Moving Pigs REALLY FAST

Part of keeping pigs outside is rotating them to fresh pasture when they root up their current location. We’ve figured it that can be pretty easy if we let them get just a little hungry and then move the feed and water – they follow us right over, and we close the fence behind them. Here’s what that looks like…

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/28732471 w=640&h=360]

The shot is of the new area – they had been to the left (you can’t quite see the single strand of electric fence over there.) First we drag the waterer over, then the smaller feeders, then we roll in the big feeder and put out some feed. All the pigs come over at the same time and we close the fence behind them, which is what we’re doing over to the side when the video ends.

The reason for the different types of feeders is that a large, dominant, greedy pig can prevent other pigs from eating if all the feed is in one place. Those green (I know, everything looks green in this video) satellite feeders help spread out the eating opportunities so all the pigs grow at a more even rate.

Also, as an addition to Tom’s butchering post, here’s the upside of having to butcher a pig – HOMEMADE BACON!