Anyone run pigs in a bamboo grove?

My gut says they will tear it up, but the roots are very tough.  I don't want to remove the bamboo, I want the pigs to manure it for me.

I have not, but all the bamboo thickets in our village are electric fenced to keep out wild boar. Wild boar come after the shoots in spring.

With very little data available, I've decided to build a small, deep bedded pen in the middle of my grove as an experiment.  

Gray Henon wrote:With very little data available, I've decided to build a small, deep bedded pen in the middle of my grove as an experiment.  

I would love to see pics and hear how ot goes.  Ive been thinking of planting bamboo to give them another food source.  Figure if I did a strip and fenced them out O could feed them and let them through every now and then to fertilize and stimulate new growth.

~Honey

Honey Rowland wrote:

Gray Henon wrote:With very little data available, I've decided to build a small, deep bedded pen in the middle of my grove as an experiment.  

I would love to see pics and hear how ot goes.  Ive been thinking of planting bamboo to give them another food source.  Figure if I did a strip and fenced them out O could feed them and let them through every now and then to fertilize and stimulate new growth.

~Honey

Lol, bamboo doesn't need any growth stimulation!

I'll try to get some pics when I can.  I finished the pen with the help of my boys and got the pig in it.  Right now the pen is right up against the bamboo, not quite IN it, yet.  Next spring, I'm sure plenty will come up in the pen.  So far the pig hasn't really rooted up the rhizomes, but he is fed pretty well.  I don't think bamboo would be much of a food source for pigs, perhaps just in the spring when it is shooting as the previous poster mentioned.  I grow it mostly for feeding my sheep and goats in the winter, and shoots for us, of course.

The light wasn't very good, but here is the pic.  We've added 3 yards of woodchips since then.

Added about half of a round bale of old hay.  The pig has dug up a few rhizomes, but only in his bedding area.  He doesn't seem to be pursuing them.

Phase 1 of the experiment complete!  The pig did end up digging up several rhizomes, I believe out of curiosity more than food motive. I don't believe enough damage was done to adversely affect the bamboo. He didn't hardly touch the bamboo leaves hanging in the pen.  In total, probably nearly a 1/2 ton of manure on a dry basis, 1/2 of a round bale, and 4-5 yards of wood chips were deposited directly into the grove.  The next pig (next fall) will have some nice compost to root through for worms and other goodies.  He hung at 275 lbs.

Gray Henon wrote:Phase 1 of the experiment complete!  The pig did end up digging up several rhizomes, I believe out of curiosity more than food motive. I don't believe enough damage was done to adversely affect the bamboo. He didn't hardly touch the bamboo leaves hanging in the pen.  In total, probably nearly a 1/2 ton of manure on a dry basis, 1/2 of a round bale, and 4-5 yards of wood chips were deposited directly into the grove.  The next pig (next fall) will have some nice compost to root through for worms and other goodies.  He hung at 275 lbs.

Nice experiment! Thanks for updating us on how it went. Now we wait to see if it makes a difference for your bamboo. Im sure the tillage and anure has to help some. Maybe next time you could put the fence right on the edge of the bamboo so he cant even get to it.

I’d like to learn more about this. I have about 15 varieties of bamboo planted and would like to raise pigs again. Considering the bamboo roots and rhizomes can create very thick mats anywhere from 18 to 24 inches deep I cannot see how pigs could really do too much damage unless it was around the perimeter of bamboo or on lone runners or between other Flora. I used to raise Tamworth or Irish grazers.

I have Ossabaw swine they are around 100lbs now and will top put at about 180lbs. They eat the hair roots and root up the runners looking for them. To help them and accelerate their eating water the areas you want rooted. Moist/muddy soil helps them a lot on the mats.

Just about forgot about this thread.  We’ve raised several pigs in the pen now, one each year.  I was late getting to the last one (finished at 490 lbs!) and the bamboo was beginning to shoot.  The pig dug and consumed the shoots in his pen as well as any I threw in.  

This is our latest resident.  Really impressive how much the level has come up in the pen.  We probably put around 4-6 yards of woodchips in a year (more with the last one).  There is an amazing layer of compost rich black dirt.  The pigs have mixed the compost with the soil to where it is too heavy to fork out, and would have to be dug with a shovel.  It would make some amazing garden soil, but I’m leaving it to keep the pig elevated in case of heavy rain/flood.  In 2020, our creek flooded.  The pig was belly deep in water, but it retreated quickly without incident.  No doubt the bamboo has benefited.  I’ve also had native filbert and black walnuts come up just outside of the pen.  I’d like them to produce and drop nuts directly in the pen, but I’m not sure if they will compete with the bamboo.

Hi Arin,

Welcome to Permies.