http://www.ottermoon.com/
Using Hogs in the Garden
By Joel Orcutt
An excellent idea , i had to put on OM.com
A great solution for eradicating weeds and grasses such as Johnson and Bermuda, while at the same time converting leftover mulch and crop residues into worked-in compost, is by the use of hogs in movable pens (aka, a "hog tractor"). With a little planning ahead, both the hogs and the garden will benefit, and by using the movable pens, both actions can take place at the same time. The plan can work year-round or for a period of 6-8 months, the latter providing plenty of time to fatten-up the hogs for butchering. A minimal amount of a good feed such as 15% protein pellets fed in conjunction with the grazing will get a hog to the 250-300 lb range within the 6-8 month period.
I construct a movable pen that is lightweight and easy to move by welding two 8’ sections of pipe between two 12’ pipes. It is helpful if the ends of the 12’ side pipes are bent up at an angle to make skidding the pen easier. The 8’ sections are welded about two inches higher than the side pipes. I then weld an upright that is approx. 5’ tall on the four corners and two intermediates at 6’ on each side. I then bolt a 2"x4" around the top. The sides can be fenced with field wire, stock paneling, or even chainlink, tied to the bottom with baling wire, and stapled or nailed to the top railing. One corner can be unwired to be used for access into the pen. I bolt water and feed troughs into the front corners. To provide shade and shelter, I use a tarp, an old piece of carpeting, an 8’ piece of plywood, an old tin, ect., and fasten it to the top on the back 4’ of the enclosure. For wintering over, some side materials can be draped or tacked-on for a windbreak. This pen moves easily by hanging a chain on the front corners and slowly dragging the structure. I leave chains hooked on the pens and keep a clevis on the back of the tractor; thus it’s a two minute job to move the length of the pen every day or two. I’ve moved pens with a pickup truck, a passenger car, and a riding lawn mower-type garden tractor for testing and all worked just fine.
If a cover crop was planted on garden ground in the fall, I bring the hogs onto the ground in early spring. One pen covers approximately 100 square feet and is moved about every 2 days while the pigs are still small. After they have gotten to be about 100 lbs they can root-up the area of the pen in a day or two at the most. As they are being moved every few days there is no great waste buildup. The garden can be started by shallow plowing or, if in sandy soil such as mine, by harrowing the areas already rooted-out by the hogs. Heavier soil could be tilled and raked or disked and harrowed, ect. Using the hog method practically eliminates the need for plowing. The cover crop and whatever residue left from the last fall will be churned down and composted by the hogs while being fertilized in the process. The moving can proceed with the planting right up until the late crops are planted. When the early crops are taken out the pens should be moved over those areas.
During "off" times when the garden is growing and few crops are being taken out, I move the pens between the wide rows of blackberry and grapes to keep those areas cultivated. Also any unused area can be used to locate the pens for slow times and the feeding can be upped to compensate. A word of caution: I never grow crops in which the fruits are very near or resting directly on freshly-manured ground, but prefer to let the ground "cool down" and make sure it’s well tilled before planting. Also, a good distance should be maintained between where you are harvesting the vegatables and where the animals are living. Plan to move the pens onto areas that will not be in direct contact with producing areas and where the surface runoff water will not spread waste matter from the pens onto bearing crops.
If the pens are moved every day or two, there is no great buildup of waste, and what there is can be quickly absorbed and worked into the ground. With tall standing crops such as corn that are heavy feeders, you can plant in "hotter" ground with no problems. As the pens are making the second move over the garden to compost the crop residue, I sow buckwheat and various mustards, lettuce, turnips, ect. behind the pens in small areas by broadcasting seed and harrowing it in. The same thing can be done by broadcasting and raking even if doing only a couple hundred square feet at a time. When up and growing, these areas make good grazing. This is done repeatedly and I seldom lack for a good area with something growing on it which I can keep moving the pens onto. I grow about an acre of dent field corn and of course am throwing in all of the vegetable leftovers as feed also. It’s important that the hogs be given the 15% protein pellets at all times as the grazing will not always supply the needed protein. This will insure that the hogs gain weight continually throughout the summer. Also, hogs must have shade and plenty of water for drinking and wallowing in when it’s hot.
All extra fruits and vegetables are suitable as feed, although I’ve found that squash, cucumbers and other blander type items are met with much more gusto at feeding time if chopped into a five gallon bucket, slightly salted, covered with a little water and then left to sit overnight. Rotted and rank cabbages, pumpkins, and of course any leftover eartips of corn from processing makes good feed as well. An excellent feed is the hay produced from peanuts. Moving the pens often cuts down on the fly and smell problems generally associated with keeping hogs. As the hogs are never in one spot for too long, there is no need to worry about over-fertilization by an excessive amount of nitrogen which would be detrimental and might tend to make some crops "burn". While not totally eradicating all weeds or Johnson and Bermuda grasses, these problems are now minimal instead of being the main focus of much valuable time and effort. I’ve had up to six hogs in transit pens on my 2 acre garden while the garden was growing.
The hogs can be sold or butchered in 6-8 months, and should be 250-300 lbs by that time. I’ve taken a hog from 30 lbs to over 300 lbs in six months several times. The hogs should not be ringed and will not attempt to root out as long as the pen is moved and they have plenty to eat. I "finish" a hog out on cracked corn several weeks prior to slaughter, and then give them nothing other than plenty of water the day right before butchering. I have constructed some temporary hog pens from wooden pallets spiked together that can be moved by skidding, although they must be renailed periodically as they tend to pull apart after several moves. The best thing about these pens is that they were totally free for the taking and were very quick and easy to put together.
Those plastic buckets that are used a lot nowadays can be split length-ways to make good feed and water troughs. Of course, you must get the ones that have both ends intact, and also make certain there is no residue of whatever product was formerly stored in the bucket. If in doubt about a bucket that may have stored harmful chemicals, either wash it VERY thoroughly or don’t use it at all. If the split buckets are to be placed on the ground, nail a short board at ground level on each end to keep it from rolling over. This method has worked very well for me for the past two growing seasons and my ground is in better shape with less effort. By using thee pens, I can decide exactly when and what area of my garden will be grazed as opposed to having the entire garden being grazed at one time.