Do pigs tear up pastures?

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We are thinking of installing fencing for goats. I'm assuming this would keep pigs in also. I'd like to raise a few for myself and direct market. However, I noticed a friend had some fairly small ones and they had rooted up his grass. He didn't have a large area for them. Does this matter? I don't want to see my pastures torn up. Also, are they compatible with goats and cows? Thanks!

-- Georg in TN (dgkotarski@bledsoe.net), February 11, 2002

Answers

if your thinking or reseeding your pasture soon,, go ahead,, dependsing on the size of the pature,, they can/will turn it over for you,, but Ive seen pigs in feilds, with cows and horses without abvious damage to the pasture,, but a smaller area,, will be mud soon

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), February 11, 2002.

The answer is yes.I had mine in over an acre and they will root.You may have luck with nose rings.Some pigs will also get aggressive towards other animals.

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@hotmail.com), February 11, 2002.

Pigs are opportunistic omnivores - that means they'll eat whatever they can get. They'll eat pasture, they'll root it up to get the roots, or to get worms and grubs. They appreciate careless poultry, and a lambing ewe or a goat giving birth can be treated as a smorgasbord. Doesn't always happen, but you can always expect it to happen some time. You can't expect fences to last either if the pigs can root under them.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), February 11, 2002.

We always kept our pigs separate in their own pen. Don't put on pasture as they will root under the fencing. Saw a neighbor's sow vaccum up the baby chicks trailing behind the hen. Not a pretty sight. Pigs are very smart animals and will figure a way out of anywhere.

-- Hank (hsnrs@att.net), February 12, 2002.

We do not raise pigs, but our family's cattle ranch has quite a few wild hog on it. You bet they can do some rooting, looks like someone was playing with hand grenades, they can do quite a lot of damage. Farmers around here hate 'em, they go through corn and other crops like nobody's business.

-- j.r. guerra in s. tx. (jrguerra@boultinghousesimpson.com), February 12, 2002.


We have over 2,000,000 wild hogs (not javalina) running thru Texas. THEY are destructive, which is why it's open hunting season on them 365 days/year!

I've raised the table pigs on pasture without a problem and they can also free feed their pellets. I don't feed anything from my kitchen.

My pet hog is on the Coastal grass acreage 24/7 with equine, bovine, and the flock of chooks, and he only roots his sleeping place. When the hog lays down for a nap, many of the chooks will sleep on top of him. Cute to see! The breeder I got my pet from won't ring a hog until it's 6 months old, which doesn't help you folks....your pigs are in the freezer by then! -G-

I guess if they have space and feed they're not as destructive.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2222@hotmail.com), February 12, 2002.


Georg in TN, Hello from Alaska. To keep hogs from rooting out of the inclosure you want them to stay in, no matter what the size, run two or three rows of barbed wire very close to each other at dirt level. I would make those rows two inches apart and the first one is to touch ground as it is now before the hogs are in there. They will not appreciate their noses getting on the barbs and will not root out or under. Use hog nails to secure the wire to the posts and run it on the inside of the posts. I always give my pigs something to push around and "play" with such as a basket ball or chunks of firewood and plenty of food and water at all times. Maureen

-- Maureen Stevenson (maureen@mtaonline.net), February 13, 2002.

George,

Yes they will tear up your pasture as mentioned above. We got 2 weaners last year and put them in a very well built cattle fence pen where we want our garden for this year. Between the 2 of them, they had it all dug up and rooted out by butchering season. We butchered one, moved the othere and now have her in an electric fenced pen. The lowest wire needs to be about 4 in off the ground. We put 3 wires up and the highest is about 2.5 feet off the ground. We hung streamers on the top wires for better visiblity. She has never gotten out but periodically still zaps herself. We keep our goats and chickens seperate. We need to move her again as she has completed digging another plot. We are considering putting a ring in her nose and putting her in the pasture. We don't want her to dig it all up tho so will have to experiment. Good luck! Darlene

-- Darlene in W WA (tomdarsavy@cs.com), February 14, 2002.


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