Pasture Farrowing
Pasture Farrowing (free range) is one of the oldest hog raising systems, and can solve some of the problems introduced by technology, pollution and energy. Modern systems will continue to have problems with waste handling and increasing cost of energy. Government regulations restrict use of drugs, which are necessary for confinements but not with pasture raised animals.
In addition to the better health of pasture raised/farrowed pigs, we should also be concerned about our health with both working in a confined environment with hogs and in what we consume. Clean ground and green grass will eliminate almost all disease problems. Pasture raised/farrowed animals eliminate the need for lagoons, exhaust fans, pits disinfecting, etc.
Setting up the pastures for pigs
The Port a Huts, sows, feeders, and water should be put in the pasture a week before farrowing. We recommend bedding the Port a Huts with 1/3 bale of straw. Use electric fencing for closing off an area and keeping them within a certain space for rotation cycles. A shelter or two can be put in each plot to house sows before they farrow, keeping most farrowing huts clean and unused before the sow picks her own hut to farrow in. These large shelters can be moved to the next plot as soon as farrowing is done in this plot.
We recommend 15 sows and huts per acre. In this concentration you will find that sows will make a nest in a hut rather than out in the open. This would be a maximum of 60 sows to a 4 acre plot if they all farrow within 7 days. If not, you could have smaller plots to have pigs all farrowed in 7 days in one particular lot. Use the pig rollers add on for the Port a Huts to keep the baby pigs in the huts for 10-14 days, until they are old enough to climb over. This keeps the pigs from mixing and also gets the sow return to her hut. Rollers should be removed as soon as pigs are able to climb over, after 10-14 days from birth. Rollers can then be used on the next new litters, thus making the number of rollers required less than the total huts, about 25%.
Crop rotation cycle
We have a 3 year rotation in the operation. The first year is sows farrowing on alfalfa. The second year corn, to get the advantage of manure that was spread with no labor or equipment cost to you. The third year oats are seeded down. The fourth year back to sows and pigs. On flat or poorly drained land, you should put in permanent ridges when you are plowing for the corn crop. We use a moldboard plow and make a head land and a dead furrow every 30-40 feet. This may be a little inconvenient for large field equipment, but will pay dividends in the farrowing rotation. Placing huts on ridges will eliminate problems of heavy rain and extended wet conditions. If you have rolling or well drained land, this will not be a problem.
We prefer a one litter system, farrowing a gilt in the spring and saving gilts from that farrowing for the next spring. Gilts which are one year old at farrowing time can be sold as capital income (pending tax change). A one litter system gives you a larger percentage of capital income per year, over a sow that is kept for several farrowings.
Therefore, in a pasture system you can eliminate the problems of heating, cooling, and waste handling. Manure is all spread automatically with very little odor, another benefit of free range/pasture farrowing. You can structure the plot to have all sows come to a central feed and water station saving time and energy.
Your capital is not fixed to any piece of real estate!
The pasture system gives you the choice to stop production temporarily and farm the land with row crops, because of the low cost of equipment that would lay idle. Because of its very portable nature, people from a great distance can buy and move it to their operation or farm. The Port a Huts can be stacked in piles of 10 or 15 to save space when not in use.
Costs and flexibility
Multiple farrowings of 2-3 or more can be produced in the pasture. You will need other plots to put sows and pigs in before weaning or a place to put the weaned pigs, and then you can use the same land and huts over again on rotation. In the warmer climates the animals can be rotated and year around on different plots. In northern Iowa you can start to farrow by the middle of April and as late as October.
The cost of feed will be about the same as other facilities except the time when your hogs have a green crop to graze from. During that time, your supplement cost can be cut down by approximately 50%. Feeder expense will be the same in any system. Water systems may cost more, because of extra pipe to pasture, but this will depend upon how far the pastures are from a water source. Smaller operations will be just about as efficient as large operations in the pasture. If structured well, you will never need to carry feed or water to a sow and her pigs or have a need to clean a pen.
This pasture system not only gives you the advantage of low cost, but it also has the clean ground, green grass effect with healthier animals. It also eliminates the stress put on hogs in a traditional confined setup. Sows and pigs are allowed to come and go at will, which has potential to eliminate any feeding or water chores.
Acquire portable shelters
We have several dealers throughout the USA and Canada, to provide you with our top quality portable shelters. Our shelters are made in the USA from heavy galvanized corrugated steel with an angle iron frame. To acquire, view our dealers to locate one near you.