Pigs in woodland

[Dan7626]

I put this on the livestock section yesterday but had no response so just wondered if here would be any better.

Just wondering if anyone on here runs pigs in woodland and if so how do you go about it?
I'd imagine there's a lot of work involved with fencing etc, is there an ideal number of pigs for a certain sized area? How often do they need moving?
Are certain breeds more suited to woodland than others?
Obviously you couldn't put pigs in ancient woodland because of bulbs and certain plants, is there particular types of woodland they are better in?

Sorry for all the questions,
Dan.

 

[davieh3350]

Why in woodland?
seems a waste of their muck getting dropped in the woods.
electric fencing shouldn't be that hard unless it's really scrubby.

 

[ShooTa]

well youtube will be your friend tbh - https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=pigs+in+woods

 

[Danllan]

I used to run large blacks* in some beech woods; they were trained on two strands of electric from birth and we never had problems except from fallen branches - route your fence carefully and check regularly and you should be fine. Don't stock too heavily and be sure you to move them regularly. Best time of year is acorn or beech mast time; don't forget water and don't think a pond / lake / river is any sort of a barrier, I write from experience...

*Other breeds, non lop, may be more adventurous.

 

[Dan7626]

I used to run large blacks* in some beech woods; they were trained on two strands of electric from birth and we never had problems except from fallen branches - route your fence carefully and check regularly and you should be fine. Don't stock too heavily and be sure you to move them regularly. Best time of year is acorn or beech mast time; don't forget water and don't think a pond / lake / river is any sort of a barrier, I write from experience...

*Other breeds, non lop, may be more adventurous.

How many did you have on what sized area?
Have you seen many benefits to the woods as a result of having them?

 

[Danllan]

How many did you have on what sized area?
Have you seen many benefits to the woods as a result of having them?

They were in a friend's wood and I was involved for a few years; he didn't want the place trashed so we'd have one sow and her farrow in about an acre or so, once the place started to look rough we'd move her on to the next section, this would take up to two weeks. There were four or five sows on the go at any one time and eight blocks for each sow to rotate through, weaners going as soon as possible. This went through one half of the wood one year and the other half the next.

Depending on the time of year, the break of at least two months before the pigs returned would mean the woodland floor had a fair chance to recover. A hell of a lot of new flowers surfaced, but a hell of a lot of bluebells were trashed too. I'm a keen ornithologist and noted that the pig-free half of the wood was very rich in warblers ad the like following a year of the pigs being there.

After I ceased involvement the sow numbers were reduced accordingly and the wood was divided in to three blocks rather than two, meaning two years pig-free for each block; the benefits were great and the bluebells pretty much recovered. That went on for a few more years and then it stopped as a commercial venture and the numbers were reduced and put in on a free range basis - a couple of sows only being given the run of the whole of that year's block; this still goes on.

This was all possible because my chum was - is - in the butchery business and we had a ready market for the woodland pork - at a premium price - in wealthy Herts and through his father's shops. If you want to do this for home consumption, its a splendid idea; but I'd think very carefully before venturing it commercially without these r similar advantages.

 

[Dry Rot]

Briefly did it here, not really commercial. When I had the wood thinned years later, the guy cutting the trees remarked on the natural regeneration, so it was a good thing in that respect and the dung was not wasted.

 

[martian]

I've seen it done with Oxford Sandy and Blacks; they have big floppy ears which means they can't see too well where they are going so are less likely to break out. As Danllan says, 2 strands of electric held them nicely. The sows made their own nests and farrowed themselves, they'd all come trotting out on hearing a bucket rattling, sow and piglets in a crocodile. Completely charming. The martianess has been badgering me to get some ever since. Might be a good way to get rid of the shoot?

 

[Nearly]

@TripleSix

 

[Dan7626]

Thank you ever so much for all the replies, it's reassuring to hear that people have had success doing this.
It's certainly something to think about and something I'd love to try.
Just need to convince the boss now

 

[hendrebc]

I've seen it done with Oxford Sandy and Blacks; they have big floppy ears which means they can't see too well where they are going so are less likely to break out. As Danllan says, 2 strands of electric held them nicely. The sows made their own nests and farrowed themselves, they'd all come trotting out on hearing a bucket rattling, sow and piglets in a crocodile. Completely charming. The martianess has been badgering me to get some ever since. Might be a good way to get rid of the shoot?

Be a great way to get rid of a shoot
Pheasants have their own advantages though. I've never had slug problems in any crop I've had next to any pheasants from the shoot next door. As long as you can keep them out long enough to establish them properly

 

[Danllan]

Thank you ever so much for all the replies, it's reassuring to hear that people have had success doing this.
It's certainly something to think about and something I'd love to try.
Just need to convince the boss now

Piglets are really cute.

 

[Dan7626]

Piglets are really cute.

That should do it

 

[Danllan]

That should do it

Of course, they just can't help themselves... (he writes bravely while Mrs D is 20 miles away at work )

 

[Chasingmytail]

did it short term for home raised pork Plenty of people do it but will stop any new species growing through Good for clearance but not long term for woodland management

 

[Dan7626]

did it short term for home raised pork Plenty of people do it but will stop any new species growing through Good for clearance but not long term for woodland management

It would be mainly for clearance of scrub and undergrowth so will be moved regularly to prevent damage and also boredom.
Looking into it Oxford sandy and blacks look quite popular for woodlands.

 

[Peter Hitchcock]

It would be mainly for clearance of scrub and undergrowth so will be moved regularly to prevent damage and also boredom.
Looking into it Oxford sandy and blacks look quite popular for woodlands.

Did you end up getting some pigs? I've got 8 Oxford Sandy blacks coming into a wood at the end of month, so wondering how you got on?

 

[Rod Dumbreck]

Did you end up getting some pigs? I've got 8 Oxford Sandy blacks coming into a wood at the end of month, so wondering how you got on?

Do stick some photos up if you can, it would be great to see how they work the wood, and how you keep them.

 

[Rod Dumbreck]

Did you end up getting some pigs? I've got 8 Oxford Sandy blacks coming into a wood at the end of month, so wondering how you got on?

I just though Id bump this thread a bit in the hope of some pictures of your pigs, I gave my wife a pair of Oxford S&B glits for her birthday in March on the strength of the writeup in this thread, and it will soon be time to fence a bit of ground for them. I was hoping to persuade you all to post some pictures of your pigs behind a couple of wires to give me a bit of confidence that this is going to work.

 

[Av Gorritt]

I went to look at a VERY run down farm in W.Cumberland many years ago with the possibility of buying it . There was a big area of it overgrown scrub with all kinds of weeds, rhododendrons . and brambles through it all . I thought then that the easiest way of reclamation would have been free range pigs , but it all came to nothing as I was looking for an income as well ! I was also a bit afraid of the rhododendrons possibly being poisonous .