May 18, 2011)

ohiofarmgirl said:
			
		

> > I mix my feed about 22-28% protein and clover is around 20 % as well. I use peas and wheat
> 
> 
> actually i'm interested also. our corn is $7l50 a bag and i'm wondering if wheat would be another option. we only have one season feeder pigs for slaughter in the fall. i actually like a lot of corn so they are good and fat (lots of lard).
> ...


moving to feeding pigs; didn't mean to hijack this thread.


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## ohiofarmgirl (May 19, 2011)

* runs right over to see AF's thread here:*

http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=122518#p122518


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## aggieterpkatie (May 19, 2011)

I have been looking and emailing people trying to find a piglet in my area and I'm not have ANY luck!  :/


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## Shiloh Acres (May 19, 2011)

I wish I'd found out how they did it, but near my old home I visited a pumpkin/Christmas tree farm that also had a lot of animals. They kept pigs in a pen that was maybe 20x15, dry ground, with an open shed covering and something like field fencing mounted on split rail. Their pigs did not stink at all, or try to escape that I could see. 

Like I said, I really wish I know how they did it. I kind of doubt it was over-maintained as far as cleaning. They had a good number of kids working there, but the animals were in good shape, but showed signs of not really being on top of things (chicken eggs were gathered less than once a day). 

It can be done though, at least.


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