Here are a few pictures of the pigs in the field peas (and triticale). As it turns out, the pigs aren’t all that fond of the triticale, so in the future, I will plant the peas with oats instead, which I know they enjoy.
Rather than turn the pigs into large sections of the peas, we are strip grazing them to reduce the amount of trampling loss. In order to run a section of electronet across the peas, we need to weed whack a path, and as soon as the pigs here the weedwhacker start up, they come running because they’ve learned that the sound of the weedwhacker means a new strip of peas. We’ve been giving them a section every other day. The first day they eat the standing peas. The second day they clean up most of what they trampled.
[Added later: I should note that with the strip grazing, the pigs are wasting a lot of the pea vines, which is a valuable fodder. This morning I went over the strip from two strips ago. I found no peas at all, but quite a heavy mass of vines. Before the pea plants had set peas, the pigs readily consumed the vines. If we delayed the rotation, I suspect they would eat the trampled vines as well. However, we can't delay the rotation any longer than two days because the pigs need to get around the whole field before the last of the peas become over mature.]
July 23, 2010 at 8:35 am
Do you supplemental feed these guys when they’re out in legumes?
I’m curious how you minimise purchased grain feed and get the most pig food out of your paddocks.
July 23, 2010 at 9:01 am
Yes, I continue to provide free choice access to purchased grain while they are on pasture, whether a high protein legume pasture or a mixed grass pasture. They eat more or less of the purchased grain depending on how attractive the pasture is.
I just opened up a new strip of peas for the pigs this morning. Today we will see them at the grain feeder very little. Tomorrow when all there is left to eat of the strip is the trampled peas, they will spend more time at the feeder and less time cleaning up the trampled peas. The day after tomorrow when we open up another strip, they’ll eat very little grain out of the feeder, and so on.
The best way to minimize purchased grain is to provide grain plus legume/high protein pastures for finishing — corn undersown with clover or rape, for example. As long as you stay on top of the strip grazing, it would not be necessary to provide supplemental purchased grain on such a pasture. In the case of the field pea pasture, while the peas have a good bit of energy and protein, they do not put as much weight on the pigs as corn.
Also, you have to keep in mind that the pasture needs to provide adequate levels of the essential, limiting amino acids, such as lysine and methionine.
Rape, alfalfa (lucerne), and clover pastures plus supplemental grain are perfect for growing pigs (100 lbs or so) to finish (200-220 lbs), at which time they should be transitioned to a grain plus legume/high protein pasture for finishing. Savings with growing pigs on legume pastures can be in the neighborhood of 10%-15% after deducting the cost of the pasture.
July 23, 2010 at 5:01 pm
I’m also curious to know what your approximate stocking density is?
How many pigs do you run together and on how much land? How big are these strips?
I’m planning my own rotation at the moment and keen to learn from experience!
Thanks,
J
July 24, 2010 at 5:56 am
Hi Johnny,
My stocking rate averages about fifteen pigs per acre. For example, the pea pasture that I posted about is 1.5 acres and there are 25 pigs in the group running on it.
The largest group we have has thirty eight pigs in it, and they are being rotated on a three acre pasture, planted some to rape, some to peas plus triticale and half to peas plus triticale plus rape.
The strips range in size depending on the size of the group. For the group pictured in the post, we are giving them a strip that is 12.5 x 100 feet, or 1250 square feet, which amounts to a stocking density of fifty square feet per pig, and we give them a new strip every other day.
The strip for the group with thirty eight pigs is bigger, but it ends up being about the same stocking density, one pig per fifty square feet, and actually those strips could be even bigger because they are currently on a rape pasture and rape doesn’t get trampled as badly as the field peas, so it is not as important to size the strips based on trampling management.
Keep in mind that because the pigs require shelters, feeders, waterers, and wallows we do not move the back fence as often as we move the front strip fence. Basically we move the shelters, etc. and the back fence when the pigs have moved about 100-150 feet forward and/or the ground around the feeders, etc. is getting too beaten up.
Best regards,
Bob
March 1, 2012 at 3:15 pm
Thanks for your information if you get time could you explain what you plant for strip grazing when you plant each crop and when you let the pigs graze on them thanks again god bless you for helping others. Dale from ohio