13 Tips On Building The Best Pig Pen: The Crucial Core of Proper Housing

Efficient and good housing makes managing your pigs easier. Not only does a well-maintained pen help the pigs, but it also allows the farmer to maintain control with plenty of room. At different stages, pigs will need different temperatures and environments.

This article aims to outline basic considerations for swine housing for adult sows and hogs whose purpose is different rather than reproduce. Whatever type you choose, it must be durable and useful for both, the farmer, and the swine.

See Also:

• The Best Bedding For Pigs That Provide Comfort
• Best Pig Feed For Taste And Weight Gain: Guide and Review (2019)
• The 10 Best Pig Fencing Items: 2019 Guide and Reviews

Pig Pen Enclosures

Like several types of enclosures for animals, the pig pen ideas need to be reliable. The enclosure should be able to provide the pigs with sufficient shelter, space, and access to water and food. The size you will need depends on what the adult size is and the breed.

If it is piglets you need to house, base it on their maximum size before you move it to other pens. One other important task is to count the number of pigs that will be in the pen. There is a multitude of types of enclosures for pigs’ that the farmers routinely use.

Those include temporary holding pens designed with electric fencing to keep them from escaping. Permanent pens that have paneling are durable and will last for many years. Details such as where you live, and where the pigs will be is a huge hurdle to clear.

Then you have to figure out how big and strong your pigs will grow to get a better understanding of pen size. Most panels fit snug to the ground, but you should always keep an eye on the bottom of the ground to prevent digging their way out. [1]

Planning the Best Pig Pen for Your Pigs and their Piglets

The first foremost and significant detail for you to consider is how much space you will need. If you’re not sure what you need, a good rule of thumb is to go big! What that means is you need to build a larger pig pen size.

By saying, “go big,” that means to build a pen as if you were going to have two or three more pigs than you have at the moment. It would help if you also made 8 feet x 16 feet for each animal. The size pen also depends on the breed of the pigs and size they will be upon auctioning and butchering.

The pen you choose must be sturdy and able to keep your swine inside. That goes for pigs of all sizes.  Also, it is especially necessary to check the bottom of the panels for wear and tear caused by your pigs. If left damaged, your pigs will eventually dig themselves right out of their pen and take off.

Just be sure you monitor the pigs living quarters and make the necessary repairs to the pen to prevent you from losing your entire herd. Runaway Pigs happens more than most people think. So when erecting the fence, be sure you have it secure and safe pen for all size pigs.

Preparing the Pen for Strong Pigs is a Wise Idea

Hogs are powerfully-designed built animals. Therefore, the fence has to be set up with their strength in mind. A cheap roll of wire alone is not going to keep your pigs inside.

Therefore, you need an excellent pig pen layout. You will need to use a metal, or wooden fence post added security. Each has a good solid history with holding pigs in and predators out.

The negative for wood is pigs can chew a fence up fast. To prevent this, cover the post with wire mesh or put the fence post behind the solid panels. The metal posts will for sure cost more, but they are also worth it in the long run. Ideally, the perfect post should be at least six inches in height so that you can pound two inches in the ground.

There are several ways you can build a pig pen. Just be sure you choose the one that your pigs cannot break out of or chew their out.

Pipe panels that are similar to those used in arenas where there are horseback riding competitions are perfect for the task. Pipe panels must be sturdy and able to resist damage. Therefore, It would help if you repaired all damaged enclosure as soon as possible.

Sanitation is Necessary for all Pig Housing

Pig pens are obviously a vital part of small-scale pig farms and pig keeping. However, new pig farmers may not realize that there are several different types of pig pens. The kind you will need depends on the type and scale operation you have. Whether you need one are several, sanitation will always be a concern.

Some places will have additional regulations about sanitation. There are those regulations but also other issues that are health-related. All it takes is one dirty environment to make that pig ill then it’s like a domino effect to the rest of your herd. That is why it is so vital to keep their pens clean, dry and fresh bedding on a regular basis.

Good Housing Makes Your Job Less Stressful

Efficient housing aids the farmer to rear 85 percent (often more), live piglets to the market weight and in the shortest timeframe possible. Pigs need different living environments at various stages of their lives.

Beings it is their job to reproduce and grow to their maximum ability, piglets need specific protection against the extremely low temperatures. Reproducing and growing hogs must remain protected from high hot-temperatures as well. Protecting them from all harsh weather elements should be your first goal.

That means you must build your pigs housing to provide the protection they need year round. To do this, you need to do some research on the type pigs you have. Reading guides such as this one will help you decide. It can be overwhelming to find the type that will work best in your pig’s environment.

That is why our writing team at MorningHomestead does all the hard work for you. Providing the most detailed and thorough guides is what we do best. We do so to help save consumers from the tedious work.

Introducing the Farrowing Pen

If you are raising your pigs from when they are born, your main priority should be a farrowing pen. When constructing a farrowing pen, it is vital that you incorporate the means to protect all your pigs. Keep in mind the weather and time of the year is a huge factor to consider when you will be breeding and farrowing your pigs.

It also depends on how many breeding sows you plan to keep. Farrowing pens have many features and purposes, and one is it is the smallest type of the furrowing. That is because its purpose is only to accommodate one adult pig per each litter.

The Farrowing pen is also the most complicated and difficult pig pen to construct correctly. That is where the pregnant sows live from right before going into labor and deliver her litter until she successfully weans the piglets to eating feed.

Dirt Floor or No?

Many farmers that have hogs leave the natural dirt floor in place. However, a farrowing pen must be off the ground, have exceptional insulation with plenty of shelter. There are smaller-scale operations for breeding that have sheds sitting on skids. Also, it is critical to understand for farrowing; you use a wood floor.

This type demands deep cleaning along with disinfecting between each litter. However, that does not delete the risk of many diseases. For that reason, other avenues for flooring is much better.

What Type Should I Choose?

The features that you add should make the pen fully enclosed and equipped with an efficient drainage system. Just be sure you make use of this feature and clean between each litter. The floor in this type of enclosure should be concrete if possible.

If the shed you chose for farrowing is roomy enough for more than one pig and your sows are birthing litters at a different time, keep the concrete out.

The Boar Pen and its Features

Having a boar pig has its challenges right up front. Many refer boars to “wild boars and ” wild pig.” Whatever you want to call it, the boar can be a vicious threat if you cross one in the wild. These hogs come from wild members of the species. Here is a look at some boar pigs features:

Features and Needs For a Boar Pen:

1. One detail you must do a lot of, and that is keeping the pen draught free and well ventilated. It is imperative that the temperature within the pen never rise higher than 22 °C for extended periods. If your boar’s environment temperature rises higher than 32 °C, it could be infertile for up to shocking six weeks.

Water.Water.And More Water:

2. Animals are like humans when it comes to having cold water to drink on scorching hot days. Therefore, you must ensure that your pigs have plenty of clean water. Also, place their water where the gate Be sure to set a water trough that has the ball valve for controlling the water level.
3. Choosing one with the pig-drinking nipple is perfect. Place the nipple at a 90-degree angle having the vertical somewhere between 550 and 650mm’s from the flooring. It would help if you put the feed trough in the sleeping area but make sure it cannot get taken over with bedding.
4. A feed trough should be in the sleeping area in such a way that it does not get filled with bedding. Be sure to check it a few times per day to ensure it has fresh and clean water.

Move Up and Grow-Out Pen

1. Here is where your babies progress to a bigger environment. The piglets should already be weaned and wanting feed and hay. Once they move to the Grow-Out Pen, they will be on their own. That will become their living quarters for the next few months.
2. You can combine the finishing pen and the grow-out pen to make one big ring. However, if you are breeding pigs constantly, this will take up and waste much space. Also, when you are selecting breeding pigs for a particular purpose, many young pigs will be culled from the bunch before they are old enough to transfer to the finishing pen.
3. Boars should have sleep areas under a roof that are one-third of the size pen. The boar should always have fresh and clean bedding. You can use sawdust, grass, and straw.

Dry Sows and Gilts

The next part is housing tips for Dry Sows and Gilts.

1. Never keep over five gilts or dry sows in one pen.
2. For the first time, Gilts should go to the boar hog when they are seven to eight months old.
3. Dry sows come in heat each three to seven days after weaning a litter. Here is when she will be taken to the boar once again. Therefore, you need to keep dry sows and gilts in pens next to one another until the service takes place.

Pregnant Sows

1. A typical pregnancy for a sow last somewhere between 114 and 116 days. At this point, the sow goes into the “pregnant sow pen” for around 24 days after services. The only time she can move into the farrowing pen is approximately seven days before giving birth. The sow will remain in that pen for 85 days.
2. There can be up to five pregnant sows at one time
3. There can sometimes be five sows waiting to mate in one pen if they are all about the same age.

Farrowing pens

The most crucial pen on a farm is the farrowing pen. The reason why is because the design provides the perfect temperature for the Mama pig and her baby piglets. It provides comfort throughout the first seven, sometimes ten days at times, after birth.

*Helpful Tip*As much as possible, there is prevention in play that prevents trampling and overlying.

FAQs:

Q: Is it ok to extend wire fencing to a shed out back to make a pen?

A: It is possible to make a decent pen if you are not going to have pigs grow to their fullest weight and strength. Also, ensure the post you use are durable, and the fence is not cheap wiring and stapled/hammered to the fence post.

Q: Should I make a mud flooring before bringing our pig home?

A: That is optionable to the farmer. The pigs will have no shame in turning their pen into the sloppy mess they love to stomp and get their mud just perfect.

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Conclusion

Choosing the best pig pen can sometimes take much consideration. What kind is your favorite? Did you see anything in the article that you may want to explore? Keep in mind, the housing you like the most needs to be large enough for one, maybe two pigs and be comfortable. Moreover, the area where you live plays a significant role in what type of pig pen you need.

What about you, are you struggling with what type of pig pen you need? It can quickly become aggravating if you do not know the facts. You can always trust our guides and educational articles as we put hours of research into everything we write.

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