Farm

A New Homestead Endeavor: Breeding Pigs

On January 8, 2023 by

I mentioned in my last post that one of our projects for 2023 is learning the ins and outs of breeding pigs. We are new to it, but we are fortunate to have extended family with experience, so we have some helpful resources just a phone call away.

Our last four pigs were raised for meat. They didn’t need a huge enclosure since their sole purpose was to be comfortable, lazy and enjoy their food.

This time, our goal is to help our pigs gain the appropriate weight and muscle at a healthy rate, have space to root around and happily lay in the dirt and sun, and be in tip-top shape for breeding.

To make things more suited for this, we (“we” meaning Calvin and a handful of generous friends) cleaned out the entire old pig area and reworked the layout a little.

For the enclosure inside the barn, we were able to recycle a bunch of old lumber and fencing pieces that were on the property when we moved here. We made it so the pigs can be either separated or together by simply removing a gate.

We use a 50-gallon plastic barrel for their water, and just put it up against the fence so both sides can drink from it. The new setup seems to be working well so far!

Outside, we used electric fencing. Pigs do quite well with just a few strands of electric fence. They quickly learn to avoid it when their wet little snouts hit the wire for the first time, and are smart enough to stay away in the future.

We got six pigs this time- two boars and four gilts (females that have not yet been bred). All of them are a Red Wattle/Old Spot mix. They’re super cute, and have pretty distinctive markings (and personalities!) so it’s easy to tell them apart.

It feels like it’s taken forever, but we’re finally getting close to the females being ready for breeding. Depending on how the timing works out, they may be due around the same time as me!

While we wait for the females to come into heat, we’re just continuing to research and learn as much as we can so we can be good piggy parents. I will be sure to keep everyone updated on how things are going!

Don’t forget to follow along with our family’s everyday life and homesteading adventures over on Instagram- @iveyshireblog. Have a great week, y’all.

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