The pigs are a kind of animal with incredibly social and competitive nature, so they should be raised in groups of two or more, then they can have better performance in feeding, growth and health. If you have a spare place that is big enough in your backyard, do not make it in the rest mode. Try to start pig farming by raising a group of pigs in the backyard, which make it possible for you to enjoy natural-healthy meat or earn a little extra money.
What You Have to Prepare
—There are a few options about the pig fences to group your pigs:
The pig panel can be the simplest and cheapest choice if you have no existing infrastructure and plan to keep your pigs. Pig panels come in many heights and designs. It can be made of gauge steel that is strong enough to keep pigs in, and also can be attached with both wood fence posts and metal fence posts. Its size can be small or big enough, which is based on the number of pigs you have.
Hog panels are expensive for large pens, paddocks and pastures. So the electric fencing, or a combination of electric and woven wire fencing, or field fencing are the best ones for them. For panels, the field fencing with a height of 32-39 inches is usually enough, but the field fencing is not as common as the woven wire fencing, and the woven wire need to be equipped with wood rails or a strand of electric inside to keep pigs from pushing through or rooting under it. Electric fencing can also be used alone, but there should be something to visually remind the pig to back up instead, so that they can learn to avoid getting shocked when they are moving around.
—Proper pig feeding helps their growing:
The pig is single-stomach animal that has been raised on concentrated feedstuffs for so many years, and the food pigs require should be protein-rich with fiber. If you are raising pigs on the pasture, they will appreciate access to the protein-rich with fiber diet; and in recent years, raising pigs on pasture and the marketing of grass-fed pork have become quite trendy. The pelletized feed is also one good choice when you feed your pigs. Actually, you can raise pigs on anything as long as the pig diet is balanced.
—Relatively comfortable shelter and bedding for pigs are necessary:
A Shelter is a shady place to get pigs out of the sun and a dry place to get pigs out of the rain, and it can be constructed of everything from free wooden shipping pallets to half-moon livestock panel hoops. The bedding materials should be the ones that make the sleeping quarter of pigs comfortable, and a few small square bales of straw can be used.
—Pig health care is important:
The first thing before you bring a couple of pigs to your backyard, is to find out and make note of the contact number of the nearest livestock veterinarian near your house. And another thing is to use the routine worming products every 6 months to kill eternal worms and external parasites; or you can use some organic worming products.