Housing outside during winter

[Tinypixi]

Hi Folks!
So as yo know my Pig house is getting built...woo! It's nearly finished!... It will be situated under a purpose built 'pig port'...like a car port but for piggies!

So it will be totally dry under there and is facing inwards to the rest of the covered area so hopefully pretty protected from wind!..... We really don't have the space to house our pig indoors (when we get some).....

Is there anyone else who has to house the piggies outdoors all year round!?..... do they cope?

I'm hoping to bed them on Vetbed and have lots of snuggly bedding and mountains of hay....so I'm hoping that will be ok?

Anymore advice welcome

 

[Smoo]

I'm in exactly the same situation as you my pigs have always come indoors for winter but this year it just isn't possible after an unexpected house move. My girls are having an insulated hutch built for them but like yours they'll be under a "pig port" and sheltered from wind.
I've always used good old hay and newspaper so they'll have mountains of that as bedding but I've also just bought a snuggle safe heat pad from vet uk (cheapest I've found) ill probably get another one so they can have two between the four of them. Vet bed or fleece to cover the front at night time and then a hutch cover to go over the top. I'm hoping this will be enough to get them through the worst of the weather but I do worry especially for my two older girls who have never been outside for winter at the ages of 4 & 5

My boys are the lucky ones they'll be coming in and sharing the kitchen with us!

 

[Tinypixi]

Thank you for the reply!... makes me feel better knowing I'm not the only one who'll be housing piggies outdoors permanently!.....As long as we do our best to keep them sheltered and toastie they will hopefully be ok!

 

[Smoo]

You're welcome I know it does make me feel less guilty but the situation was out of my control. Ideally I'd like a spare "piggy" room they could have to themselves or even a purpose built insulated and heated shed.

I do miss watching them in the evening and I haven't picked up on ailments as quick as I would have done if they were inside but I'm sure they're happy as they're always popcorning when they come out to stretch their legs!

 

[Jem121]

I keep mine outside all year round so does my mum, all i do is stuff lots&lots&lots of hay i use 2 bits of tarpauline and 2 thick duvets inbetween the tarpauline (a bit like a sandwich tarpauline,duvet,duvet, tarpauline) to cover them up with at night. I also cover their water bottles up with old thermal socks to stop them freezing. My mum does the same and we've never had a problem

 

[BossHogg]

When mine were "outdoors" they were in a large hutch tucked in the corner of the garden out of the wind. When it was cold and raining, I had a large tarpaulin that covered the hutch, with a doubled over kingsize quilt underneath. All held in place with heavy duty luggage elastics. Nowadays, they're all spoilt since I got my shed. It's got electric installed so they have light and heating, very handy for cleaning them when it's howling force ten and chucking it down as Cumbria tends to get most of the year on the coast. Since I've got the shed, I'm a lot happier knowing they're warm and dry of a night.