Are you planning on keeping a couple of weaners in the back garden or on the farm? Need to keep them safe and secure? Use an electric fence... See Alasdair's story and photos below.
About the Pigs
Alasdair says - "these pigs are Oxford Sandy and Blacks (sow) crossed with a Mangalitsa (boar) - so they should be hardy for winter but will have to be careful they don't start putting on too much fat. Seem very happy in their pen - they have some trees to scratch and rub against and provide a bit of shelter, they have a pig arc and some free-draining soil beneath them (probably won't be for long after they've trashed it!). Plenty for them to chew and root up at the moment in terms of grasses, weeds, willow herb roots and slugs! The fencing gear is looking grand and doing the job."
About the electric fence system
Alasdair has a three line system running off a Gemini 40 Energiser. He has used two lines of 20mm tape and one line of 6 strand polywire (it is possible to use polywire, galvanised wire or tape for pigs). He has used 1m eco plastic posts along with wooden posts in the corners to give extra stability and tension to the fence. The wooden posts have insulators nailed on to them to run the tape and polywire through to prevent shorting. All the foliage has been cleared well back from the fence again to prevent shorting. Pigs dig up the ground very quickly and they tend to push the earth up into corners of pens - check the bottom line of your fencing is clear of earth especially in the corners on a regular basis.
We have some readymade pig electric fence kits available in our on line shop – click here for electric fence pig kits. If you don't find what you need on the shop let us know your requirements and we'll devise a kit for you.
Pig update
Al's latest pig news and photos: He says: "They are a bit under 100kgs (I think) at the moment but are approaching 32 weeks - don’t want them laying down too much fat so they’re off next week. They’re being fed on a mound of straw - got a couple of old round bales that weren’t fit for bedding and spread them outside. The pigs love tearing them apart and spreading it out and that then creates a platform up out of the mud which helps to waste less food when you feed them on it, gives them a dry(er) lying up point outside (other than in the arc) and gets them up out of the mud a bit to clean off. The other night I went out after dark with the torch to check on them when shutting up the hens and they were lying up on the straw in a huddle under the stars just chilling!"
Getting your kit..
What set up is best for you and your pigs?.. if you need further information please contact us – we would be happy to help.
