Pigs after cattle

[dt995]

Only on a smallholding scale, but I'm looking at the deep cattle bed as it grows through the winter. Obviously it's pretty densely compacted straw and shite. Last year after they went out in Spring I piled it all up to aerate and get it composting before it was spread months later. With my horrible old tractor though that takes me some hours that I don't particularly enjoy. If I put some pigs in there after the cows go out would they be happy digging around in it to churn it all up, or is that an awful idea?

 

[JP1]

Only on a smallholding scale, but I'm looking at the deep cattle bed as it grows through the winter. Obviously it's pretty densely compacted straw and shite. Last year after they went out in Spring I piled it all up to aerate and get it composting before it was spread months later. With my horrible old tractor though that takes me some hours that I don't particularly enjoy. If I put some pigs in there after the cows go out would they be happy digging around in it to churn it all up, or is that an awful idea?

Great idea and the pigs will love it too

Joel Salatin does this

He has a central hay barn with lean-to cattle yards and hay racks that gradually winch up as the muck builds

Every now and then he put a few maize cobs in the muck as it builds.

He then turns sows in after cattle Spring turn out and lets them do the work

 

[dt995]

Ah-ha. Your mention of Joel Salatin has led me back to an article I think I read a long time ago.

https://www.permaculture.co.uk/arti...t-manure-farm-scale-saving-you-fuel-and-money

I haven't been burying treats in mine though, unless the odd bits of grain left on the straw count.

 

[Bootneck]

I read about putting grain or maize in as the bed builds up but I reckon the rats would have it all well before I put any pigs in. But I would be interested to know if it works without putting maize on.

 

[dt995]

I started chucking some in but the cows just wanted to snuffle around in the sh!t to find it so I've stopped again now.

 

[Coximus]

If you keep the muck alive the pigs will love it and fo. A couple eek or two eat very little. I found using woodchip on ith the straw kept the muck from compacting and the red wiggles worms went nuts. It was seething then the pigs devoured them and barely ate their feed. Sadly the guy I was working for decided afterwards that he didn't like pigs as they were an arse to work with.

 

[dt995]

This wasn't as effective as I'd hoped. They kept turning the top over a lot, but weren't interested in digging deep down into the bed. Perhaps if I'd been able to put treats throughout from the start, but perhaps that wouldn't have worked either.