Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
them easy to put up. They are 34 to 54 inches tall by 16 feet long. You can buy them new or
used. Used is fine, and you will save money if you buy them secondhand. You may consider
wooden-slatted fencing if the slats are close together. This kind of fencing will keep shoats in-
side the pen, and larger pigs cannot push through it. If you use wooden-slatted fencing, you
will need to make sure that the slats are placed close to the ground so young shoats cannot
crawl under the fence. You may wish to place some wire fencing at the base of the fence or
run a strand of electric fencing around the bottom of the fence to keep small pigs from trying
to dig their way out. Like many animals, pigs usually think the grass is greener on the other
side of the fence.
You can purchase hog panels at the Tractor Supply Company store (
www.tractorsupply.com
)
and at feed supply stores. You may be able to find hog panels for sale secondhand on
Craigslist or in your local newspaper at a significant savings. You can check with local farm-
ers to ask if they know anyone who may have some to sell. You might find hog panels for sale
at livestock auctions. You will be able to find wooden-slatted fencing at most home supply
stores, such as Home Depot, or you can go to a lumber yard and purchase the lumber to build
the fence to your specifications.
You also can use electric fencing to keep your pigs in place. It is economical — a 4,000-foot
coil of electric fence wire is $100, and a 5-mile AC electrical fence controller to send electri-
city through the wire is about $40. Electric fencing is easy to find in home supply stores and
other places, but probably you will have the widest selection in a store such as Tractor Supply
Company. Pigs learn quickly to stay away from the fence. If you are worried that the electric
shock will hurt your pigs, you can try touching the wire yourself. The shock is unpleasant, but
it is not harmful. If you put up electric fencing, put up two strands of wire. One strand should
be about 4 inches off the ground to prevent young pigs from scampering under, and the
second strand should be 12 to 16 inches off the ground to keep larger pigs from leaning over
the wire. For additional security, you can add a third wire 30 inches off the ground. Make sure
you mark the wire every few feet with caution tape to warn the pigs, as well as yourself and
other visitors to your farm, where the wire is.
If you are fencing a larger area, such as a pasture where pigs will be raised, electric wire,
barbed wire combined with electric wire, and electrified netting are all possibilities if you are
fencing large tracts of land where pigs will be grazing. Field fencing is one of the most ex-
pensive options, and it is hard to install, but this kind of fencing can last up to 50 years. You
will not need to replace this kind of fence in the near future, and it will do an excellent job of
