Newbie - winter shed questions. Please advise

[jopop]

Hi all, Please could I tap you up for your advice?
I have two sows who get on really well. They’re just over a year old. We rescued them last October but they were indoor at the time so we had to keep them indoor over winter. This year they’re going to have to stay outside for the winter as we just do not have an appropriate space in the house for them any longer.
We do have a brick built shed which is unused at the moment. It has one window which is broken and boarded up so I am going to tap the glass out, repaint the frame and screw a clear Perspex sheet over it. It needs a new door so I am thinking having both an aviary type door and a solid door. I was thinking I could ¼ or ¾ cover the aviary door with some plastic sheet stapled on to let in light and air during the day. There is electric in there – I need to check it works still as there’s the option for a heater if it does.

Can anybody give me their views on this as a suitable spot for them please and comments on my ideas below?

• Shed is 6ft x 5ft.
• Shed is brick built and concrete floor – should I put insulation boards down with lino over the top?
• My door idea – good or not?
• Their 6ft hutch will go in here and I was planning to leave the door or it open so they can free range in the shed. Could I do this 24/7? Maybe cover the hutch with blankets etc and leave just a small area open for them to come out? Or do I need to lock them up in the hutch each night? (The will have snugglesafes in the bed room and they have a fleece igloo.)
• How about putting the hutch on top of bales of straw and running a ramp/tube down to the floor of the shed? Would this keep them warmer? Silly idea?
• Planning to cover the shed floor in straw/tubes etc
• Any particular foods good for winter?
• Is it a good idea to rehome more pigs – warmth in numbers? (stupid idea?) This will be their permanent home from now on other than in summer when they spend time in the run on the grass.

Any risks or issues with my plans? I am quite new to this so really need guidance of those in the know. Please send all tips, ideas and criticisms as I need to get this right.

Sorry for the long post and newbie questions. I just want to do this right.

 

[Piggies&buns]

My boys are kept in a 8ft by 6ft shed. They have a 5 ft two tier hutch in there also. I leave the hutch doors open so they have daytime only access to the shed floor to play on and are always locked in the hutch at night (for warmth and security) and never left free roaming the shed after dark. They have a layer of blankets, a thermal hutch cover and an old duvet over their hutch. My shed stays several degrees warmer than outside air temperatures so I gauge it appropriately and pull down the correct amount of covers depending on how cold the night is going to be, as well as using four snugglesafes for the two piggies and loads of extra hay etc once it gets very cold.

Regarding the door. I would put fine gauge wire of the aviary type door (as long as I am understanding what you mean!). I can’t do it with my current shed, but when I get my new shed in spring, I am going to have a solid outer door, once the outer door is opened there will be a six inch kick board st the bottom to stop anybody getting out, with an internal wire mesh door so I can leave the outer door open for ventilation but the mesh door will still provide the required security.

My shed is my boys permanent home. They are only outside on the grass on warm, dry days and never at night.

Definitely line the floor. Concrete will be far too cold. My shed floor (wooden) has old carpet with an old table cloth over (wipe clean), then a layer of newspaper and then hay, I sometimes use fleece in summer. Don’t use straw for guinea pigs - it is far too sharp for them and can hurt them. It can be difficult using fleece outside in winter (ie your igloo) as it can wick moisture from the air which means piggies will get cold and damp. I only use wooden hides or cardboard boxes during winter.

It getting a bit on the late side to be getting new pigs to live outside they won’t have time to adjust to cooling temperatures.

Hope that helps

 

[jopop]

My boys are kept in a 8ft by 6ft shed. They have a 5 ft two tier hutch in there also. I leave the hutch doors open so they have daytime only access to the shed floor to play on and are always locked in the hutch at night (for warmth and security) and never left free roaming the shed after dark. They have a layer of blankets, a thermal hutch cover and an old duvet over their hutch. My shed stays several degrees warmer than outside air temperatures so I gauge it appropriately and pull down the correct amount of covers depending on how cold the night is going to be, as well as using four snugglesafes for the two piggies and loads of extra hay etc once it gets very cold.

Regarding the door. I would put fine gauge wire of the aviary type door (as long as I am understanding what you mean!). I can’t do it with my current shed, but when I get my new shed in spring, I am going to have a solid outer door, once the outer door is opened there will be a six inch kick board st the bottom to stop anybody getting out, with an internal wire mesh door so I can leave the outer door open for ventilation but the mesh door will still provide the required security.

My shed is my boys permanent home. They are only outside on the grass on warm, dry days and never at night.

Definitely line the floor. Concrete will be far too cold. My shed floor (wooden) has old carpet with an old table cloth over (wipe clean), then a layer of newspaper and then hay, I sometimes use fleece in summer. Don’t use straw for guinea pigs - it is far too sharp for them and can hurt them. It can be difficult using fleece outside in winter (ie your igloo) as it can wick moisture from the air which means piggies will get cold and damp. I only use wooden hides or cardboard boxes during winter.

It getting a bit on the late side to be getting new pigs to live outside they won’t have time to adjust to cooling temperatures.

Hope that helps

Thank you so much for yoyr reply.
Yes my door idea was to have exactly that, an inner mesh door and an outer solid door. The mesh door will end up mainky covered in plastic sheet on the outside over winter I expect though.
Never thought about the fleece hide and the moisture... i'll make a wooden one.
Never knew straw was too sharp .. thank you. Hay only from now on!
New piggies ... would have to be coming from an outdoor environment only. As an idea do you think its a bad idea to introduce more?
I'm thinking lining the floor with insulation board from Wickes and then a layer of lino/cushion floor on top ... then hay on top of that.
Kick board - never thought of that! A must!
I need 2 more snugglesafes then so 4 between 2 pigs.
Thanks for the advice re shutting the hutch door on a night, I wasn't sure what was best.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Piggies need hay, hay and more hay....they can never have too much either for eating and bedding.

Whether adding more pigs is a good idea is entirely up to you and whether your girls will accept more friends - only do it if you want more. Each additional piggy means an additional at least two square feet of space on their enclosure. Your shed is a good size but you need to check that your hutch is big enough for extra piggies, particularly for times when it may be too cold for them to have access to the shed floor for as long and could end up spending more time in the hutch. You specifically mention for warmth - you couldn’t assume that any piggies, additional or not, would snuggle for warmth. My two prefer to be in separate beds even in winter.

You may not need more snugglesafes - I just like to have several as I have a two tier hutch so that way I can keep two on each level and know that whichever bed my boys choose to be in, it will definitely have a snugglesafe in it. (Being boys my piggies have to have multiple of everything to stop any squabbles)