Pigs and the system is complete
Feb. 23rd, 2019 01:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
greenstormFirst week the pigs were here they were confined in the pigshed/barnthing.
Now they have a bit of a pallet enclosure.
The problem with pigs is they're 1) strong 2) inquisitive and 3) like to scratch themselves on any reasonably hard surface. They are really hard on structures like shelters and fences because a couple hundred pounds of pure muscle rubbing against anything tends to shear screw heads and splinter boards pretty quick. Pigs also love to dig and can go under things pretty well.
If you really want to keep a pig in, a nice solid physical fence can work, depending on the pigs. A physical fence with a strand of electric a couple inches inside it is much more likely to work. The physical barrier prevents the pig just running through the electric, and the electric prevents the pig from dismantling the physical fence.
Unfortunately electric is difficult when you get 3' of snow. Not only will the snow cover it but the snow insulates the ground and so the shock is weaker.
Best thing to do is start the animals on a fence with electric inside in the summer so they get out of the habit of challenging the fence. Then they're more likely to respect it come winter. I didn't really have this option; I got the pigs last weekend.
So: barn for the first week while we size each other up. They're definitely not afraid of me and are ok approaching. They've learned pretty fast that if they're crowding/jumping they don't get fed. I don't put food in till they step back, because I hate being rushed. It works, they're smart. I learn they can't break out of the barn.
So: get out the pick and shovel and trench down to the ground and put a small pallet enclosure against the barn so they can go outside. This should keep their enclosure cleaner because they can eat, drink, and toilet outside. I can observe how they treat physical fences and frozen ground. They can learn to interact with me a little better, to come when called so if they do get out things aren't awful. And the pallet enclosure is inside my perimeter fence, so if they do manage to escape hopefully they can't go far. The dogs can say hi from a good distance.
Next I guess I dig out the fence around that field, reinforce it (right now it is a plank fence and the pigs could go through, so it needs wire) and then electrify it. Then they can have free rein of the orchard field. That's a lot of work though, so it can wait a bit.
Meantime I've learned the pigs aren't afraid of hammerdrills, a couple of them particularly like being scratched. Their names are coming: Rapunzel is the biggest one, copper spots and the longest hair, and she likes scratches. Penny is the copper one with black spots, and she's the shyest of the girls. Then there are the two white-spot girls, one of whom loveslovesloves to be scratched and the other of whom is pretty neutral, and I think they'll end up with solstice/equinox/lunar cycle names. The boar is still warming up to me and I'm terribly afraid he'll be named Baby.
I really am impressed at how exquisitely socialised they are: not pushy, not fearful. So good.
I'm very happy with them. I'm also happy to pretty much have my livestock sorted for the next couple years; I'll be importing some individuals for their genetics but I have all the species I expect to have until my schedule allows for milking.
2019 will be an infrastructure year: gardens all get laid out, some greenhouses get built, fencing gets strengthened.
Now they have a bit of a pallet enclosure.
The problem with pigs is they're 1) strong 2) inquisitive and 3) like to scratch themselves on any reasonably hard surface. They are really hard on structures like shelters and fences because a couple hundred pounds of pure muscle rubbing against anything tends to shear screw heads and splinter boards pretty quick. Pigs also love to dig and can go under things pretty well.
If you really want to keep a pig in, a nice solid physical fence can work, depending on the pigs. A physical fence with a strand of electric a couple inches inside it is much more likely to work. The physical barrier prevents the pig just running through the electric, and the electric prevents the pig from dismantling the physical fence.
Unfortunately electric is difficult when you get 3' of snow. Not only will the snow cover it but the snow insulates the ground and so the shock is weaker.
Best thing to do is start the animals on a fence with electric inside in the summer so they get out of the habit of challenging the fence. Then they're more likely to respect it come winter. I didn't really have this option; I got the pigs last weekend.
So: barn for the first week while we size each other up. They're definitely not afraid of me and are ok approaching. They've learned pretty fast that if they're crowding/jumping they don't get fed. I don't put food in till they step back, because I hate being rushed. It works, they're smart. I learn they can't break out of the barn.
So: get out the pick and shovel and trench down to the ground and put a small pallet enclosure against the barn so they can go outside. This should keep their enclosure cleaner because they can eat, drink, and toilet outside. I can observe how they treat physical fences and frozen ground. They can learn to interact with me a little better, to come when called so if they do get out things aren't awful. And the pallet enclosure is inside my perimeter fence, so if they do manage to escape hopefully they can't go far. The dogs can say hi from a good distance.
Next I guess I dig out the fence around that field, reinforce it (right now it is a plank fence and the pigs could go through, so it needs wire) and then electrify it. Then they can have free rein of the orchard field. That's a lot of work though, so it can wait a bit.
Meantime I've learned the pigs aren't afraid of hammerdrills, a couple of them particularly like being scratched. Their names are coming: Rapunzel is the biggest one, copper spots and the longest hair, and she likes scratches. Penny is the copper one with black spots, and she's the shyest of the girls. Then there are the two white-spot girls, one of whom loveslovesloves to be scratched and the other of whom is pretty neutral, and I think they'll end up with solstice/equinox/lunar cycle names. The boar is still warming up to me and I'm terribly afraid he'll be named Baby.
I really am impressed at how exquisitely socialised they are: not pushy, not fearful. So good.
I'm very happy with them. I'm also happy to pretty much have my livestock sorted for the next couple years; I'll be importing some individuals for their genetics but I have all the species I expect to have until my schedule allows for milking.
2019 will be an infrastructure year: gardens all get laid out, some greenhouses get built, fencing gets strengthened.
