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What size paddock?

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posted 5 years ago

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I have 3.5 acres I want to do a Joel Saladin style paddock. He says 10 .5acre paddocks on 5 acres with fifty pigs. So I figured I could do 30, but should I do 10 .35acre paddocks or 7 .5acre paddocks or does it matter?

Bryant RedHawk

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posted 5 years ago

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What is going to matter most is pig concentration, too many on a paddock will be trouble for the grasses recovery time.
You need to have enough paddocks so you can move them through and the grass will recover between the time they leave and the time they are put back on that paddock.

If you make the paddocks 0.35 ac, then you just won't be able to sustain 50 pigs, 30 would be about all I'd run through for that paddock size.

Redhawk

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Chris Kott

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posted 5 years ago

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In that kind of minimal space, minimal regeneration time scenario, specifically the 30 pigs on 10 x 0.35 acre paddocks, how long would they remain in any given paddock before being moved to the next?

Also, would you choose to augment the pasture for fast regeneration or to feed the pigs better, longer, on each paddock, thereby lengthening their stay in each, or would you have to choose between the two goals?

Or, to ask another way, how would you seed the pasture in this setup and why?

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Lonnie Barr

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posted 5 years ago

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So maybe half acre paddocks and go with a lesser number pigs. I do live in florida so grass grows back pretty fast even during the winter. I know it can be trial and error starting off just trying to minimize the error part as much as possible.
Is there a good vegetables or root type deal that would be good to grow thoughout to be able help grow the pigs? I've heard peanuts but they take forever to grow.

Bryant RedHawk

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posted 5 years ago

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Lonnie Barr wrote:So maybe half acre paddocks and go with a lesser number pigs. I do live in florida so grass grows back pretty fast even during the winter. I know it can be trial and error starting off just trying to minimize the error part as much as possible.
Is there a good vegetables or root type deal that would be good to grow thoughout to be able help grow the pigs? I've heard peanuts but they take forever to grow.

Plant 7 top turnip and regular turnip, rape, sweet potato, these all grow fairly rapidly and will give the hogs lots of fun and nutrition.
Other items would be squashes, beans and rutabaga, you will find the hogs locate these and usually they let them grow to a nice size before they chow down on them.

half acre paddocks with the lesser number of animals is a good way to go.

Redhawk

Lonnie Barr

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Think I’ll give that a try. Thanks for the information.

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