Well, let the games begin...
- Thread starter rbruno
- Start date
Baymule
Herd Master
And the adventure begins! LOL They sure are cute! I love the picture of them with the big black horse looking at them.
This is going to be fun!
This is going to be fun!
- Thread starter
- #3
rbruno
Overrun with beasties
Its funny. The one in the picture doesn't like dogs but has no problem with the pigs. The one not in the picture used to let my dog walk around him and under him and never bother him and he is the one that doesn't like the pigs. He keeps pacing the fence line and acting territorial with the pigs. Strange. I am going to run an electric wire across the top of the pig fence to keep him off of it. The last thing I need is the pigs escaping because my horse made a mess of the fence. I didn't expect it at all from that horse. The one in the picture maybe. That is why I was standing close when he came up to the fence for the first time because I thought if anyone was going to give me trouble, it would be that one.
Rob
Rob
Baymule
Herd Master
I was riding bareback on my old gelding that NEVER spooked, with nerves of steel, down the driveway when pigs rushed the fence grunting and squealing. It was our first feeder pigs, probably the first he’d ever seen. They scared the liver out of him. He wheeled around in a fraction of in instant, catching me unaware, and I flew off like I had wings. Of course I didn’t fly very long or very far and gravity kicked in. Then he acted like I threw pigs at him or something, and was not going near them ever again. LOL LOL
Stephine
True BYH Addict
I think horses have a special fear of pigs because of wild boars - seems genetic, like donkeys hating dogs. It seems your dog loving, pig hating horse just has better sense than the other one... He knows those cute little ones will be big and dangerous one day and he wants to get rid of them while he can....
Stephine
True BYH Addict
Congrats, also, they are adorable! Hope they stay friendly!
- Thread starter
- #7
rbruno
Overrun with beasties
We have had the pigs for about a month, so I thought I would send a quick update. Couple observations.
1. Someone forgot to tell me they like belly rubs.
So far they are very friendly, come when called or you approach the fence and lay right down for a scratch. I started to not do it as much because I don't want to become too attached. I have gone in the pen with them and are very careful to keep an eye on them. If they get close to my legs and shoes, they get a bump on the nose to keep their distance. So, we are not making them pets, but they do like to be scratched.
2. For the first two weeks, they were using an area right in front of their feeder to go to the bathroom which I didn't think they would do. It seems they are not using it as much now, so maybe they hadn't explored all of their area and now they are starting to go other places. It made the area in the covered pen area a little messy, but now that is getting better.
3. They are more athletic then I thought. They will chase and play with each other quite a bit and they are fast and quick on those little stumpy legs.
4. As far as treats/food. Hands down, dairy is their favorite. Older milk/cottage cheese/yogurt is slopped up as fast as they can. Second, is spinach and swiss chard. They eat that quickly too. Tomatoes and Bread are the next favorite. After that, collards, kale, cabbage leaves, broccoli and broccoli leaves, lettuce, weeds are all a toss up. They eventually eat it, but it sits in the pen for a while. The other items get eaten as soon as it goes in the pen.
5. Their feed consumption is picking up. First 100 pounds of feed took about 2 1/2 weeks for them to go through. They finished the next 100 pounds in 1 1/2 weeks. I am sure very soon a 100 pounds won't last a week.
6. They figured out the nipple on the blue rain barrels within the first 24 hours. I gave them water in a pan for a couple days to be sure, but when puddles and mud started forming under the barrels, I figured they figured it out.
7. Ham is definitely still bigger then bacon. I thought bacon might catch up a bit, but hasn't happened so far. Because this is my first time with pigs, I don't know if bacon is small or ham is big. I probably won't know till their final weight at slaughter.
1. Someone forgot to tell me they like belly rubs.
So far they are very friendly, come when called or you approach the fence and lay right down for a scratch. I started to not do it as much because I don't want to become too attached. I have gone in the pen with them and are very careful to keep an eye on them. If they get close to my legs and shoes, they get a bump on the nose to keep their distance. So, we are not making them pets, but they do like to be scratched.2. For the first two weeks, they were using an area right in front of their feeder to go to the bathroom which I didn't think they would do. It seems they are not using it as much now, so maybe they hadn't explored all of their area and now they are starting to go other places. It made the area in the covered pen area a little messy, but now that is getting better.
3. They are more athletic then I thought. They will chase and play with each other quite a bit and they are fast and quick on those little stumpy legs.
4. As far as treats/food. Hands down, dairy is their favorite. Older milk/cottage cheese/yogurt is slopped up as fast as they can. Second, is spinach and swiss chard. They eat that quickly too. Tomatoes and Bread are the next favorite. After that, collards, kale, cabbage leaves, broccoli and broccoli leaves, lettuce, weeds are all a toss up. They eventually eat it, but it sits in the pen for a while. The other items get eaten as soon as it goes in the pen.
5. Their feed consumption is picking up. First 100 pounds of feed took about 2 1/2 weeks for them to go through. They finished the next 100 pounds in 1 1/2 weeks. I am sure very soon a 100 pounds won't last a week.
6. They figured out the nipple on the blue rain barrels within the first 24 hours. I gave them water in a pan for a couple days to be sure, but when puddles and mud started forming under the barrels, I figured they figured it out.
7. Ham is definitely still bigger then bacon. I thought bacon might catch up a bit, but hasn't happened so far. Because this is my first time with pigs, I don't know if bacon is small or ham is big. I probably won't know till their final weight at slaughter.
Baymule
Herd Master
They are looking great! You are doing a fine job of raising pigs.
farmerjan
Herd Master
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2016
- Messages
- 11,550
- Reaction score
- 45,637
- Points
- 758
- Location
- Shenandoah Valley Virginia
They are growing good. The difference in size may just be the difference in bone too.... some pigs have more bone size when young... some never "catch up". But you ought to get some real nice meat with the berks. I have a soft spot for Hamps and Durocs..... my favourite all time boar was a duroc we called george.... belonged to a friend that we borrowed him from several times to breed our small 2-3 sow herd... last time owner said he was getting too big and to ship him when we got done... he weighed 905 and was the sweetest hog I ever had.
Yes, pigs like belly rubs.... good way to keep them very quiet and calm. I never allowed biting or anything with mine even when they were small, but kept them very friendly with the belly scratches.... also trained to come to call so when they got loose, after the first few " run around crazy I'm loose", thing, they would come to the bucket and could be easily caught.
Ham is most likely going to finish and weigh more than Bacon... just general physiology.... my one brother and sister are built much more "wiry" than the other brother and I are.
Pigs like company, glad that you have 2. They will also compete more for the feed, which will translate into gaining quicker.... "can't let the other guy get something to eat that I might want".....
Yes, pigs like belly rubs.... good way to keep them very quiet and calm. I never allowed biting or anything with mine even when they were small, but kept them very friendly with the belly scratches.... also trained to come to call so when they got loose, after the first few " run around crazy I'm loose", thing, they would come to the bucket and could be easily caught.
Ham is most likely going to finish and weigh more than Bacon... just general physiology.... my one brother and sister are built much more "wiry" than the other brother and I are.
Pigs like company, glad that you have 2. They will also compete more for the feed, which will translate into gaining quicker.... "can't let the other guy get something to eat that I might want".....
- Thread starter
- #10
rbruno
Overrun with beasties
Ham and Bacon like when I make tomato sauce as much as I do. They have been getting a lot of tomatoes in the last week or so. They ate cucumbers and squash like crazy for a couple weeks and now moving to tomatoes. I am just a little over half way there with these two. I moved their feed bin to the other side of the pen thinking that since they were urinating in front of the feed bin, if I moved it they would keep urinating on that side. Nope, they move the pee spot over to the front of the bin again. Before the next set of feeders, I plan to make a concrete floor to help with clean up. Otherwise, they seem to be doing well and are fun to watch chase each other around the pen and battle for the best spot in wallow. They have plenty of access to water in their 55 gallon barrels, but when I put the hose in the pen to fill the wallow if it is hot and dry, they drink a bunch of water out of the hose or out of the wallow before they lay in it. But, I think so far so good.
Rob
![IMG_1574[1].JPG](https://www.backyardherds.com/attachments/img_1574-1-jpg.87279/ "IMG_1574[1].JPG")
Rob
