The Poultry Keeper

fortroyal · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Posts: 21

I have a half-acre paddock with free-ranging chickens and 2 goats. I would like to get two pigs to fatten for the table. If I left them to roam free in the paddock, would they uproot all the grass and ruin it? I want them to dig up the vegetable patch later, but not the grass!

nigel · Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2005 10:33 am Post subject:

First let me say I've never kept pigs, so what I'm about to say comes straight from books. The pigs may not have read these books!

Some breeds are notorious for rooting, I've seen references to Tamworths being the bulldozers of the piggy world. Some are more grazers than rooters. They tend to be the ones with 'squashed' faces (there must be a technical term for this but i don't know it) like the middle-white. They will still root, but not as destructively.

NannyP · Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2005 10:52 am Post subject:

Vivienne · Joined: 26 Sep 2005 Posts: 19 Location: Salisbury Plain

Hi we keep Tamworths here and if you would like some....... please let me know!! They make brilliant vegetable garden digger uppers, their enthusiasm for the job is boundless.......and they taste fantastic! (the Tamworths) and also the veg of course!! The other option is, when they are babies to have rings put through the end of their noses like goths do, this allows them to do their thing, but not dig your veg garden up for you Confused

Can supply you a beautiful matched pair of charming Tamworth babies for an extremelly reasonable price! Let me know Very Happy

Regards, Viv ps they are organic!!!

fortroyal · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Posts: 21

Hi, thanks for that! I have a pair of Berkshires at the moment who do not do a very good job in the vegetable patch! they are due for the butcher's block in February. Do you have an ongoing supply of Tamworths? e-mail me at helen@fort-royal.net

Vivienne · Joined: 26 Sep 2005 Posts: 19 Location: Salisbury Plain

Hi, yes we have loads of Tamworths, if we can be of assistance and you would like some.... please let me know. At the moment, we have about 20 boy and girl Tamworths at the recently weaned size, some bacon size pigs and some older ones! Viv

geeb · Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 6 Location: Bressuire

We've kept a couple of pigs for the last two years - well 8 months per pair, and then they visit the freezer.

The first we inherited with the house, then this year, we kept one for us, and one for a friend.

This year we are looking for a coupl eof Tamworth, witht he idea of breeding. However, haven't found anywhere in France to get them.

Does anyone know how I would find out? Or can I import from England?

Issy · Joined: 22 Nov 2005 Posts: 371 Location: somerset

Fortroyal and Nigel,

please don't count on pigs with squished noses not ploughing (luckily I didn't). Our three little angels that feature in another post Very Happy

were collected on Sat am and already have their noses well immersed in mud Shocked

and a nice ploughed patch in the making! AND they had never seen soil before Laughing

P.S. they are still gorgeous and are going to taste fantastic.

Issy

fenwoman · Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 11:36 pm Post subject: Re: Pigs

Vivienne · Joined: 26 Sep 2005 Posts: 19 Location: Salisbury Plain

Fenwoman, i would tend to disagree with your comment on the pigs killing and eating chickens. I have personally never experienced this, we have our pigs out in fields and also finishing in stables and chickens roam over both places at all times. The pigs dont even seem to notice the chooks, the farm cats certainly never bother them (pigs or chickens) either. We also have a lot of rabbits which people have liberated on the yard, and all cohabit very well indeed together.
I wish i knew how to insert a picture here, so i could show you one of pigs and chooks all mooching round the field together.
Viv, Cholderton[/img]

fenwoman · Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2006 11:02 pm Post subject:

I used to breed Gloucester old spots , and more recently Kune kune pigs. Both lots would catch, kill and eat chickens.
That is their nature though as pigs like humans are omnivorous.