To keep her in horse pasture someone had told my wife to tie a tree branch with y in it around neck to keep her from going under bottom rail.. Did anyone ever hear of this method? Just thought it would be interesting to ask this one...

-- james (onemaur@olg.com), September 01, 2001

Answers

You are going to have SUCH fun! HaHaHaHa

I raised my first pigs last year. I even decided to torture myself more and raise three more THIS year! ! (After last year's rooted up half the pasture, woods, and yard! ! !) HaHahA. Those pigs outsmarted me at every turn. These are working on it too, and I put in new fencing!

I never had a problem keeping them contained at 7 weeks. Give it a few months and then you can really get frustrated. HaHa

-- Judy McFerrin (JMcFerrin@aol.com), September 01, 2001.

Hi! I probably would not do the horse thing that you mentioned..but that is just me. We keep Pokey in with a woven wire fence and one hot wire at the top. IF I decided to have hogs...I would keep them in with hot wire too. I know it sounds odd and imagine my surprise when I got hired to be gestation manager at a big hog outfit and saw that the girls were held in only by hot wire!! I thought...this will never work...boy was I wrong. They had pens that held up to thirty sows a piece. Two hot wires...one about a foot off the ground and then one about a foot and a half off the ground. When you first put gilts in that were not raised there...they would hit that fence and either pop through or ride it all the way down one side. But not many hit it more than twice on purpose. They also farrowed half indoors and half outdoors...so I know it will work on young pigs too. You may just have to adjust the bottom wire for them. Like I say...sounds crazy...looks crazy...but it does work! Good luck to ya!! Pokey

-- Sher in southeast Iowa (riverdobbers@webtv.net), September 01, 2001.

I'm the one asking the question.. I already own a 275 lbs hog.. she's just to big to fit underneath the bottom rail... This horse pasture is all around 22 acres.. I also put rings in her and the ones nose already.. they haven't rooted anything since... thanks soo much and i'll be watching more answers come in.. James

-- james (onemaur@olg.com), September 01, 2001.

I have my two in a 10 by 8 pen and they only have gotten out once so far. Then we lured them back home with Triscuits. :o)

-- Alison in N.S. (aproteau@istar.ca), September 01, 2001.

The front of my property only has 2 wires (not electric). My piglet walked out twice. I put a leash on his collar, said, 'no,' and brought him back in both times. He never did it again and he's now 3 years old. Of course he's not confined to a small area, always has feed available, and he's on 30 acres with other livestock.

Here's a site on pastured pigs that you may find interesting:

http://grassfarmer.com/pigs/gunthorp.html

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), September 02, 2001.

Rogo, it sounds like your pig is more a pet than a product. He is 3 years old? Either he is your breeder, or else you have a 3 year old pet pig! Not saying there is anything wrong with it (I have a 5 year old neutered male goat who never made it to the butcher) just find it funny how some animals don't have to pay their way!

-- Michael W. Smith in North-West Pennsylvania (kirklbb@penn.com), September 03, 2001.

Yes, Michael, my Hampshire hog is a pet. I got him when he was 4 weeks old specifically to raise to drive a cart. My Dexter steer drives alone and also used to drive hitched up with my miniature donkey. I no longer have that donk and decided the steer needed a new partner. I didn't think the hog would stand taller than the 38 inch steer, but it still works.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), September 03, 2001.

Michael, none of the many critters I have today pay their own way except to give me pleasure.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), September 03, 2001.

IMVHO the only way I have found to keep pigs in is with hotwires we use a standard eight wire fence (which keeps all the other critters in and have used an outrigger about 1 1/2 feet off the ground right the way round the pen - used gate springs and under gate cable at the gates. I have a 350lb boar (Mr Big Pig) and Ruby with 8 piglets and they know all about the hotwires - so much so that taking them from one paddock to another can be hard as even with the power off they don't want to cross the "electric" line through the gate! LOL.

-- Jen Butler (heavenleigh2938@hotmail.com), September 03, 2001.

Rogo I liked Your last answer. I think to break even is a blessing. One good question deserves another question, Ever tried to tie any thing on a hogs neck and get it to stay? Nathan

-- Nathan Harris Sr. (barnyard_mini@yahoo.com), September 03, 2001.

=== Ever tried to tie any thing on a hogs neck and get it to stay? ===

Nathan, when the piglet first started walking on a leash at about 6 weeks old, he wore a dog collar. As he grew, he needed a larger collar. Collar?? The last one was a man's leather belt; I think it was a size 50. You have to realize that this was a pet raised in my house and from the first time I walked him as a piglet, he never fought me and walked right along with me. Today, instead of the collar, he wears a horse halter (size 800-1100 pounds) for our walks and to drive the cart.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), September 03, 2001.

Rogo.. sounds like a very wonderful pet. A real work-a-hog-lic. But isn't it great to have animals and enjoy them for what they are,on a day to day basis. And not worry about the bottom line. Would you believe we once had a 14yr old Chicken ? We have used dog halters to train pigs . But a pig or hog just doesn't wear anthing on its neck that it doesn't want to wear. Could you please email me a pic of your hog? later Nathan

-- Nathan Harris Sr. (barnyard_mini@yahoo.com), September 04, 2001.

=== Would you believe we once had a 14yr old Chicken ===

Sure would. Nathan, when I got to a trail ride a few years ago, settled in my mount, and went to the campfire, a gal was sitting there with a hen in her lap! The hen had been hatched by other hens the gal had back when. Neighbors had always babysat the hen when the owner went away, but the hen was so old, no one wanted to have her in their possession when she died ~ she was 13 or 14 years. While we were out riding all day, the hen was on straw in the horse trailer with food/water. I don't know how much longer she lived.

=== Could you please email me a pic of your hog? ===

I can't....don't have any. I can't remember the last time I took a picture. I'm just not one who takes 'em. Maybe it comes from always being under the lights of a photographer dad most of my life. Dad died years ago and I still don't take 'em. I keep telling myself to take some pics, but I've yet to do it.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), September 06, 2001.

It is common in some societies to tie a leash to a pig's front 'ankle', it is quite secure and the pig gets used to it.

-- john hill (john@cnd.co.nz), September 06, 2001.

=== It is common in some societies to tie a leash to a pig's front 'ankle', it is quite secure and the pig gets used to it. ===

When I do Christmas parades, whatever critters I'm using wear bells on the front pasterns and loads of other trimmings. The bovine and equine aren't a problem, but the bells slid off the hog's leg! His go around his heart girth. I like the night parades 'cause the critters and I wear blinking Christmas lights (batteries are taped to the wagon, cart, or saddle).

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), September 06, 2001.

Rogo, the leash goes on right above the hoof, not way up the leg.

-- john hill (john@cnd.co.nz), September 07, 2001.

Yeah, that's the pastern, John. But it wouldn't stay on my boy. The bells are on a leather strap with a buckle. It didn't matter; the bells on the heart girth strap work fine.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), September 08, 2001.