Advice - Keeping pigs?

[_Gina_]

We have a decent size pig pen and are going through the process of trying to figure out what breed of pig/s to keep and some of the pro's and con's of keeping them.

Any advice from ppl who have kept pigs before would be much appreciated.

We have enough room to keep three or four pigs, but have not yet decided whether to keep them for pork/bacon only or to get a male and female to breed and sell the offspring.......


G

[Curious_AJ]

well, i'd say, get some to breed and sell the offspring... as im a vege...

further in my studies i could help you out.. sorry i cant right now coz i dont know that much about pigs yet.. but soon, hopefully my vet nursing course will help me in that area at least a little...

[Mom]

We have a decent size pig pen and are going through the process of trying to figure out what breed of pig/s to keep and some of the pro's and con's of keeping them.

Any advice from ppl who have kept pigs before would be much appreciated.

We have enough room to keep three or four pigs, but have not yet decided whether to keep them for pork/bacon only or to get a male and female to breed and sell the offspring.......


G

Tamworth pigs are cute.........and make good pork as well.........Great white are not so pretty but make hell bacon and ham. I cant believe I am saying this really cos I love pigs. I have kept pigs and warn you they are extremely intelligent and will out manouver you every way they can. They need to have a warm, draught free place to sleep, that is really important, they love to play, so give them a tyre on a rope to swing around, a pallet to push around the pen. Keep the pen really clean, believe it or not pigs hate to be dirty, they will generally use one place as a toilet so it is easy to keep the pen clean. Give them access to the dirt so they can root (bring it on you rude people) around and make a wallow. If you get weaner boars make sure you get them castrated young as they become unmanagable if they are too big. Breed Kuni kuni and sell the offspring, they are really, really cute and make good pets........anything else? Did I mention I love pigs!

[Hitcher]

Have a chat with your local Council about the regulations that apply to keeping pigs. You will need to complete Animal Status Declaration forms and other paperwork. There are also regulations that apply to the feeding of pigs and the disposal of waste, etc.

Also make sure you have access to a veterinarian who is familiar with pigs.

[_Gina_]

Thanks guys for the feedback! :)


We are zoned Rural, so are allowed to house pigs without applying for a permit or such.

And thx, Mom, I love pigs too...have researched a little bit and get the feeling that they are not dissimilar to cats with their need to have a clean place to deficate and that they like to have their pen cleaned in the evening.

I once lived on a rural property where the pet pig was more like a dog than a pig. He was an absolute hardcase character and I would ideally like to have a pig that was interactive. :)

[Curious_AJ]

most rural vets would be plenty familiar with pigs....

[_Gina_]

most rural vets would be plenty familiar with pigs....
Yeah our vets visit the property to drench and worm our animals as we have a cow, pony, sheep. lamb and three cats :)

[tri boy]

We have a decent size pig pen and are going through the process of trying to figure out what breed of pig/s to keep and some of the pro's and con's of keeping them.

Any advice from ppl who have kept pigs before would be much appreciated.

We have enough room to keep three or four pigs

I've heard that the British bobbys are well behaved, but havn't got very good personal hygiene.
The French scrub up very well if you wish to "show" them, but have a arrogant air about them in day to day sty living.
If you want my humble opinion, stick with the run of the mill Kiwi "plod". Theyr'e quite well behaved, but sometimes are known to harass the female of the species.:shutup:
Sorry. Couldn't resist.:innocent:

[Curious_AJ]

Yeah our vets visit the property to drench and worm our animals as we have a cow, pony, sheep. lamb and three cats :)

wow, i'd love to have animals... sadly i dont own any as im still living with my folks and they dont want any pets :( it would be lovely to have a german shepherd or a border terrier or a nice cat....

but when i move out, i'll be sure to get animals.. I love them... and one day i will be nursing them back to health...

[What?]

Don't go into breeding pigs with a plan to make money - you won't.
But running a couple for the freezer? - not a bad option if you have a good supply of cheap (free) food.

[NighthawkNZ]

:scratch: oh they are real pigs... never mind.. :doh:

[JimO]

what will you do with their cars??

[NighthawkNZ]

what will you do with their cars??

can i have the flashing lights

[_Gina_]

what will you do with their cars??
Transform them into Dirt Track cars? :D

[Big Dave]

You can get bacon from the deli section at the supermarket you know Girly? Doesn't smell as bad.

[Hitcher]

wow, i'd love to have animals... sadly i dont own any as im still living with my folks and they dont want any pets :( it would be lovely to have a german shepherd or a border terrier or a nice cat....

but when i move out, i'll be sure to get animals.. I love them... and one day i will be nursing them back to health...

I thought you were a vegan?

[Big Dave]

I thought you were a vegan?

Doesn't count if you eat them raw.

[Goblin]

I'd go with Mom's suggestion of Kune kune pigs. They are relatively small, friendly and have the most delicious meat. :drool: If you feed them on apples a few days before killing, the meat is even sweeter. They look really cute with their little tassels too.:D

[Krusti]

Biggest thing with pigs is they need ad lib clean water. They also have a tendency to gorge themselves so keep an eye on feeding them large quantities of fruit etc. Apples in big helpings can be fatal due to bloating, ie don't throw a whole bucket of apple peels to them.

Make sure they are vaccinated for Lepto.

If you want as much meat as possible go for one of the longer body types but if you only want a pet that you are not going to eat a Kunikuni would be good.

Don't forget that they grow BIG and have the intellegence and ability to find and get through very small holes in fences.

[yod]

what...no honda jokes??

you guys are slipping....

[Biff]

I thought you were a vegan?

Woww. I thought they were pretend, like in Star trek. Cooooooool.

Nanoonanoo.

[mstriumph]

.................... but soon, hopefully my vet nursing course will help me in that area at least a little...


ahhhhhhhhh so THAT's why you've hooked up with Indy!! :yes:




yes - i AM taking the piss ........... but it was too tempting to resist :shutup:

[Curious_AJ]

I thought you were a vegan?

I'm a vegetarian dude... not a vegan.. its different... but i dont eat eggs that much... coz chicken periods .. eww...



as for the "THATS why you're with indy" comment, yep, you got it spot on ;)

[kiwifruit]

fttp!!!!!!!!!!

[Curious_AJ]

fttp???????????? and that means... something which AJ doesnt know...

[Mom]

I'd go with Mom's suggestion of Kune kune pigs. They are relatively small, friendly and have the most delicious meat. :drool: If you feed them on apples a few days before killing, the meat is even sweeter. They look really cute with their little tassels too.:D

NOOOOOOOOOOOO you dont eat them!! they are the cutest of all.........LOL....they make the best pets..............do they really taste good too?

[Goblin]

NOOOOOOOOOOOO you dont eat them!! they are the cutest of all.........LOL....they make the best pets..............do they really taste good too?
Yeah ya do! Ernie an Burt were delicious!! If ya lucky enough to have some land to keep pigs, sheep, cows, chooks etc. there's no point in keeping them until they die of old age. They're meant to be eaten. Saves a fortune at pac'nsave and it tastes better too! Some people are just too sentimental and get emotionally attatched to their animals which is sad really....for both the animals and their owners.

[The Stranger]

We have a decent size pig pen and are going through the process of trying to figure out what breed of pig/s to keep and some of the pro's and con's of keeping them.

Any advice from ppl who have kept pigs before would be much appreciated.

We have enough room to keep three or four pigs, but have not yet decided whether to keep them for pork/bacon only or to get a male and female to breed and sell the offspring.......


G

Damn shame both Dover and Sixpack are in teh sin bin. I am sure they could help on this one.

[chris]

http://www.lifestyleblock.co.nz/forum/default.asp

[Reckless]

I'm not knockin it!! But a damn strange thread for a biker forum. Some of the answers gave me a good laugh though.

lol keep it coming:rockon:

By the sound of it. Don't get anything too cute, you won't want to KILL IT !!!
get something really PIGISH.

[_Gina_]

I suppose that's why I put it in the "rant and rave" forum ;)

[stify]

I've heard that the British bobbys are well behaved, but havn't got very good personal hygiene.
The French scrub up very well if you wish to "show" them, but have a arrogant air about them in day to day sty living.
If you want my humble opinion, stick with the run of the mill Kiwi "plod". Theyr'e quite well behaved, but sometimes are known to harass the female of the species

wot about some american pigs, to "protect and serve" me some nice bacon:yes:

[Guitana]

Be careful they also carry TAZERS!!!!!!

[Nasty]

Friend (who has lots of wild pigs) here that says:

Being in a pen you don't really want more than two as it is quite a limited space for them to move around. The best type when locked up is something like a captain cooker as they don't grow too fast ... don't go kune kune for eatting as they are very fatty ... they are good for Hangi food though ... if you put a ring in the nose will stop digging ... but they still need dirt and a mud wallow to keep cool and keep the ticks off them. They are also social animals which is why more than one.

[bgd]

Kunes make great pets

[avgas]

Kune's are awesome. However it is always better to keep pigs in a paddock. The become quite human then. No shit.
We used to have a pig pen, the pigs in that pen were blood thirsty, angry and forever getting out.
Soon as we put them in a paddock (a small lawn will do) they we quite content with life.
Once they are content you can keep them in a 1 wire (4-6" off the ground) electric fence. Because they are so smart the learn the first time. They even know when its turned off :gob:

[_Gina_]

Kunes make great pets
He/she looks beautiful, who couldn't love a face like that???

:sunny:

[chanceyy]

just make sure ya pony does not have a problem with pigs .. some horses hate them with a passion .. one of my old horses grazed at piggery when he was having spell from racing .. killed over 100 piglets & ran through fences ..

my current horses one hates them the other tolerates them .. they will get used to the smell but be prepared

[Grahameeboy]

So that is where Dover, Finn and others are?

Guess it will be good for Sixpack to know what it is like to be a 'Pig' and dealing with shit....always good to get a perspective on things eh?

[scracha]

Hmm... we're getting a couple too so been watching this thread with interest. Old house owner had already put in a pig pen but I hadn't thought about keeping them in a field (sorry..paddock) and using the electric fence.

Just to complete the "lifestyle", a Scottish guy I do websites for has agreed to swap me a banjo for my efforts.

[Mr Merde]

......
Just to complete the "lifestyle", a Scottish guy I do websites for has agreed to swap me a banjo for my efforts.

One of those with 6 strings !! To go with the 6th finger that will eventually appear.:dodge:


Seriously, tell me more about the pig pen. I've just bought a couple of acres and am also looking to putting a couple or 3 pigs ( bacon, chops and roast)on some of the unused space.

I am a complete newbie to this. Getting used to feeding the chooks in the morning and Sharron does the afternoon/evening feed.

Mr :shit:

[Krusti]

If you build a pig pen make sure there is somewhere warm for them. Don't as some folks do expect them to sleep on a concrete floor. Have found with the ones we reared that a concrete floored pen is good. Able to be hosed out daily.

Where they slept we raised this on a wooden floor. Pigs need shade and ad lib water because they do not sweat and have a tendancy to overheat. If you get white ones they also tend to get sunburnt.

Pigs are very clean animals and will allways shit in the same place away from thier food.

They love 'rooting' so a sturdy fence is good. Old corrogated iron makes a strong fence and also acts as a windbreak.

Pigs will chew on anything so concrete food / water bowls are good. They will demolish plastic!

A chain or such like hung above pen is also good for them to play with as they get very bored.

[Goblin]

We let ours out to graze in the orchard every morning and locked them in the concrete pen with a raised wooden floor at night. We had ours ringed so they wouldn't root but the rings sometimes came out. I think that was the worst part of keeping pigs, they scream really loud when being ringed.:mellow: