We have kept pigs now for a good few years, buying them in as 8 week old weaned piglets and keeping them until they are between 6 – 8 months old before sending them off for meat.
It is very important to us that we know that any meat we eat has come from well cared, well fed and healthy animals – in fact we only eat our home reared meat and I am vegetarian the rest of the time!
Above: piggies waiting for breakfast by the gate – the same darlings that caused the ploughing effect in the next photo.
Over the years, once people know you rear pigs, you get asked lots of questions. One question that I have been asked on several occasions is “could I keep a pig in the corner of my garden?” Well I suppose the easy answer to that is ‘Yes’ and going back decades and beyond lots of households did do this but would I recommend it ‘No’!
The pigs really enjoy having lots of space to run around in and they absolutely love to dig up the ground and find bugs to eat – afterall pigs are omnivores. Our pigs are kept in a 1/4 acre paddock that is securely fenced and after each 5 months of use we let the ground rest for at least 5 months before putting pigs back in there – most of the time longer.
As the photo above demonstrates, pigs love to plough and this is what 4 little piggies do to a large paddock in just a month!
Can you imagine this in your back garden never mind the fencing you would need to stop escapes, as they are very good escape artist and I have even seen our metal gate lifted off its hinges!
So if you are considering keeping a pig in the corner of a garden take stock and think about the amount of room needed for happy pigs and the key question is do you want a garden at the end of it or a mud bath !
Above: piggies asleep in thier arc