Cage Issues!

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my4piggies

my4piggies

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okay so my plan is to have a small herd of 10(I currently have 4, including a preg sow and my friend may be unable to keep her pigs so I may be taking her pair soon)..( I'm aware it may not work and I may end up with piggies not wanting to be in the herd, don't worry I have lots of back up ideas!)
my plan is to put them in a run every day from 7:30am till 4/5pm(unless bad weather is meant to be happening all day, like if its meant to be lower then 5c they wouldn't go out or if its meant to rain for more then a hour) the run is 8ft by 6ft(45 square feet) then I would put towels over one side to prevent them getting wet from a light rain(eventually ill put plastic down on top but have to wait till pay day!) and secure it over the top.. then they will have lots of hides so they get shade and to and then theyd be in the run on the grass till 4/5pm.. then 4/5pm till 7:30am theyd be in a 5ft by 7ft shed(35 square feet) for night time so they don't get cold..
would this work?
 
7squeakers. said:
:eek: Sounds like lot of hard work!
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I agree.
Catching and handling 10 piggies twice a day is a lot of work. Not to mention feeding and cleaning all of their indoor hutches too.
Plus leaving them out for so long could be problematic if the weather changes suddenly, or a storm blows in and no one is around to catch them all. I don't think there are many places where this would be a realistic option on an almost daily basis (I am assuming you are talking about putting them in an outdoor run together, not in pairs in outdoor hutches).
I am no expert, but I also think managing a large herd requires a little more organization that putting a bunch or piggies in a large space together and hoping they all choose to get on?
But I could be wrong about that.
 
Swissgreys said:
I agree.
Catching and handling 10 piggies twice a day is a lot of work. Not to mention feeding and cleaning all of their indoor hutches too.
Plus leaving them out for so long could be problematic if the weather changes suddenly, or a storm blows in and no one is around to catch them all. I don't think there are many places where this would be a realistic option on an almost daily basis (I am assuming you are talking about putting them in an outdoor run together, not in pairs in outdoor hutches).
I am no expert, but I also think managing a large herd requires a little more organization that putting a bunch or piggies in a large space together and hoping they all choose to get on?
But I could be wrong about that.
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they will all be in a group free run in the shed, I had a herd back of 8 in 2010 but haven't had one since they would be free run and cleaning isn't the issue I just need to know if them being in a run all day would work and what I need to do to make it work. I'm aware I cant just chuck piggies together and say "be friends!" and itll all be okay but thats not the question at hand x
 
that's why I have the idea of putting plastic around the top and sides of one half of the run, so they are protected from rain, wind ect.. then lots of hides so when its sunny they can get shade..?
 
It's great you are trying to consider all the possibilities, but realistically if you have a herd of piggies living in this run all day it needs to be a lot more substantial.
Plastic and towels around one half won't really offer enough protection in high winds, heavy rain, etc. and also won't prevent a determined predator.
Also plastic will heat up certain areas of the run very quickly in hot weather, and without a breeze this could be dangerous (or at the very least limit the areas of the run that the piggies can use).
You really need to be thinking of a run where at least part of it is enclosed with something sturdy like wood, and is also part of the construction, as opposed to something which has been popped on afterwards.

Do you already have the run? If so would it be possible to add wooden paneling to one section?
Also will it have plenty of areas where the pigs can get up of the ground?
 
Swissgreys said:
It's great you are trying to consider all the possibilities, but realistically if you have a herd of piggies living in this run all day it needs to be a lot more substantial.
Plastic and towels around one half won't really offer enough protection in high winds, heavy rain, etc. and also won't prevent a determined predator.
Also plastic will heat up certain areas of the run very quickly in hot weather, and without a breeze this could be dangerous (or at the very least limit the areas of the run that the piggies can use).
You really need to be thinking of a run where at least part of it is enclosed with something sturdy like wood, and is also part of the construction, as opposed to something which has been popped on afterwards.

Do you already have the run? If so would it be possible to add wooden paneling to one section?
Also will it have plenty of areas where the pigs can get up of the ground?
Click to expand...
yes I already have a 6ft by 8ft run.. hmm if I was to nail on some wood to the top and sides on one half(don't want to do the entire thing as they need light?) would this be better?
 
I have a sort of rabbit kennel (wooden) which is great if you're leaving piggies out for ages. I would say its big enough for 3 if they get along. Its also good because it gives them the option of going up off the ground onto dry bedding, or underneath it. I think having 10 piggies is manageable and with plenty of space they tend to work out their pecking order anyway. Is it possible to attach the run onto the shed and have a small opening with a hatch which can be opened when the weather is suitable? That is my dream piggie set up!
 
Hannah Boyd said:
I have a sort of rabbit kennel (wooden) which is great if you're leaving piggies out for ages. I would say its big enough for 3 if they get along. Its also good because it gives them the option of going up off the ground onto dry bedding, or underneath it. I think having 10 piggies is manageable and with plenty of space they tend to work out their pecking order anyway. Is it possible to attach the run onto the shed and have a small opening with a hatch which can be opened when the weather is suitable? That is my dream piggie set up!
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i have attached it to the shed now :) so they can go in and out as they please only issue is there is no grass. so may need to plant some? how do I go about doing that?xx
 
So if its attached to the shed then I don't think there is an issue, will they have free access to the shed all the time? If so then I guess its up to them where they want to be! If really bad weather I just wouldn't let them out.

could you turf it? I know turf can be expensive though. Or you could section half off, plant that with grass seed and when its grown you could swap sides. Or an alternative would be just to have a bare run and you could add grass if you've got bits you can pull up around the garden. but I think turf would be my best suggestion - if it starts to look sorry for itself you could rotate grazing by day/week or something? We do that with the ponies sometimes to let the grass recover!
 
I imagine so, I think you'd just have to water it in and keep the piggies off it for a while (a couple of days, a week maybe?). Just so it can get started before they eat it all!
 
Please also ensure your run is study enough to protect from predators especially as they will be using it when your not there.
 
flintstones said:
Please also ensure your run is study enough to protect from predators especially as they will be using it when your not there.
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it is, its massive and made from wood and 2 layers of mesh. its a really good one that's why I got it x
 
ha ha I have just treid to remove the second photo for you of screenshot - i can't either.... you must have broke the forum :)) :))
 
fixed it :)) My powers have not failed... humanity is safe.
 
also whilst your all here what is the maximum about of piggies I can house in a 7ft by 5ft shed with a permanently attached 6ft by 8ft run? (forget mess and vet bills ect that's for me to worry about) x
 
Swissgreys said:
I agree.
Catching and handling 10 piggies twice a day is a lot of work. Not to mention feeding and cleaning all of their indoor hutches too.
Plus leaving them out for so long could be problematic if the weather changes suddenly, or a storm blows in and no one is around to catch them all. I don't think there are many places where this would be a realistic option on an almost daily basis (I am assuming you are talking about putting them in an outdoor run together, not in pairs in outdoor hutches).
I am no expert, but I also think managing a large herd requires a little more organization that putting a bunch or piggies in a large space together and hoping they all choose to get on?
But I could be wrong about that.
Click to expand...

It takes me on average about half an hour to encourage a dozen piggies to get into their conveyor box to go out on the lawn (it is much quicker coming back) unless I want to hunt them down, which does not improve relationships. There are always some that do not want to cooperate!
That does not include the time I need to move a large run around the lawn and secure it against any predators - i.e. make sure that it is safe against cats, foxes, birds of prey etc. It is a lot of hard work and lugging things round in my own experience with herds of that size! You will also have to plan for fall-outs, frailty and splits, so after a few years you tend to end up with 2 or more groups...

A herd of ten can eat down a lot of grass in a very small time (mine can mow my lawn paws down in about 2-3 days if they put their mind to it). Unless you want to poo patrol every night, you will have to move the run around regularly, as otherwise you attract insects, including flesh laying flies that can attack vulnerable piggies (fly strike is fatal if not detected in the very early stages). Unless you have got a really large lawn, you will also need to water the parts that have been eaten down too far by the piggies to help stimulate regrowth. They usually don't eat the grass down evenly, but have their favourite resting places where they fetch up as a group and keep munching, especially during a heat wave when grass growth slows down a lot.

If you plan to leave them out all day, you will need to provide a space away from damp ground with hay that is protected from cold winds and rain to accommodate sudden unforeseen showers; this is vital to protect your piggies from coming down with urinary and respiratory issues. During heat waves, the run needs double shade for protection and extra water as temperatures out in full sun can soar and can cause heat stroke. You need to make sure that the trun has shade protection all day long.

I also spend a lot of time cage cleaning and washing.

The run size is irrelevant. You can have about 10 piggies in your shed, allowing for splits, illness and introductions etc.

I would MOST strongly recommend to work your way up slowly, though! You will find that there are times when multiple piggies are ill (vet cost will be astronomical and you feel like you could as well camp in your vet's waiting room). Group dynamics can and do go haywire or life is getting in the way of looking after your piggies as you'd like to. We all have our personal limits. It is much easier to work up to them than scaling down again.
 
I have 4 now, just got another 2.. so I will go up slowly but just wanted to know how many I can go up by. I'm going to keep the shed and run attached xx
 
I had ten at one point split into two herds as one of each herd hated each other.It did get very expensive and time consuming.Getting rid of their waste was problematic as well.
 
madguinealady said:
I had ten at one point split into two herds as one of each herd hated each other.It did get very expensive and time consuming.Getting rid of their waste was problematic as well.
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I'm not bothered about mess, I have a ton of land, I could have up to 12 of the set ups I mentioned above if I really wanted too. my plan is to start with a small group of 6, then add more till I get maybe 10. I'm aware of the mess, I currenly clean my 4 out every 3 days and it takes about an hour to do and my veggie bill is at £50 a week! lol anything for the piggies ;)
 
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