Pigs and pig keeping

[ButterflyBessie]

I am thinking of getting one (or two) pigs in order to clear the end of the garden - about half an acre.

There are loads of nettles and brambles.

Does anyone keep pigs and tell me the pros and cons please?

I thought we could get them as piglets and then eat them when they got up to size after a rather nice life , in return we get a cleared plot to sort out.

One problem we have is that there are a number of newly planted trees, all over 6ft tall but would the pigs take a fancy to them or would they respect our pride and joys?

Can I just keep one or would it need company?

[Nbg]

Awwwww I'd love a pig

I bet you wouldnt eat it.

[ButterflyBessie]

Only way I can persuade dh is to tell him we would eat it .

Anyway, if you don't eat the darn thing, what do you do with it ?

[Nbg]

I dont know.
How long do pigs live for?

[ButterflyBessie]

Dunno, I was hoping there would be someone wise woman on here with all the answers

[NutterlyUts]

Pigs live a long time, and grow huge and often turn into grumpy mother***s.
I would try and find a local farmer willing to trade pork for grazing land and try for a trade that way - you get pork and a cleared plot, and no guilt or grumpy big pig/s to fight with.

[TheDuchessOfNorksBride]

I want pigs too but DH not keen. Several friends have pigs, they usually rear them for 6 months and then send them to abattoir.

They are sociable, so you would need a pair.

The 6ft trees may get damaged when the pigs root about or get knocked over when used as scratching posts. Perhaps you could put tree fences round each one? The depth of mud, especially when there has been a lot of rain and you have clay soil, has to be seen to be believed.

There are some nice flat-pack pig arks on the market now if you wanted cheap accommodation for them - particularly if you're not going to be using it for years and years.

You want to get Smallholder Magazine, or similar. Though I hold them responsible for DH now wanting alpacas...

[ButterflyBessie]

Thanks, I have the mag with the 15 page special on Alpacas.

So, we have clay soil and we planted 21 trees 4 months ago, perfect conditions I would have thought

How the heck do we get rid of all the nettles and brambles?

I am v keen on the whole smallholding idea, my dh is not - tough luck really

I am just not v good at it all and we go at it in completely the wrong order

oh poo

[TheDuchessOfNorksBride]

You could get a goat and some electric fencing? Chickens are excellent with normal weeds but not brambles.

We've cleared half an acre of brambles by having weekly bonfires on it - one of the scorched patches turned into an unexpected pumpkin patch last year, was fab! It isn't grassy yet but it isn't brambly either!

We also cleared a small paddock of nettles, thistles, cow parsley etc (was about 6ft high with weeds when we moved in) - we scythed it and then kept mowing it and now it's all grass.

[Piglady]

Pigs are ideal even if you have a large garden, ask me if you need advice. We keep loads and love them.

[LookingForwardToSummer]

We keep pigs and also eat them, they are great fun. You definately need two for company - and maybe a new freezer. Hugh fearnley whatsisname's river cottage website has useful forums on animal rearing.