# Farrowing pens and huts. Pics please?



## Jayzandra (Oct 3, 2016)

We are having some trouble. Whenever we try to separate our pigs, they bust out to be back with the other pigs. And they have destroyed every shelter we have built for them. 

We need ideas or advice. We normally only use the credit card for emergencies, but we've already spent so much money on this. Now we have to use the card. SO it needs to be durable and effective. 

We have a boar and 2 prego sows due in 3 weeks penned together in 100x50sqft. We have tried sectioning off the females, but they bust out. We have used hogwire and pallets. My hubby wants to use chain link this time. Which I think should work, but I still feel like the gate will be a weak spot. 

We also need help with the shelters. They destroy those too. Knock them over and push them around. 

Could you guys please post some pics of your pens/shelters that have worked for you? We're going to rebuild them this weekened.

Thank you in advance.


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## farmerjan (Oct 3, 2016)

Not chain link, they will work on it with their noses.  Try getting rings in their noses, take them to a vet if you have to.  They are obviously not going to stop rooting under stuff.  If you are going to use the card,  get the portable huts that look like a small quonset hut they are made for pigs.  I have never had any hogs that tore things up that bad.  We used pallets for pens for years.  A good hot wire; use 2 or 3 spaced 4 inches apart, to teach them they cannot go/do what they want.


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## farmerjan (Oct 3, 2016)

Try Port-a-hut shelters, I think there are others.


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## misfitmorgan (Oct 3, 2016)

Chainlink will not work. We have chain link sections we use for temporary stalls in our barn and the pigs have no problem going thru them within a few days if they care too.

Get more pig panels...put those up and run a string or two of hotwire around the inside..that should stop them from going thru the panels and climbing on them. Electric wire works well on pigs, they hate electricity. As far as shelter goes if you could make the bottom 2-3ft out of cinderblocks and mortar and then build a wooden top that seems to hold up well to destructive pigs from what i've seen.


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## NH homesteader (Oct 3, 2016)

Totally agree on electric fence! We use the 16' hog panels from Tractor Supply.  Usually they're fine in that but sometimes we have pushy pigs,  so we run a strand of hot wire.  We leave it  on for long  enough for them to learn what it is and then we usually can turn it back off. They hate  being zapped! 

Our friend has a super nice pig hut,  but I probably won't see them to get a picture in time.  Ours is pretty makeshift but they haven't done any damage to it.  We also don't have a boar.


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## mysunwolf (Oct 3, 2016)

Also agree on electric, this keeps our 300+ lb sow off the hog panel fences. You have to have a good charger and keep the line clean but it definitely works for even the largest pigs.

As for shelter: if they keep destroying home-made shelters, I would agree with port-a-hut metal hoop shelters. They are pricey but will hold up to anything. Right now we have A-frames, apple crate huts, and pallet shelters, so we just play the patching-up game every fall after the pigs spend spring/summer destroying them.


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## Jayzandra (Oct 3, 2016)

We had hot wire and it worked when they were smaller, but they tore it up too. Snapped the wire. Maybe we should try the rope kind instead of the wire kind. It's a solar box that pulsates. We also have one that's rated up to 10 acres that's constant, but it has to be protected from the elements and we'd have to run a VERY long extension cord....

My husband's friend that raises pigs for 4H keeps his pigs in chain link enclosures that are about 10x12, maybe. His pigs don't have any enrichment, so I can't imagine that they aren't bored out of their minds. They do get walked around once a day though.
 My husband wanted to build our pig pens the same way as his friend, but I convinced him bigger was better and now we're having all these problems. So I'm pretty sure I won't be able to talk him out of the chain link again.

I'll look into the porta huts. The farrowing pens we build are going to be about 10x25 so it will be easier to catch the piglets when we sell them. These are just going to be sectioned off from the main pen so transferring is easier. I was thinking maybe enclose one end of each pen on the outside and put a roof so they can't push it and roll it all around?


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## Jayzandra (Oct 3, 2016)

The last shelter was super sturdy and they busted one of the legs off. The broke the cement holding in the corner post and You can see where the yellow hot wire connectors were holding the hotwire. That's the gate. We put pallets and a tree stump where they getting out.


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## Alexz7272 (Oct 3, 2016)

I use hog panels from Tractor Supply and metal posts with thick gauge wire to tie it all. Also put some rebar hopped around the bottoms and drove them into the ground for extra strength. As for housing, I made a metal 'hoop' house, they cannot get under a side and flip it then or roll it. But I have never had a boar, so not sure how to boar proof it. Sorry!


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## Alexz7272 (Oct 3, 2016)

We made something very similar to this but with no floor or bottom part to the entrance. Bought all the materials from home depot, took about 2 hours. I can get a better picture when I get home.


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## misfitmorgan (Oct 3, 2016)

There is a difference between 4h pigs and breeding pigs. Breeding pigs get 400-600lbs and several years old....4h pigs usually are sold by 250lbs and 6 months old. 4h pigs are usually also made into barrows so no boars around. I will take a picture of what the pigs did to our chain link gate and of what they did to one of our other thick mesh panels when i get home from work.  i dont know how your friend is keeping their pigs in chain link without electric or anything but i can tell you it will not work if they are already going thru hog panels and electric fence.

Your fencing in the pictures doesnt look thick enough to be hog panels for the picture showing the stump and the other damaged wire picture is definitely not hog panels. If you put up hog panels and 2-3 runs of hot wire, as someone mention before 4" apart.

There is a major flaw in that shelter for a pig.....pigs love to flip stuff over and roll it around and generally play with it, you have given them lovely 2x4 "handles" a convenient distance from the ground to do just that. Pigs have very strong necks because they are ment to dig and rut around in he dirt for their food. If you cant or dont want to do a porta-hut or the cinderblocks you can alternatively make a hog hut that is "hog proof." Make your hut pig enough for all three pigs to be in it at once comfortably if possible. Get 4x4 posts and plant them in the ground then attach 2x4 or 2x6 to the posts as close to the ground as you can but not touching unless your using treated wood. Put a few more 2x4s up the "walls" to make it all sturdy and solid. Then do the same on the inside of the posts which would be the inside of the shelter. Dig down in the ground 3-4" then put wood sheeting on the outside and inside 2x4s and make sure the sheeting goes all the way down to the bottom of the 3-4" trench you dug and that there are no edges of the sheeting sticking off that the pigs could easily get a hold of. Make a roof on top and they should not be able to tumble it over because they will have nothing to grab onto. Hopefully that makes sense...basically your making smooth walls without any 2x4s sticking out where the pigs can get them and burying the bottom edge of the sheeting a few inches so they cant get their nose under that easily.


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## misfitmorgan (Oct 3, 2016)

Alexz7272 said:


> We made something very similar to this but with no floor or bottom part to the entrance. Bought all the materials from home depot, took about 2 hours. I can get a better picture when I get home.
> 
> View attachment 22547



This might be easier lol....only caution there is i see pigs ripping the tin off a lot but it depends on the pigs really. Once your girls farrow they will hopefully slow down on their destruction of things. If you could put the sprinkler idea into use it would help with boredom.... @babsbag wasnt that your idea the sprinkler on a timer?


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## mysunwolf (Oct 3, 2016)

Alexz7272 said:


> We made something very similar to this but with no floor or bottom part to the entrance. Bought all the materials from home depot, took about 2 hours. I can get a better picture when I get home.
> 
> View attachment 22547



I would really love to see in-progress photos of building these! Where is the sheet metal attached, just at the base and the crest of the curve? Really beautiful shelters.


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## Alexz7272 (Oct 3, 2016)

@mysunwolf I have them saved somewhere, once I get home I'll find them and post it! It definitely takes two people but they've tried rolling it several times and never succeeded


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## misfitmorgan (Oct 3, 2016)

Alexz7272 said:


> @mysunwolf I have them saved somewhere, once I get home I'll find them and post it! It definitely takes two people but they've tried rolling it several times and never succeeded



Definitely, how it's made photos are needed lol. They seem easier to build then how we planned on building all of ours for our rotation pastures.


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## Alexz7272 (Oct 4, 2016)

I promise I didn't forget! I got distracted by homework last night. I'll search my hard drive when I get home from the feed store!


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## mysunwolf (Oct 4, 2016)

Alexz7272 said:


> I promise I didn't forget! I got distracted by homework last night. I'll search my hard drive when I get home from the feed store!



Thanks!! How'd you know I was just beginning to worry that those photos would never appear?


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## Mini Horses (Oct 4, 2016)

Well, I use the KISS system as much as possible.   So my pig huts are very basic but heavy.   Used treated 2X6 bases & 2/4" plywood floor. Sides are T-111 & tops are Undura roofing panels from Lowe's.  2X4 framed corners & roof supports to nail to.   Very large I hooks on bases so I can hook chains  & pull or lift with loader on tractor to move.   One has a more closed in front.   Both gilts can get into them together and fully lay down.  Ample room for straw beeding for farrowing and I can place a panel between them (the huts) to separate for couple weeks.   Panels open onto3 cross fenced areas in a 1.5 acre field, so they can be rotated to graze.

I included a picture of the girls with a bag of green chop I had given them for the evening.  They love it!  Just mow & dump the bag.


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## Alexz7272 (Oct 4, 2016)

@mysunwolf 
Okay, they may not be 100% in order, sorry! 
We used roofing screws to attached the panels to the wood. To avoid having to worry about majorly sealing, we made grooves in the plywood so it settled nicely. We did do some caulking on the inside seams to be extra safe the coated it in decking paint!


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## Jayzandra (Oct 4, 2016)

That's a nice hut, but our 300lb pigs would make short work of that.


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## Alexz7272 (Oct 5, 2016)

@Jayzandra 
Our girl is about 250. It looks smaller in those photos. She resized the door a bit for us, haha! But overall its held up great, we had 2 200lb pigs in there, processed her bf a little bit ago. We liked the design because it sheds rain and snow (which we get alot of). I am sure you could potentially also widen its diameter? Wish I could help more! I'll get a photo of what it looks like now after class tomorrow


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## Alexz7272 (Oct 5, 2016)

Oh! And a support in the center makes a world of difference, when I took the photos we hadnt added it yet but it was a lifesaver. I can sit and stand on it!


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## frustratedearthmother (Oct 5, 2016)

@Mini Horses  - your girls are looking good!  When are they due?

@Alexz7272 - cute hut.  What kind of center support did you use?


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## Mini Horses (Oct 5, 2016)

Rosie & Tiny are due first week of December.  

By the way,  those little huts have been used since they came home at 8wks old....they are now 15 months.   No damage, not coming apart.   Of course, these girls aren't looking to tear them down but, between them you have 400 #s in there, so I feel good with them.   EASY to make.   I use similar but lighter wood for chicken huts, wire & locking doors on front.  some have legs, some not.  

Also, I use deck screws to assemble.  Easier for me, hold very well.  If I need to repair, screws come out nicely with the drill. So far, no repairs needed.


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## frustratedearthmother (Oct 5, 2016)

@Mini Horses 

Yep, I like the looks of your huts/houses.  They are definitely sturdy and stout!  At least one of my girls should be doe in the vicinity of Nov 3, I think the younger one is a month behind her.


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## misfitmorgan (Oct 5, 2016)

Mini Horses said:


> Rosie & Tiny are due first week of December.
> 
> By the way,  those little huts have been used since they came home at 8wks old....they are now 15 months.   No damage, not coming apart.   Of course, these girls aren't looking to tear them down but, between them you have 400 #s in there, so I feel good with them.   EASY to make.   I use similar but lighter wood for chicken huts, wire & locking doors on front.  some have legs, some not.
> 
> Also, I use deck screws to assemble.  Easier for me, hold very well.  If I need to repair, screws come out nicely with the drill. So far, no repairs needed.



Good to know i think we are gonna go this route for our rotation pasture housing but bigger so we can use them for sheep as well maybe.


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## Red the butcher (May 29, 2017)

That's a great house. I like it. My pigs would destroy it however. The girls are a bit rough at times. I really like that idea though. That design could make a good brooder by the looks of it........ I like it!


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## Baymule (May 29, 2017)

I built my feeder pigs a Hawg Hut.

https://www.backyardherds.com/threads/hawg-hut-or-goat-or-sheep-or-dhs-new-digs.32088/


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## Red the butcher (May 29, 2017)

Baymule said:


> I built my feeder pigs a Hawg Hut.
> 
> https://www.backyardherds.com/threads/hawg-hut-or-goat-or-sheep-or-dhs-new-digs.32088/


Thats basically what we have for our pigs. Although we run a big rubber flap for winter, but sometimes they just sleep in the snow still. I built mine with a floor thinking like you and even though they don't care i do.


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## Baymule (May 29, 2017)

Our winters are relatively mild for the most part. Sometimes we get a week or two of 20 degree weather, sometimes we get snow, but it generally melts and goes away in 3 days or so. I put hay in the hut for the pigs on cold nights, they snuggled down in it, then ate it when it warmed up. LOL I like the rubber flap idea.


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## Red the butcher (May 29, 2017)

Works good to keep the rain and wind out. They dont eat it either.


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## Baymule (May 29, 2017)

The Hawg Hut does double duty for the lambs too!


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