American Guinea Hog Space

Hey Everyone,

I have 5 acres I'm developing now, I planned on keeping 3-4 sheep and I was hoping 2 AGH as well, rotating them around .7-8 acre pastures each week.  I'm starting to do more research on the viability as I'm mapping out my fencing.  Anyone have experience with how much pasture 2 AGH will go through within a week?  I plan to start slow with just sheep first, but I'm wondering if my homestead is able to support both sheep and AGH's.  Goal is for them to be pasture fed, with supplements from gardening/food scraps.  I'd prefer to avoid mudpits except for the garden area where I intend them to root, and there is a small creek area that they will have access to in certain pastures.

2 AGH will go through about 1.5 acres per week pastured.  
Once they have "mowed" the grasses they will begin to root and they will need a wallow, if you don't provide one, they will make one where water is available.
You will need to supplement their food supply with vegetables and a good, non-GMO feed.
These are Lard Hogs, so they don't act like other hogs, they will eat then lay down and if they get hot they will move to shade and or the wallow.
We have a hog house, trees, two wallows and water pans (large) for our 3 and they seem very happy.

Most breeders of AGH have at least 10 acres for pasturing a breeding pair or they use the dry lot method, where you build a large pen and that is where they live.

(ours are for sale, we are getting out of the AGH raising business)

I was planning on using them with sheep as well, if I wanted to eliminate the sheep and just do hogs, would they be able to keep 5 acres "mowed?  

You could rotate the animals through a series of paddocks, when you use such a system you let the first group graze for a day or two then move them out and the next group in.
Sheep would need to be moved around daily since they tend to eat grass right down to the soil level if left in one spot for any length of time.

Two hogs will mow a half acre a day with just a little rooting happening. At least that is how mine act, they first eat the tasty weeds, then the grasses then they root for worms and grubs.

So if my goal was to have a grazing animal that could keep pasture down to an appropriate level, help recycle leftovers and till the garden for me, sounds like a breeding pair of agh could do all that.  If 5 acres could only support 2 agh or 4 sheep, which would you recommend?
I'm leaning towards agh, but I would prefer to not have to mow the 5 acres and would want minimal rooting.
I'm looking at weekly pasture rotations, I don't see myself doing them every other day.

If I had to do it over, I would pick sheep myself, but I like mutton and lamb better than pork.
The AGH has very flavorful meat and you get quite a bit of lard if you process it.

Just had to add this here, we are officially out of the hog business, the breeding stock leaves Buzzard's Roost this weekend, Woot, Woot, Woot!