New to pigs

[Mini Homestead]

Hey all!! New here, New to pigs, trying to start a self sufficient journey. First yr!

Throw all your info at me!!
I have a Berkshire barrow, he's 7wks old. We picked him up last wk. He's doing just fine, although I hear raising two is better than one, hubby just wanted to start with one.

He has a 384sq foot pen with a 4x8 house to be away from the elements.

I already know, next yr before we get more pigs we are going to revamp the housing, and revamp their area making it 584sq footage.

What are the key points I need to know??

ETA. I've read through just abt every post in the 3 pages of this section, just trying to gather up more info

He was wormed right before we got him, and plan to do so again in abt 3 months.

I am reading through several books
Storeys Guide to Raising Pigs
Homegrown Pork
And a book called Butchering (covers beef, pork, poultry etc)

I've done some research, I feel my set up isn't the absolutely best of the best, but I do feel like it is sufficient for our needs currently

 

[baymule]

Baymule’s Pigs 2018 HEREFORDS!

I found 2 Hereford boars 4 1/2 months old on Craigslist. We went and got them today. I have long admired Hereford Hogs and am delighted to find these! As usual, I have no hog pen ready and won’t be putting them in the pasture we sprigged with Bermuda and Bahia. So I guess we better get busy...

www.backyardherds.com

This details how I built my Pig Palace. I made one change later. I removed the blue barrel feeder and replaced it with a wooden trough for the soured corn.

I have since sold this place and bought another. I wont be able to raise pigs for 2023, but hope to have another Pig Palace built by the following year.

 

[Mini Homestead]

Baymule’s Pigs 2018 HEREFORDS!

I found 2 Hereford boars 4 1/2 months old on Craigslist. We went and got them today. I have long admired Hereford Hogs and am delighted to find these! As usual, I have no hog pen ready and won’t be putting them in the pasture we sprigged with Bermuda and Bahia. So I guess we better get busy...

www.backyardherds.com

This details how I built my Pig Palace. I made one change later. I removed the blue barrel feeder and replaced it with a wooden trough for the soured corn.

I have since sold this place and bought another. I wont be able to raise pigs for 2023, but hope to have another Pig Palace built by the following year.

Thanks for sharing! Pretty awesome set up!
We also named ours The Pig Palace.

We used alliteration in all our builds!

 

[livinglandnz]

When I have raised pigs I treated them just like I would a dog, good quality food/water, somewhere warm and dry to sleep, shade in the summer, worming them. They do get lonely because of their intelligence so having two is a lot better. They are a very clean animal so new bedding on a regular basis. I would also hose and scrub them down every couple of weeks which they loved.

 

[baymule]

For worming, I use the apple flavored horse ivermectin in the tube. Squirt some on a piece of bread, take off crusts, mash edges together and toss one to each pig. They can smell the "apple" and squeal to get a bread wormer.

 

[Mini Homestead]

For worming, I use the apple flavored horse ivermectin in the tube. Squirt some on a piece of bread, take off crusts, mash edges together and toss one to each pig. They can smell the "apple" and squeal to get a bread wormer.

Yes! I have read this in a couple other threads too!!! Thanks such for the advice!