We keep all of our herds on pasture and have done so for some time. IMO there is no better way to do it. We often get questions about how we manage pigs on pasture. Here are some common questions and our answers.
“How much land do you need for each pig?”
On a rotational grazing pattern you can have ten mature hogs (and a bunch of piglets) per acre rotating about every month. If you don’t rotate I would not raise more than ten per three acres. This is because you don’t want the pasture to suffer and become a dry lot. You need to manage the hog’s grazing so they don’t kill off the vegetation. Also, if you don’t rotate, internal parasites can become a problem. Rooting is not a problem until they have grazed off most of the vegetation or during wet periods when the ground gets soggy.
We have two herds of about 24 mature hogs each (varies as we buy and sell). We make their paddocks around two acres each per herd and move them when the hogs have eaten all of the clover and the grass is eaten to the level where the leaves start to form.
All of our paddocks are half pasture and half woods. This provides the hogs with better variety in their diets, shelter and a more interesting environment.
“Do they have the same odor issues that you have with pigs kept in smaller pens?”
Hogs on pasture, if rotated, don’t have an odor problem. Their manure doesn’t build up like it does in pens. We also free range chickens with the hogs which do a great job at breaking up the manure and spreading it out, allowing it to compost faster.
“Would cattle panel fencing with T-posts work to keep them in, or do you need electric fencing?”
Cattle panels and T-posts will work but that is too expensive of a solution and requires way too much work. Electric fence is a far better solution. Once trained to electric fence you can keep all your hogs in with two or three strands, depending on the mix of sizes.
We use plastic posts and polywire. Two strands has worked well for us. One about six inches from the ground and the other about a foot and a half from the ground. Our herds consist of piglets, yearling pigs and mature breeders. These two strands keep them all in (except for the very young piglets, but they don’t wander far and run back to mama when something comes around).
The advantage of plastic poles and polywire is that it is reusable and easily moved. I rotate the paddocks by just pulling the poles and stretching the wire to the new position.
If necessary you can also step on the wires to cross the fence (it stretches). Can’t do that with steel wire or cattle panels.
We use a mixture of solar chargers and plug-in chargers to power the fences.
“When is the best time to get piglets?”
Spring is the best time to get pigs if you are going to pasture them. The pasture will be growing with fresh and nutritious food for them. You will have all summer and fall to let them grow to butcher size without having to feed them through the winter.
But choose your breeds wisely. Heritage breeds are best on pasture as they retain their ability to more efficiently convert pasture into pork. More modern breeds don’t do nearly as well.
Also choose pigs with colored skin. White pigs sunburn (even in winter). Choose a red, tan or black skinned pig breed.
It’s true that pigs don’t handle heat well but they also don’t handle cold well. Out on pasture you will need to provide some shade for them (a bent over cattle panel covered with a tarp will do fine; also trees work well). Pigs don’t sweat like we do so they need water to help rid themselves of excess body heat. If you have a pond, let them have it. If not, take your tractor bucket and dig them a shallow wallow in a place where it will catch rain runoff. If you don’t have rain then stretch a water hose.
I put large tubs out for their water and run hoses to them. Then I dig a wallow on the downslope side of the water tubs. When I water the hogs I let the water run out of the filled tub into the wallows. Pigs are very good at sealing ponds so in a short time the wallow holds water well. Place their water and wallows under shade and it will last longer.
“How do you keep pastured pigs warm in the winter?”
Our winters get fairly cold here; last winter we had weeks below zero.
We have lots of “shelters” ranging from old dog houses to reused grape crates (turned upside down) to Port-A-huts to hoop houses. Mature pigs will do fine if they have shelter from the wind and some way for them to huddle together. Piglets will do okay if they have big pigs to lay with, but piglets can freeze quickly without that.
The key is to provide them with lots of hay. They will burrow into it and use the hay as insulation from the cold. In the past we would put round bales out and cut the cords so the pigs could make mounds out of them. This winter we are going to try a new idea. We are going to use several round bales to build circular huts, cover the tops with cattle panels and tarps or square bales and put a couple of feet of hay inside. In this way more pigs can huddle together and share body warmth. During the day the hogs will forage but at night and during storms they will huddle in their shelters. The hay doesn’t need to be good hay; you can use cheap mixed grass.
You also need to remember to always have clean water available. This is difficult and can require a lot of buckets… Just be sure that their wallows are shallow so that any pig or piglet that breaks through the ice can easily escape.
“I want to have pork for my family. Should I breed my own or buy pigs for pork?”
As for breeding it really depends on what you can use and sell. One mature sow will produce two litters of ten or so piglets each year. Breeding is more expensive than buying if you just want pork for your family. Most folks buy weaned piglets in the spring and butcher them in the fall.
