Regrass pig pen?

[mrsmojos]

Hello all,
Our first weaners have just left on the one way ticket, but ensured they had totally demolished the pen run prior to departure.
We aim to get more weaners in the spring and wanted to regenerate the ground whilst it's empty.
What grass is the most appropriate?
At present the ground is just a pile of thick deep mud, so all advice greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Sharpy]

Hello all,
Our first weaners have just left on the one way ticket, but ensured they had totally demolished the pen run prior to departure.
We aim to get more weaners in the spring and wanted to regenerate the ground whilst it's empty.
What grass is the most appropriate?
At present the ground is just a pile of thick deep mud, so all advice greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

Assuming you are uk based there is not much chance of grass seed germinating till April. If you are desperate you could turf it.

 

[mrsmojos]

Assuming you are uk based there is not much chance of grass seed germinating till April. If you are desperate you could turf it.

Hi,
I'm in Cornwall, we are going to open up another section of field to fence off and to put the new pigs in, but we were hoping to 'rehabilitate' the existing pen.
So do you think it won't be worth sowing anything until Spring - or is there a magic winter germinating seedling?

 

[bitwrx]

Fat hen seems to do well on our old pig paddocks. Self seeding, plenty of green cover, deep rooting.

Just watch it doesn't get away from you before sowing in the spring. We got into a helluva muddle in 2019 moving the pigs in the very early summer, and not sowing till late Sep. Fat hen was tall and woody and wouldn't go through discs, plough or drill. Should have waited till the spring...

 

[Sharpy]

Hi,
I'm in Cornwall, we are going to open up another section of field to fence off and to put the new pigs in, but we were hoping to 'rehabilitate' the existing pen.
So do you think it won't be worth sowing anything until Spring - or is there a magic winter germinating seedling?

You can mix seed with compost and spread out in trays or on a tarpaulin in say a greenhouse or other warm light area then moisten and germinate the seed then spread it out on the right day, does work but heavy on seed and labour. Depends on the size of the area and how desperate you are.

 

[Old Boar]

Not a lot you can do, I am afraid. Nothing will germinate in cold mud. As soon as it is fit to hold a tractor, disc it and bung some grass seed with clover on it. It wont be ready for pigs in April, but in May it may be.
It is not the grass the pigs need, but the soil needs to repair, and a coating of grass can help this. Land gets "pig sick" so if possible, build a new pen somewhere else and leave the current plot to regenerate by itself. This will also help with the worm burden etc.
Part of the joys of keeping pigs. On the plus side, the grass will continue to grow for years with all the pig muck in the soil!