Problem Solving a Portable Piggy Paddock in Appalachia

Hello Everyone,
Thanks for stopping in.

The Backstory. I have a 400 lb Pig (Sylvia is her name) whom loves to find new and interesting ways to get out of her enclosures. Here and in my video, I'm asking for advice on new and different ideas on how to slow her down from escaping. If you watch the video you can see in the distance a hard road. (Rt-19) The speed limit is 55 mph and we aren't very far from a blind curve. While she has only ran onto the road once in the 4 years I've had her, I would rather that not happen again. I'm trying to find away to move her around, but also make sure the fence is strong enough so that she can't problem solve her way through it. It does have electric ribbon all around it, but she have learned to short it out, when she sees a gap in the wood. She is an awesome farmhand, we normally have her till the future garden plots for us, and do the clean up in the fall.

The question is. I would like some inexpensive ideas on how to keep her from going on walkabout, I would like to be able to move the enclosure, or parts of the enclosure so I can use her mad skills at plowing and fertilizing, but I need it strong enough that she can just problem solve through it.

I'm open to ALL ideas. Even the silly ones. I've found that some of the most silliest ideas lead to some of the more interesting solution. If any of you happen to be in Southern WV, or passing through and would like to see my entire setup first hand, your welcome to stop by. Someone is always around. Mavis Manor, WV on Google Maps or this linkMavis Manor on Google Maps We raise chicken, ducks, and guineas, I have a 4 year old mini fruit forest, and other ongoing interesting projects. I even have a 9 hole disc golf course, (you can't always be working on the farm, you need to cut loose and have some fun every once and awhile) Enough about that. Feel free to stop on by I always have coffee, and some crazy story. We love to answer question, or find answers to question, or get stumped and then find someone whom CAN answer your question. So, to circle back that is why I'm here. Piggy Problems.

Thanks Again.

We have a couple of pigs which were raise in a fairly solid enclosure, last year I decided we were going to start rotating them through pastures. So I strung up my high-tensile fence, hooked up a 1.5 joule charger, and turned the pigs loose into the pasture. I soon discovered that because they had no respect for the electric fence they went straight through it like it wasn't even there, often getting shocked halfway through and screaming scared as they got through.

Scared pigs are not a good thing, so we rounded them up and slowly coaxed them back into their original pen, and I set off to find a solution. After some serious thought and planning I went out and bought a roll of silt fencing cloth/fabric. I proceeded to wrap the pasture with the silt fencing, since it is black and the pigs can't see through it they are less interested in bolting through the electric fence, and since the fabric does supply some resistance, even when the attempted to poke through it they would get shocked and back up.

I can now wrap anything in the black fabric and the pigs respect it as a barrier, I would never us the fabric by itself, but it does allow me to temporarily partition off areas.

The same thing could be achieved by any material the pig cannot see through, landscaping fabric, old sheet metal, use your imagination. I went with the silt fence fabric, because it was the right price and easy to maintain.

Hope that helps.

You do realize a pig is smart enough to be trained to an invisible fence.
The problem is getting the shock collar around a pigs neck.

alex Keenan wrote:You do realize a pig is smart enough to be trained to an invisible fence.
The problem is getting the shock collar around a pigs neck.

I made one big enough to fit around a friends Great Pyrenees, so I imagine you could make one for a pig, would likely need to be more of a harness than a collar though. Idea though, Someone needs to make one that will fit like a removable ring in their noses.

The shock collar would also have to be a hell of shock. The other downfall is, most of the time I've noticed my pig get shocks she lunges forward. In the near future I'm going to measure her neck and get an idea for you. I don't think it's a bad idea, I just think it's impractical for me. But, I also love science, and creating new things.

I like the black anti-weed material idea. I think i'm going try that at least for a short while. I'm also going to try old feed bags, which is going to be a very good idea, or a horrible idea. Either way we will see. I'm also going to livestream the material idea that way if someone sees something happen I'm not noticing, because I think I'm just use to some of her habits and I miss signs that could be useful.

If you have periscope xdrfirefly or after the event I will post a youtube video.

Thanks again everyone. Keep sharing away if anything else comes to mind.

Cheers

I think the key to a shock collar is not the shocking but the sound before the shocking.
A good system should provide a warning sound before any shock is given.
What is hoped is that the animal will associate the sound as a warning.
I remember seeing some tests were smells were used instead of shocks.
If you pig responds to verbal commands you could use a verbal warning instead of the canned sound.

If someone could invent a collar that shocked, but also played a small recorded sound before the shock you could verbally train your pig. I really like the idea.

That also lead me to an idea of creating a sensor like a laser or something that when the pig cross the boundary it also play a prerecorded sound. A sound that could be changed over time. Hmmm... I'm really going to have to look into creating something like this. I might really help me. My pig is very reactive to words, or at least tones. She also have songs that she "likes" ( I also have a radio playing.)

Something to think about.. Thanks everyone!

The only zero escape fence we have done is a hinged portion flat to the ground.
When they try to  raise the bottom of the fence the hinged portion lifts around their legs
And collars on pigs most often need to go behind the front legs.