Advice on pig arcs please - what type?

[CDC]

Hi, I am looking to buy two new arcs to keep my 5 pet pigs in, and i am not sure what is the best type.

We've used the traditional wooden frame with corrugated metal arch with wooden back and front ends before - but the pigs trashed the ones we had. This may have been becasue they werent well made or maybe we have particularly destructive pigs!

So, i am wondering if the large recycled plastic ones may be more resilient, or even the galvanised metal ones? Or should i stick to the traditional wood/metal ones?

Any advice is gratefully received.

Thank you.

 

[Suffolk Serf]

As you've already found out, when pigs aren't eating or sleeping they are setting about wrecking their accommodation. Couple that with stockmen (myself included) not trying hard enough not to drive into or drop the huts from a height, they need to be robust!
Anything that I buy new now is all steel. The quality of wood preservatives and glue (for plywood) is now shocking and wood just doesn't last like it used to.

 

[SilliamWhale]

I only keep a few for fun over the summer and I use two upside down spud boxes with cut outs and a sheet on top.

 

[bitwrx]

No experience of the plastic ones I'm afraid, but the metal round-roofed ones have certainly been put through their paces here.

Farrowing-sized arcs are handy as you can just about flip them over by hand and slide them around the place on their roofs if need be. Generally, we'd flip them on their backs and lift them up using the pallet tines on the loader. This is the biggest cause of breakages.

We've tried two different manufacturers here: John Booth, and John Harvey.

Booth huts are all pre-galvanized sheet, folded and spot welded (apart from the wooden base). They're strong enough and flexible so they are a bit resilient to knocks and bangs. The (structural) wooden base is easy to replace if it rots out or gets broken, but it needs to be done soon or the hut starts to fail in other places, and its journey to the scrapyard hastens.

Harvey huts are more heavily built, and the design is generally stiffer. Front and backs are all folded and seam-welded mild steel. The wooden base is not quite so structurally integral to the design, so it doesn't matter so much if it rots. They give the impression of being more resistant to pigs, but in practice I'm not sure it makes much difference. However, they are not galvanized, so do rust out quicker.

Both types are well up to the job. I think the Booth huts tend to wear their age a bit better (galve still looks good on some that must be 20 years old), but do need repairing more frequently (mainly just the front bit of the wooden base, which we tend to break due to mishandling).

We used to make our own huts with angle iron and plywood or Stirling board. We don't do this any more, and for good reason! I'm sure a pair of all-steel huts from either manufacturer would do you well.

 

[roscoe erf]

I only keep a few for fun over the summer and I use two upside down spud boxes with cut outs and a sheet on top.

I have visions of you having the biggest snails in Wales

 

[del_boy]

We used to use some old metal diesel tanks (2000 lt) size, steam clean them out, cut a doorway in the front for them to go in and cut out the inside cross members. Indestructible. We had 4 of them at 1 point. Sleeps 2 big sows easy

 

[Old Boar]

I built all the arcs here and they are still going strong for other people 14 years later. Each arc was 3 half hoop galvanized corrugated tin, tec screwed together and overlapping by two corrugations. Two 3x4 inch beams along both bottom edges and one front and back, all tec screwed. One beam along the inside top, sticking out a foot either end. No floor. A back was cut to size and hammered to the beams, marine board. Most did not have a front.
No floor meant I could get inside and heave them about on my back. Or two people grabbing the top beam.
They were tied down with four stakes around the outside and a rope to stop them taking off in high winds. This was learned by one flying over a number of hedges.
The pigs bedded them with rushes. They generally did not use them for farrowing, prefering to build their own nests. They tended to move the piglets into them after a few days.

A "gang" house was made by taking off the back of one and just dropping it over another, so it was double length.

Over the years the front edge tended to get a bit rounded as the pigs rubbed, but that actually made it easier to grab and move. They were surprisingly warm - I tested them!

Fairly cheap, robust and the pigs liked them.

 

[CDC]

Thank you so much for all the very helpful replies. I am not very good at DIY so a ready-made one is probably best for me (but my partner is feeling a bit inspired by the home-made option, so maybe when we need another ark he can make that his 'project'!) Looks like the metal arks are the best, so i shall focus my search on that. Thank you. The replies were really helpful and I appreciate. it.

 

[Suffolk Serf]

Thank you so much for all the very helpful replies. I am not very good at DIY so a ready-made one is probably best for me (but my partner is feeling a bit inspired by the home-made option, so maybe when we need another ark he can make that his 'project'!) Looks like the metal arks are the best, so i shall focus my search on that. Thank you. The replies were really helpful and I appreciate. it.

Most of the metal ones come in kit form to save on transport cost, so there would be that to do anyway.