Pig fencing in the woods

[QH Girl]

I have about 10 acres of woods behind my house that is overrun with ligustrums and scrub trees that I'd really, really like to get cleared out. There are some amazing old oaks/cedar/magnolia trees in there that you can only see the tops of because of the scrub trees.

DH and I have been talking about getting a couple of feeder pigs, and I was thinking maybe I could build their run partially in the woods to help with the scrub. I've read all about their determination to escape, so with that in mind:

1. What's the best fencing to run through the woods? We've talked about hog panels, but it's so thick in there I don't know how feasible that will be. I've never run a hot fence before. Can I run it through woods without it grounding? My horse fence is t-post/no-climb wire.

2. My property line is a steep creek. My horses have never tried to cross it. Will pigs?

Advice please! I'd love to have home grown pork

 

[vettechmomof2]

no help but bumping for ideas as your property sounds very similar to mine!

 

[KBlue]

I have no experience with pigs so I can't offer you any advice there, but I will say that goats are exceptional at clearing unwanted brush. They'll eat anything and once things are cleared, you'll get some tasty meals out of them.

But then, if you don't like goat meat, then this wouldn't work too well..

 

[Diamond Wire Farms]

How big of an area are you trying to fence in?
I would not depend on the creek as a boundary for pigs.
I would recommend fencing them out of any creek areas you don't want turned into permanent wallows.

 

[Lesa]

If you don't get any answers that work for you, you might want to ask the question on Backyard Herds. Good luck!

 

[Spoof]

Pigs are very smart, determined, and the turds can hear the electricity in a hotwire. The more space/entertainment they have the less they try to leave an area. Electric fencing works best in combination with other fencing, say a 3' panel and a low wire 4" off the ground to prevent rooting.

We raised 6 a year in a 20' x 30' x 3' panel enclosure (easily movable), would have escapees at least once a year. Friends had an acre with 4 pigs and regular square cattle fencing and never had escapees.

A hot fence needs to be grounded or it won't deliver a zap. A creek/ravine will not stop them - they love that type of terrain/mud/cool area.

Regarding fencing options probably hog panels. Movable and tough, don't have to worry about electricity.

 

[teeville5]

I wouldn't use the creek as a boundary either. As for fencing, I'm not an expert with that, but I think hog panels aren't going to be too helpful for you. First, you would need a lot of them $$$$$ and a way to solidify them properly because a determined 200lb pig will plow it down like it was nothing if not secured. We have a similar set-up to yours and we have 2 pigs as well, but they are in the barnyard and not out back. My DH has thought about using them to get our scrub down, but he says to do that you really need to go with electric fencing because once they've been zapped from touching it they will never go near it again. We've heard this from other people, too. Sorry I can't be too much help for you with this, but good luck in whatever you do.

Oh, and goats are excellent for this, too, as mentioned, which we are contemplating as well.

 

[QH Girl]

Thanks everybody. I was thinking about fencing at least a 1/2 acre, maybe more. I'm hoping that the more space I give them, the less they'll be inclined to wander.

I'm thinking we'll do t-posts and welded wire with a hot line on the inside. That way we can give them more room since it will be cheaper than hog panels. I'm only planning to keep them until they're big enough to butcher, but if it all works out we may try breeding a litter at a time.

I'll keep you posted on how it's going.

 

[Diamond Wire Farms]

It would also be worth your time to investigate breeds that tend to be easier on fencing.
But be aware that all pigs are individuals and Houdinis arise in all odds of genetics.

 

[carolinagirl58]

Dont' do welded wire....the welds break and it's not strong enough to pull tight. Use woven field fence wire instead. They make one for pigs that has closer spacing near the bottom. that, along with a good hot wire to keep them off the fence should keep them in nicely. Electric wire is the only way to go with hogs!