Raising Pigs Outdoors on a Smallholding Humanely

Why Outdoors Suits Pigs and Smallholdings Alike

Pigs are woodland animals by nature. Give them soil to root in, shade to lie up under and room to move, and you will see the whole repertoire: snout-deep in turf, shoulder-deep in a wallow, turning compacted ground into something crumbly and workable. Outdoor keeping is not only better for the pig — it is usually simpler on a smallholding. Bedding stays drier, ammonia does not build up in a shed, and the muck lands where you want it rather than on a heap you then have to fork out.

The catch is that pigs test every part of your setup. Get the fencing, shelter, feed and paperwork right and they are a pleasure to keep. Cut corners and you will spend your evenings chasing weaners down a lane.

Fencing That Holds Its Ground

Heavy pig netting with small bottom squares is the traditional boundary, backed up with electric wire. Pigs investigate with their noses, so the teaching strand wants to sit low — around 15 to 20 cm off the ground, with a second strand at roughly 45 cm. Use straining posts on corners, brace them properly, and put a stake in every three metres or so.

Electric netting is the smallholder's ally for paddock rotation, because you can move it yourself in an afternoon. A few practical points:

• Power: buy an energiser with more output than you think you need. Wet grass and long runs of netting sap voltage quickly, and a weak pulse simply teaches pigs that the fence is bluffing.
• Earthing: drive a good earth stake into damp soil, not into a dry bank. Most "fence not working" problems are earthing problems.
• Training: pen newcomers inside a small electric pen for 48 hours before you open the gate to the wider field. Two or three respectful shocks and they will treat a single strand as a wall.
• Gates: hang them so they cannot be lifted off their hinges, and fit a catch a pig cannot nuzzle open. Pigs are famously good at solving gate latches.

Shelter, Shade and a Good Wallow

Pigs have almost no sweat glands and burn easily, so shade is welfare, not luxury. A simple ark or three-sided hut, facing away from the prevailing wind and rain, will do for most small-scale setups. Bed it deeply with straw — pigs will burrow into it and keep warm even on a hard frost. Allow roughly one square metre per growing pig and considerably more for a sow with piglets.

A wallow is the other essential. A shallow scrape lined with clay, kept topped up with water, lets pigs cool down and protects their skin from sun and parasites. Site it downhill of the shelter and away from your water trough, because pigs will happily drink from the wallow given half a chance. In summer, a shaded wallow can mean the difference between a contented herd and a panting, sunburnt one.

Feed, Water and the One Rule You Cannot Bend

Growing pigs generally do well on a good compound grower ration fed twice daily, with amounts adjusted as they grow; breeding stock need a different formulation and closer attention to condition. Feed from a trough on hard standing if you can, because pigs will root grain into the soil and waste it, and spilled feed attracts rats and wild birds.

Water matters more than most people expect: a growing pig drinks around 10 to 15 litres a day, and a lactating sow can take 30 litres or more. Check troughs twice daily in hot weather.

Then the rule that has no exceptions: it is illegal to feed kitchen scraps or any catering waste to pigs in the UK. This ban exists to keep African swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease out of the national herd. Not a crust of bread, not a pan of vegetable peelings. Keep a lidded bin well away from the pig paddock and make sure visitors know the score.

Welfare Standards and the Paperwork

Anyone keeping pigs in the UK must register as a keeper with the Animal and Plant Health Agency, hold a County Parish Holding number for the land, and obtain a herd mark. Pigs must be identified before they move, and movements recorded on the relevant system for your nation. Standstill rules — usually twenty days — restrict what can leave a holding after new pigs arrive, with some exemptions, so plan batches rather than buying on impulse.

You are also expected to work to the statutory welfare code for pigs: dry lying areas, access to feed and water, protection from extremes of weather, and prompt veterinary attention when something is wrong. Routine mutilations are tightly restricted, and anything beyond the earliest days is a job for a veterinary surgeon. Fallen stock must be disposed of through an approved route; burying is restricted in many areas, so check before you dig.

Rotating Ground and Planning the Year

Pigs are superb land improvers if you move them before they turn a paddock into a quagmire. A useful rule of thumb is ten to fifteen growing pigs per acre, rotated every two to four weeks, with the ground rested for at least four to six weeks in summer and much longer over winter. Keep a notebook of which paddock held which pigs and when, and you will start to see the pattern of your own land.

Winter is where outdoor systems come unstuck. If your soil is heavy clay, plan to bring pigs onto a hard-standing area with a bark or sand base from November to March rather than churning the fields. Done well, the herd leaves behind darker, looser, more fertile ground — and you get a freezer full of pork you know the history of.