When is the best time of year for free range pigs? Autumn!
We really only seem to have 2 seasons in Saskatchewan, Winter and Summer! Summer comes and goes so fast!
We have been extremely lucky this year and not had a massive dump of snow - yet, and at the beginning of November it actually feels like Autumn - or Fall as the Canadians call it.
The pigs are taking full advantage of the milder weather and getting in some extra rooting time!
Check out our super short video on YouTube!
Getting pigs onto a trailer without the stress - and no electric stock prods!
Loading pigs can be really stressful - on both the pig and the people.
Loading pigs can be really stressful - on both the pig and the people.
I have heard so many horror stories! People get really angry when a pig won’t get on a trailer.
How can it not know what we want it to do?
Pigs aren’t stupid! People loading them aren’t stupid - but you have to realize there is a language barrier lol.
People think that pigs should understand what “come on get up there” means. Why won’t they get on? They don’t like being pushed into strange places. If you have a good loading system this is a lot easier - but can still be stressful in many cases.
Homesteaders and Free Range pig farmers are not oftenset up with a nice loading system. So we have to improvise!
Use what works! What do pigs understand?
Pigs understand - Food!
We use food as a motivator - we NEVER use electric shock prods - we don’t even own one! Why would we when they will happily follow the food.
The video is the first time these pigs were loaded. They didn’t all go on but that is ok, because next time they will.
You may want to move your pigs to a new place on the farm - if they have been in an electric-fenced area this can also be hard to do - get them to follow the food - it’s easier!
We feed ours on the trailer, shut the door while they eat, then let them off. Do this a few times - and randomly - they are no longer scared and will happily jump up there for you.
A trailer is a perfect safe solution for treating a sick animal or quarantining any new livestock you bring on to your property.
We also use the trailer ready for their new home - this makes transferring them to their new owner less stressful. They will go on our trailer but a new trailer and new people - they have “stranger danger”
To ensure success - make sure they are hungry - it’s harder to do if they have been on self-feed and don’t need to eat!
Get them in the habit of doing this and you can load them anywhere - deen the middle of a field!
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Based on our experiences free ranging pigs in Saskatchewan, this downloadable guide is packed with tips on housing, feeding, watering, fencing and handling pigs.