Contract Rearing Pigs

[snarling bee]

We put 10 bales on the catwalk about every 10 days, and then kick a biscuit off into each pen every day. The pigs spread it about.
We put each bale onto the catwalk with an end grab (like a narrow heavy duty flat 8 grab) on the Loadall, then use 2 bale movers that I made to move each bale along the catwalk so that each bale does 2 pens. Takes 3 people about 30 minutes per shed. 2 people could do it in under an hour but it involves someone running up and down to the loadall every bale. It could be a one man job using a trolley with rollers on as is pictured on the other thread. Initially we used a trolley to move one bale per day, but it was a faf as my daughter was not proficient enough on the loadall so someone else had to be around to load the trolley. Other solutions are available. Some use round bales and roll them down the catwalk.

 

[DieselRob]

We put 10 bales on the catwalk about every 10 days, and then kick a biscuit off into each pen every day. The pigs spread it about.
We put each bale onto the catwalk with an end grab (like a narrow heavy duty flat 8 grab) on the Loadall, then use 2 bale movers that I made to move each bale along the catwalk so that each bale does 2 pens. Takes 3 people about 30 minutes per shed. 2 people could do it in under an hour but it involves someone running up and down to the loadall every bale. It could be a one man job using a trolley with rollers on as is pictured on the other thread. Initially we used a trolley to move one bale per day, but it was a faf as my daughter was not proficient enough on the loadall so someone else had to be around to load the trolley. Other solutions are available. Some use round bales and roll them down the catwalk.

This was my issue with the bqp shed design, I fully appreciate they want smaller pens with less pigs in but it doesn't help mechanisation, I'd rather have a wider scrape and wider pen so that I could get a machine in to drop the bale on the catwalk where I wanted it, either that or use a spreadabale but that won't do young pigs much good. I want to make b&b pigs fit my system as I want the muck so currently I've got 400 on deep straw but I'm looking at ways to add another 1000 without needing extra labour

 

[beardface]

First question do you like pigs? And I don't mean a couple of pets for the freezer I mean a shed full of squealing, stinking, welly biting and dying ( pulling out dead pigs at slaughter weight on your own isn't easy) pigs.

 

[Muddy Plox]

First question do you like pigs? And I don't mean a couple of pets for the freezer I mean a shed full of squealing, stinking, welly biting and dying ( pulling out dead pigs at slaughter weight on your own isn't easy) pigs.

I can’t claim to have a love of pigs but farmed dairy cattle for years and never liked those growing up.
farming is a business to me. It needs to be done well and run properly.
I farm to live not live to farm. Plenty of other things to do other than farm so if it’s not viable no point starting it.
not one of those who thinks because my ancestors farmed I have to or even need to.

 

[wilber]

This was my issue with the bqp shed design, I fully appreciate they want smaller pens with less pigs in but it doesn't help mechanisation, I'd rather have a wider scrape and wider pen so that I could get a machine in to drop the bale on the catwalk where I wanted it, either that or use a spreadabale but that won't do young pigs much good. I want to make b&b pigs fit my system as I want the muck so currently I've got 400 on deep straw but I'm looking at ways to add another 1000 without needing extra labour

What size shed do you have those 400 in on deep litter?

 

[snarling bee]

First question do you like pigs? And I don't mean a couple of pets for the freezer I mean a shed full of squealing, stinking, welly biting and dying ( pulling out dead pigs at slaughter weight on your own isn't easy) pigs.

Don't you roll the dead pigs into a loader bucket? or pick them up using some baler twine on the loader? Helpfully they usually die in the muck passage anyway.

 

[DieselRob]

What size shed do you have those 400 in on deep litter?

100x60. 15ft² per pig. 2 pens of 100x30

 

[Rob Holmes]

What are the pros and cons from deep litter pigs vs BQP system?
From what i can gather:

Pros:
Cheaper capital cost
Reduced daily labour
Make more use of mechanisation
Easier/quicker shed washdown
Higher welfare???

Cons:
More labour required for sorting/loading
Lower growth rates???
Lower welfare??? From crowding and bullying?

Am i correct with my assumptions?

 

[DieselRob]

@Rob Holmes for me it was making use of an old cattle shed and just dipping my toe in and seeing what I thought about pigs, some days I look at all the muck and think I'm doing the right thing, at the end of the last batch I could've gone in the shed with a 12 bore and committed mass murder, there was just something not right and the pigs were unsettled. Keeping someone else's stock will never make you rich but it's a nice steady income stream and I use my own straw/want all the muck back. To bed up I've tried numerous options, apart from a bedding machine. I think I've finally got the solution for my system which is approx 20/22 4x3 bales laid out on their edge in the pens, just cut a bale as required, very little manual handling and at the end of the batch I only need a handful of round bales to top them up. The bales laid out also give them something to huddle in to when cold, and it's a boredom breaker as well!

For me it took very little capital to have a go, it didn't take much day to day labour and the number of pigs I could hold suited my neighbouring farm who's pigs they are. I'm 2 and a half years in now and I've invested in 2 bulk hoppers which I fill with the jcb and hold over 2.5t each, 2 river drinkers (tried nipples but shed layout didn't suit)

No they don't grow as fast and it is difficult to regulate temperature so your straw use is higher to keep them warm in winter and clean in summer. In terms of welfare I wouldn't say deep straw is poor welfare but bqp style would be higher due to being able to control their environment better

 

[beardface]

What are the pros and cons from deep litter pigs vs BQP system?
From what i can gather:

Pros:
Cheaper capital cost
Reduced daily labour
Make more use of mechanisation
Easier/quicker shed washdown
Higher welfare???

Cons:
More labour required for sorting/loading
Lower growth rates???
Lower welfare??? From crowding and bullying?

Am i correct with my assumptions?

We run a deep littler with large scrape area system and would say growth rates aren't particularly less. In fact last summer we had a batch that matched the pigs we had left on slats with a lower mortality. Sorting isn't to bad just need a decent size pen/yard outside the gate to jack and Jill marked pigs with boards. In fact I much prefer it to drawing 1 or 2 off at a time out of smaller pens. Straw use is higher but looking at getting a straw blower later in the year which should reduce it a bit. Personally I think a deep litter system with a gate half way down a long yard and muck/scrape the half where feeders are, then bed all the shed and open gate, each week would be the ideal system allowing rooting in the deep litter but keeping a cleaner mucking loafing area.

 

[midlandslad]

What value do people put on the FYM from finishing units?

 

[snarling bee]

I reckon £5-6k per 1000 pig places. That is weaner to finisher. 30kg to finisher would be more.
That is worked out on NPK values. FYM has more in it than that.

 

[maen]

Work out the cost of spreading it ? Must be free. Unless you are desperate. Digestate is free

 

[snarling bee]

I spread it myself, but a contractor would spread annual fym from 2000 pigs for £2k (1 loader, 3 spreaders, £200 hour, 10 hours) £10k worth of nutrients.
If you can get digestate supplied and spread for free then good on you. But I have pig FYM not digestate.

 

[ollie989898]

If you composted the dung down a bit you could even top dress established crops in spring. If you have a serious amount of pig muck you should never need to buy muck P or K and certainly the nitrogen bill should be much reduced.

 

[Matt]

If you composted the dung down a bit you could even top dress established crops in spring. If you have a serious amount of pig muck you should never need to buy muck P or K and certainly the nitrogen bill should be much reduced.

we have spread fresh pig fym into standing crops this spring with no noticiable smell.
Worsts was on a bit of thin wheat, where could see the ground all year.

 

[Matt]

I can’t claim to have a love of pigs but farmed dairy cattle for years and never liked those growing up.
farming is a business to me. It needs to be done well and run properly.
I farm to live not live to farm. Plenty of other things to do other than farm so if it’s not viable no point starting it.
not one of those who thinks because my ancestors farmed I have to or even need to.

@Muddy Plox
have you gone ahead with your pigs or on hold? pm me if you like. not far from you..

 

[l'ordinary bonville]

I have lots of pigs

But not many on straw and there will be fewer on straw this time next year.

Slatting out 2 sheds for sows at the moment, 2 more next year

Combine/straw chopped followed by direct drill, tanker slurry onto crops in spring and stubbles, no winter effort apart from pull a bung now and then

Or combine, straw gets rained on, frought calls to baling contractor, straw baled, some a bit on damp side, lead to farm whilst making wheelings all over field, stack, stack gets rained on, load up into yards, scrape out, bed up, muck into a heap, EA inspector shows interest, lead to a field heap, spread after finally clearing next years straw, more wheelings, need to cultivate wheelings, timeliness gone to rat sh!t

You get the point.

 

[Matt]

I have lots of pigs

But not many on straw and there will be fewer on straw this time next year.

Slatting out 2 sheds for sows at the moment, 2 more next year

Combine/straw chopped followed by direct drill, tanker slurry onto crops in spring and stubbles, no winter effort apart from pull a bung now and then

Or combine, straw gets rained on, frought calls to baling contractor, straw baled, some a bit on damp side, lead to farm whilst making wheelings all over field, stack, stack gets rained on, load up into yards, scrape out, bed up, muck into a heap, EA inspector shows interest, lead to a field heap, spread after finally clearing next years straw, more wheelings, need to cultivate wheelings, timeliness gone to rat sh!t

You get the point.

valid points.
do you finish pigs on slats?

 

[l'ordinary bonville]

valid points.
do you finish pigs on slats?

Breed and finish

But yes. All pigs from wean to slaughter are on slats plus some off site B&B finishers. Only breeding gilts and sows partially on straw