TALES FROM TRAPROCK FLATS aBy Judy Barnet
As I sat on the verandah on Sunday afternoon sipping a well earned coffee I heard a commotion in the garden – the hens and chickens were going berserk. I shot out the back door and as I went round the corner, I came face to face with a ginormous goanna near the leaky garden tap!
He must have been coming for a drink. I don’t know who had the biggest fright but luckily for me he did a 180 and shot off back the way he had come. He definitely wasn’t the same one as we had a couple of weeks ago – this one had a lot more yellow on him.
Our backyard has been a hive of activity lately with lizards and frogs galore, as well as frequent sightings of what we think is the Yellow Faced Whip snake.
Our weekend guests had a beautiful Kelpie, Murphy, the same age as Dora so we took the two dogs down for a swim in the dam. They had a great time. Dora is quite trustworthy now (or so I thought) so I didn’t tie her up after lunch while I was pottering around. Last time I saw her she was asleep on the kitchen floor. When it came time to feed her I realised she wasn’t around. She had snuck off down to the dam and was playing with Murphy again!
In my usual hectic state I didn’t worry too much that I hadn’t heard from anyone at the Stanthorpe Show about taking the sheep this year. I did feel a bit guilty that I hadn’t made an effort to contact them as I am such a big supporter of shows but on the other hand I also promised myself I would slow down this year one way or another. However, I did receive a phone call yesterday asking me to bring a collection of different sheep breeds so it happens that I will be heading off early Friday morning to the show.
Dear Richie will be looking after the sheep on Saturday as I will be working. I will have some super cute Babydoll weaner lambs, and even a few for sale, so if you are attending the show drop in and say hello. I will also have English Leicester, Dorset Horn, Shropshire, and Damara sheep on display.
We have been blessed to receive 51 mm of rain this week. The house tanks are full and the grass is responding nicely. The garden loved the boost that only a rainstorm can give and the Cos lettuce almost doubled their size overnight! The extreme heat is knocking some of the plants though. I am already planting seeds in punnets for autumn but not having much success at getting them up at this stage.
PIG HOUSING
There are many ways of housing pigs and it comes down to budget and available resources. I will list a few but they all have two important features that are essential if you are to be a successful pig keeper. Those feature are ventilation and insulation. From piglets to porkers and breeding sows good housing is as essential as feed and water.
Protection from temperature extremes and a dry house will reap benefits in good pig health, feed conversion and low mortality. A couple of weeks ago I described how pig disease is caused by stress creating a weakened immune system and how substandard housing is one of the highest factors contributing to stress in pigs.
I have seen quite a few different types of pig housing in my time, ranging from the appalling, such as one or two sheets of tin over a mud hole, to the grand, a Besser block Taj Mahal, the latter being well designed with a concrete floor and drain at the end as well as power for a heating lamp to keep piglets warm and safe. I have seen houses made from big rectangular bales of hay or straw that also have a lot of advantages, especially in free range piggeries. There are plenty of books on pig housing, so do your research. The important thing is that the pigs can stay at even temperatures and dry at all times. If you are catering for multiple sows then space and size also needs to be taken into consideration.
With regard to water the best tip I can give here is to forget about containers, bathtubs or troughs with floats. The only way to go is Pig Nipples or auto pig waterers, the latter being suited to suckers and growers, not sows and boars. These need to be set up on galvanised risers as pigs will quickly break poly ones.
Proper housing and watering are the best investments you will ever make when it comes to your pigs. A wallow is a must in summer and it can be simply using the hose to fill up a suitable hole each day. The pigs will make the hole once you start the hose. Alternatively, pigs will learn to hold the pig nipple open until they make their own wallow under it.
Worms and lice are the two main pig parasites. Worms won’t be a problem in concrete piggeries or where there is no grass but if they are free range then Nilverm or Big L should be used, especially in young pigs. Lice seem to come out of the woodwork at certain times of the year and there are quite a few products that can be mixed with water and sprayed on the pigs. Mange can also be a problem in pigs and it is essential to treat this quickly.
I believe that vaccines are essential these days if you are keeping breeding sows. Leptospirosis, Erysipelas and Parvovirus are the main pathogens to vaccinate for but some other vaccines are used in large piggeries where respiratory diseases may be a concern.
Feeding pigs with swill or scraps containing meat or meat products, or that have been in contact with meat or meat products, is illegal and should never be practiced.
Feeding with scraps such as excess garden vegetables is good but only as a supplement and should always be used in conjunction with a balanced grain diet such as Pig Weaner, Pig Grower or Pig Breeder. If you happen to be milking a cow or a goat then feeding the milk to your pigs will allow you to cut down on grain as milk is a complete food. Comfrey is also well known as a food that can substitute part of the grain ration.
My three tips:
Pigs lay down fat early but don’t feed them too much and try to cut back later – it doesn’t work like that.
Buy good quality weaners if rearing for pork. If buying weaners with a view to breeding them later, count their teats. If they have less than twelve I wouldn’t be breeding from them. Look for “dud” teats as well.
Don’t breed gilts too young – they will never reach their full potential or rear good weaners.
That’s it for this week
