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The slapmark on this porker is like a heavy duty tattoo

AS well as just feeding them, there are a few other things to consider in order to keep your weaners contented, healthy and thriving but first.

On re-reading last month's article on feeding, I realised that I'd left out a really useful piece of information: I generally find that it takes me around 150 Kg (or 3.2 cwt) of organic feed to take a pig from weaning at 8 weeks to achieving my desired pork weight at 6 months.

This is for a pig living outdoors, of course, and it is an average, so you could find it takes more or less but as a guideline I hope that's helpful. I find that the cheapest way to buy organic feed is to have it delivered by the tonne - that's 40 x 25 Kg bags on a pallet. Of course this is only possible if you have somewhere dry and vermin proof to store feed and it also assumes that you're going to use a full pallet, although there's always the possibility of sharing the load with a like minded neighbour. As well as having the feed at the best possible price it will also save you increasingly regular trips to the feed merchant and all the diesel or petrol that involves - you need to remember that as your pigs approach pork weight, the bag of feed that appeared to be bottomless when they were just weaned will seem to last no time at all, so a good supply of feed on hand is essential.

Bedding
Although pigs will often choose to sleep outdoors when the nights are short and the weather's warm, their house should have a decent straw bed in it so that they can rest comfortably, dry and draught free when they want to. I find that this is particularly valuable for young weaners, possibly they've just been separated from the company and warmth of the sow and the rest of the litter, so they do seem to appreciate a deep bed, banked up around the sides of the ark, that they can get really cosy in. Like all young things, piglets need rest as well as exercise and feed if they're to grow well so a good bed of straw is a really good investment. Despite all the bad press to the contrary, pigs are very clean and almost never dung in their bed. I won't say accidents never happen though, as I did once have some Saddleback cross Large White pigs that quite frankly didn't have the first idea about "house training" but in general the bedding will be in the house until you decide it needs refreshing and replace it with new.

Handling
Once they're too heavy and strong for you to pick up, if you have to move your pigs, you will need their co-operation if you're going to be successful. Of course a very sound first step is to have your pigs used to you rubbing their backs and around their ears while you talk to them.

As with all animals, any sort of nonsense will do just as long as you use a normal calm tone that they get used to. Don't expect newly-arrived weaners to instantly allow you to make a fuss of them. It will take time over a number of days for you to get them to accept you gently touching them. I would do this while they're feeding as their minds will be occupied with food and they'll be keen to get to the trough.

The next step is to get them used to following a bucket. They do need to be trained to do this and it's best to start at feeding time when they're hungry and looking for food. If they follow you for a while then feed them. Try to get them to follow you a little further each time. Rattle the bucket and use the same sort of call all the time, so that they associate the whole performance with getting food. If you do have to move them a distance then try and create a safe route with all the possible exits blocked. You go in front with the bucket and get someone else to follow them up with a pig board, like a movable wall. Do it calmly and don't run about and shout, try and keep the stress levels as low as possible.

When trying to secure a route you need to look at it from the pig's angle. The way a pig pushes is with its snout so having a couple of hurdles tied together at the top but loose at the bottom is never going to prevent a determined pig pushing its way through. Secure things at the level at which the pig will push - somewhere between the ground and their shoulder height. The other thing to remember is that all pigs seem to be particularly fond of apples as a treat. If there are none in the garden, some feed stores sell them bagged up for animals. Don't over do it, but get the used to the taste of apples and you've a special method of bribery available to you.

Slap marker, ink pad and ink (medium egg to show size)

I once lead a pair of porkers into the lairage at our local slaughterhouse with a couple of apples chopped up in a bucket and the man helping just said knowingly, "Oh, they're THAT sort of pig are they?" Now I'm not saying, like that chap was, that you should make pets of them, otherwise taking them to the butcher would be too emotional, but for small scale pig keeping you do need to socialise your pigs to the extent that dealing with them is pleasurable rather than traumatic - for either of you.

Loading
I train 6 month old porkers to go into the trailer by backing it up to their run for a day or two until they're used to seeing it. Then I drop the ramp into the pen, turning the electric fence off first and making sure there's a barrier of hurdles and the wings on the loading ramp to funnel them in the right direction, then I feed them on the ramp. Once they're front feet up the ramp, then I move the next feed into the trailer and they generally follow it. If one is a bit reluctant, it'll be hungrier next time and generally goes in like a rocket. I reckon to get them to load like this in a couple of days - say 4 feeds. Boars seem to be bolder than gilts.

Marking
Before you move pigs anywhere there are rules that must be followed. When pigs under 12 months old are moved between holding, they can be marked with a paintmark of a commercial stock marker. The seller will normally be quite happy to put a colourful spot on their backs for you. That mark should be recorded on the movement licence, even though it's temporary. When the time comes to move your porkers to slaughter they must be marked with a DEFRA herdmark. Once they're over 12 months old, all movements require the appropriate herdmark. That will be an alpha-numeric number like PQ5678 or even just Y1234. You can get that number by registering as a pig keeper with your local Animal Health Divisional Office. The herdmark can be on an eartag, or tattooed onto one ear, or applied to both shoulders as a slapmark. I prefer to apply a slapmark, which is a sort of heavy duty tattoo, a week or so before I take the porkers to the butcher. I have a metal frame about 6 inches long, that hold a series of metal panels. On each panel is a single character of my herdmark made up of metal point. You simply paint ink onto the points and then slap the pig on each shoulder. I do it at a feeding time, there's generally a bit of a squeal and then they carry on eating. It's quick and easy, a lot less difficult than trying to hold a porker while you tattoo its ear and it's can't get pulled off like an eartag.

12:27pm Thursday 1st March 2007

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