weaner pigs and too much sunshine?

[lalaland]

having a bit of a disagreement about where to locate the new pig pen.
I'm wanting to put it between two gardens - close to water, easy to throw veggies from the garden to the pigs, easy to move the manure, etc. The downside? No shade. Am in northern minnesota, and the almanac predicts another cool dry summer. that means, lots of 70 degree days, but it could get up to 90.

Am planning an A frame shelter, will open up the ends once it warms up, so pigs could retreat for shade. Won't that be enough?

Am hearing dire predictions of "sunburnt pigs"

For heat, can provide plenty of water and a wallow area as well.

Thoughts? thanks!

 

[big brown horse]

OFG knows better, but I think a tarp would even work. I have a little house for my wiener, I mean weaner, but he likes to sprawl out in his dirt too. I made a sun shade for him out of a pallet lean too. He likes it and hangs out in it often.

ETA: My pig pen is the future site of my garden's extension, so it is sunny almost all day.

 

[redhen]

As long as the pigs have some sort of shade they will be fine. but pigs can get overheated pretty easily too. because the only place they have to sweat from is their snout... (i believe)...
Their skin also burns pretty easily.. thats why they always bury themselves in mud... Natures sunscreen
So pigs having some sort of shade is very important..

 

[freemotion]

Do a youtube search for Joel Salatin, Polyface Farm, and pigs. There are some nice videos there. Shade and mud are very necessary in hot weather for pigs. He uses a "shade-mobile" for his rotationally grazed pigs, it is basically a tarp on wheels. Otherwise, he has his pigs in the woods.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

yep mud n shade.... you might go for 'as far away as possible but not too far that you fall over carrying the bucket to them' because:

1. they are stinky...like you wanna die stinky
2. they are stinky....like, i cant believe you didnt tell me they were this stinky
3. again with the stinky...seriously you wont believe it

and then:

4. near the garden may not be a great idea - they will do anything to get too food...
5. they will demolish the ground where ever you put them... and not in a uniform way but in a weird moonscape way. sure next year you can scoot the garden over but in a compressed area you might have a problem getting the soil back to full workability.
6. and again with the stinky as in.. there is no way i'm working in the garden b/c those pigs stink so bad. each year we move them further and further away and still we're all "dang them pigs are makin' a powerful stink"

also - they like to rub on trees and stuff... we just run an extra long hose out to them, use it to fill up the wallow they will put exactly where you DONT want it to be... and then they will be as happy as... well a pig in a poke. and yes if they get overheated they will flop over dead.


ps dont underestimate the stinky. ever. think of the worst thing ever and thats what it smells like.. except way worse.

 

[ksalvagno]

OFG, are you trying to say that pigs are stinky?

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

i've been known to say that pigs are a bit stinky....

;-)

 

[miron27]

i have my pen out in the middle my garden and there is no shade at all i built them a little house so they could get out of the sun on hot days and they have a mud pit that they created there self that they all ways use to get cooled off during the summer. i use the muddy water to water my garden and let me tell you my veggie turn out huge. good luck

 

[lalaland]

hmmm, ohiogirl and miron, how many pigs did you have? think 2 or 3 would be so very stinky?

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

2 pigs was the most amount of stinkiness we could possibly handle..... and yep they are that stinky

but ham is ham-tastic and worth it all!!