Small-scale Outdoor Pig Breeding E-Book

Wendy Scudamore

• Herausgeber: Crowood
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

Small-scale Outdoor Pig Breeding is a comprehensive guide to breeding and rearing pigs in natural conditions without compromising their well-being. The book provides support for novice pig-keepers hoping to breed their own pigs. Moreover, it also acts as a valuable reference for more experienced breeders and offers information about different breeds of pigs and their respective needs. Topics covered include: choosing a breed; selecting a boar; hogging and mating; gestation care; farrowing; and hand rearing. This invaluable reference guide to breeding and rearing pigs is aimed at all pig-keepers, whether novice or more experienced, and also smallholders, farmers and rare breed enthusiasts. Fully illustrated with 77 colour photographs and diagrams.

Leseprobe

Small-scale OutdoorPig Breeding

Wendy Scudamore

THE CROWOOD PRESS

First published in 2011 byThe Crowood Press LtdRamsbury, MarlboroughWiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This revised e-book edition first published in 2015

© Wendy Scudamore 2011

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 78500 064 5

Disclaimer

The author and publisher do not accept any responsibility in any manner whatsoever for any error or omission, or any loss, damage, injury, adverse outcome, or liability of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any of the information contained in this book, or reliance upon it

Illustrations by Caroline PrattPhotographs by the author unless indicated otherwise

Frontispiece: Wendy Scudamore with some of her Kunekune pigs(photo courtesy of George and Dani Clarke, Hi Key Studios)

CONTENTS

Dedication and Acknowledgements

Introduction

  1.     Forward Planning

  2.     Choosing Your Breeding Stock

  3.     Hogging and Mating

  4.     Gestation Care

  5.     Farrowing

  6.     Care of Piglets

  7.     Hand Rearing

  8.     Weaning

  9.     Problems

10.     Marketing and Selling Your Piglets

Appendix I: Frequently Asked Questions

Appendix II: Case Studies

Appendix III: Breeds of Pig

Glossary

Further Information

Index

DEDICATION

This book is first dedicated to Sybil – my breeding sow, who taught me so much in her short life. Sybil stirred in me the love of pigs which inspires me to get out there, every day, come rain, shine, snow or sickness, and care for my pigs.

Secondly, to all the hundreds of thousands of pigs who languish in indoor pig units across the world – pigs who will never have the joy of nest building, the comfort of a thick straw bed and the delight of earth around their snouts; pigs who will never feel the glory of cold mud on their sun-baked skin.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My thanks for the support I have received with this book are endless!

First my grateful thanks to Linda MacDonald Brown for her encouragement and enthusiasm, which gave me the incentive to begin writing. Her unstinting support along the way has been invaluable. Thanks also to my family who have learned to cook, clean and generally housekeep while I have sat at my computer! Their love and support is never taken for granted and I hope they will be proud to see the finished product in print.

Many of the photographs have been supplied by others, particularly Liz Shankland, who has helped me so many times – thanks Liz, and to Dani and George Clarke of Hi-Key studios – dear friends and another endless source of support. Thanks to Shirley and Tracey for their hours spent reading and re-reading to give me their valuable feedback.

A special thank you to Dominic Alexander, my vet, not only for his excellent veterinary care but also for allowing me to learn from watching his operations and for supplying me with his own photographs.

And finally, thank you to Marcus Bates of the British Pig Association for permission to reproduce information about the breed standards.

INTRODUCTION

Outdoor pig breeding is a subject rarely covered in depth in available texts.

For many years now I have had the pleasure of taking in other people’s sows, mating them with one of my boars and returning them to their owners carrying a litter of piglets. However, when the expected dates of delivery loom closer, my telephone starts to ring, my inbox is unusually full, and the questions begin. I’m happy to help and always tell my customers to treat me as an ‘on call’ midwife for their pig, but by writing this book, I hope to give all prospective pig breeders the confidence to ‘go it alone’. The book has been written to answer all those questions, and the pictures have been included for constant comparison to the reader’s own pig, and reassurance that everything is as it should be.

Rest assured that pigs are intelligent, relaxed and sensible creatures, and can and will manage their own reproduction without much help from us – but if you are a small-scale, outdoor pig keeper, then I know it will be important to you to be sure to get everything right, not to cut corners, nor miss opportunities which may compromise the wellbeing of your stock.

Sadly the majority of pigs being bred today are bred in large indoor pig units. Their litters of piglets are produced in very unnatural conditions from conception to weaning, and are subject to an intensive production programme requiring profitable returns and leaving no room for a pig to indulge herself in her natural habits, pastimes and functions.

The sows themselves are short-lived, so everything is geared towards the highest return on the smallest investment. The blame does not lie with the farmers or producers, but with society itself and our demand for ‘so much, for so little’.

Take the time to acquaint yourself with pigs, as I have been lucky enough to do: watch their behaviour, hear their constant dialogue, oversee their matings, pregnancies and farrowings, and then allow yourself the luxury of spending time with your litters, getting to know their quirky individualism. When you have done so, I challenge you to walk into a supermarket and come out with a packet of the cheapest sausages, and walk away with a clear conscience. Personally, I don’t think it can be done.

If you should decide to breed your pigs, I wish you success, and if I can help any further, please contact me.

CHAPTER 1

FORWARD PLANNING

When I bred from my first Kunekune gilt, Sybil, I asked myself the question: ‘If she had ten piglets and I couldn’t sell any of them, would I be prepared to keep all ten?’ The answer was ‘yes’. Had the answer been ‘no’, then maybe I would never have started breeding pigs. As it was, I was prepared for the possibility that I would be stuck with the whole litter, and I actually only intended having one litter.

Sybil did indeed give birth to ten piglets; nine lived, and all were sold apart from the two we chose to keep. Since then we have never looked back, and after many litters, hundreds of wonderful piglets, many joys and a few tragedies, I will share with you what I have learned so far.

I begin on a cautionary note, as far too often I have seen enthusiastic people start with more than they can cope with, maybe at the wrong time of year, and with little experience under their belts. They bulldoze forwards without giving a lot of thought to what they will do with the piglets, and hoping to glean enough information from friends and neighbours along the way to equip them with the necessary knowledge. This is more a case of crossing the bridges when they manifest themselves, than being prepared for such an undertaking – and pig breeding is an undertaking. It will involve a financial commitment, a dedication, and a commitment of time and energy.

Anyone who goes into small-scale, outdoor pig breeding thinking they will make a living from breeding and selling piglets will be sorely disappointed. Even the most experienced and successful breeders of pigs don’t make a living from piglet sales: there is simply not the demand, the prices are not high enough, and the market is not wide enough to enable you to make sufficient income from the number of pigs that you will be able to produce on a small scale.