Independence Homestead

We’ve had pigs for a few years now, and we’ve learned a lot along the way. Today I’ll share some of the characteristics of pigs that we take into consideration when constructing housing for them. On the next two Mondays I’ll follow up with posts detailing the two types of pig houses we use! Come back then to learn more.

Pigs Will Destroy Everything

People told us how hard pigs would be on their houses, but we had no concept for just how true this would be. Pigs will push, bite, and tear on their house. If they can move or break any part of it, they will. Part of this is that they like to go where they want, even if that’s through the side of the house. Another part of it is that they seem to enjoy playing around with things.

Pigs laugh in the face of chicken wire and staple guns. If you want to use wire on a house, plan on using horse fencing or field fencing. Plan on hammering in fence staples to attach the fencing to the house’s wood frame.

Our philosophy for dealing with their destructive nature is to accept that the houses will get torn up, and to plan accordingly. We do not spend that much time, effort, or money on pig houses.

They’re Tough Creatures

Pigs are pretty hardy, and they don’t need much in terms of housing. They need a roof to keep them out of the rain and snow. They need protection from wind, which is why we always have the closed end of the houses face north, our direction for prevailing winds. When it’s cold, they like the house to be full of hay. It makes for a cozy bed and also provides a snack!

Pigs Like to Cuddle

All of your pigs will want to cram into one house, even if you provide multiple shelters. This means you don’t need several small houses, and your resources would be better utilized building one house that’s large enough to house several pigs.

The notable exception to this rule is farrowing sows. A sow will want her own house when she farrows. Always provide an individual house for a sow that’s about to farrow.

Pigs Are Short, But We Aren’t

A lot of people make their pig houses very short since pigs are short. It’s rare for a pig to be over 3ft tall. I appreciate that a short house is the most efficient use of resources, but we’ve found with all of our livestock that life is easier if we can access every corner of an animal’s house. We make our pig houses 4-5ft tall. Yes, we still have to crouch to enter, but it’s doable.

Our Pig Houses

We use two different pig house designs, one is triangular, the other is hoop. Over the next two Mondays I’ll provide the details of these two house designs so you can create both yourself! Come back next week to learn more.