# How many pigs per acre on pasture?



## Farmerboy16 (Dec 4, 2012)

I have AGH, and want them raised on pasture, and I want to know how many of those hogs per acre without overgrazing and rooting. They will be sharing the pasture with the cows and goats.

Right now, I only have 3 acres of just started pasture, and have 1 milk cow with 10 months old heifer calf, 2 young goats, and 3 breeder sows and 1 boar, and 12 of 2012 June born hogs. 

2 of the breeder sows and the boar are in the garden, and I need to move them out as my rhubarb are growing and need to plant my strawberry plants. The rest of the hogs are in a very large 17 combo panel size pen. The June born hogs will be for meat this fall or sooner.

Thanks for any info!


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## gerold (Jul 18, 2011)

Farmerboy16 said:


> I have AGH, and want them raised on pasture, and I want to know how many of those hogs per acre without overgrazing and rooting. They will be sharing the pasture with the cows and goats.
> 
> Right now, I only have 3 acres of just started pasture, and have 1 milk cow with 10 months old heifer calf, 2 young goats, and 3 breeder sows and 1 boar, and 12 of 2012 June born hogs.
> 
> ...


Good pasture of Bermuda grass or Fescue and Ladino Clover or any good permanent pasture that pigs like.
10 gestating sows per/ac. or
7 sows with litters per/ac. or
50-100 growing finishing pigs per/ac.
No more than 30 market size hogs per/ac. on permanent pasture.
This would be for regular market hogs without any other stock in with them. With AGH i don't know. You may also want to divide the acres you have so you can rotate so not to over graze the pasture. I would also keep the hogs in a different pasture separated from the other stock.


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

We raise a Yorkshire x Berkshire x Large Black x Tam... mix, so a larger pig, and I figure about ten pigs per acre is sustainable on our soils in our climate using managed rotational grazing and supplementing with dairy. See:

http://sugarmtnfarm.com/2007/10/12/how-much-land-per-pig/

With a smaller pig you could probably do more. We plant legumes including alfalfa and clover in our mix. This boosts the palatability, digestibility and protein levels.

If you're feeding a supplement of grain that will also allow more pigs. Ours get most of their diet from our pastures.


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## ErikaMay (Feb 28, 2013)

My biggest concern is waste! It seems like their manure just sits forever! How long between cycling and resting the land do you typically go? 30 days enough?


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## Farmerboy16 (Dec 4, 2012)

Thanks guys for the info! I do not give them grain, but have access to salvage warehouse foods, and I work at dairy farm, and bring home treated milk for the hogs. I had divided the pasture in half length wise. Our land is very narrow, only about 200+ feet wide. 5 acres total. If I was to run all the hogs together, how big of a pasture a week should they get if I do rotate grazing style?


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## Ironbutt (Jan 5, 2013)

I rotate my pigs on pasture according to amount of leaf ate. Say for example you move them into a pasture of clover & grass thats 15 inches tall. I normally leave them until it is ate down to about 5 inches. Less than 5 to 6 inches takes the clover & grass longer to regrow. I run 15 red wattles per 100X300 paddock. After I move them to a new paddock I drag the paddock with a harrow behind my gator to disperse manure and areate the trampled area's. Sometimes adding seed to bare spots.


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## Farmerboy16 (Dec 4, 2012)

Thanks for the info Iron! I would say that I have about 100 feet on both side of the divider fence, so make the paddocks 300 ft length wise? That will make about 8 paddocks total or so. I can have the cows and goats in the paddocks ahead of the hogs, and the chickens behind the hogs. But the part of the pasture is the woods with the ravine, and there is a creek that the cows drink their water from. I would have to make water trough for each paddocks, so all livestock can have something to drink in each paddock. Any ideas or suggestions?


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

ErikaMay said:


> My biggest concern is waste! It seems like their manure just sits forever!


Hmm... I don't see that happen here. We co-graze our pigs with chickens. The chickens peck apart the manure patties so that might be a difference. This is like what happens naturally with birds following herds of wild grazers. Same as with cows. In fact, our pigs's manure patties look much like cow manure. Perhaps because they're eating similar food.



ErikaMay said:


> How long between cycling and resting the land do you typically go? 30 days enough?


21 days is the bare minimum to break parasite life cycles and 30 days is better. Longer if necessary to get good regrowth of forages.



Farmerboy16 said:


> I had divided the pasture in half length wise. Our land is very narrow, only about 200+ feet wide. 5 acres total. If I was to run all the hogs together, how big of a pasture a week should they get if I do rotate grazing style?


I do the movements in our grazing based more on the forages than anything. Here are some simple rules.

Move out before 21 days, faster is better in terms of parasite life cycle breaking.

Move out when significant rooting begins on mature pasture.

Move out when forages are mowed down to a couple of inches.

Move in no faster than 21 days and preferably at least 30 days to break parasite life cycles.

Move in ideally when grasses are still tender as they're more digestible however letting grasses grow up to seed heads also has benefit.

Keep animals off soft pasture to avoid soil and root damage.

A mix of forages is better than mono-crops. Legumes such as clovers and alfalfa add protein, suck free nitrogen fertilizer from the sky and are highly digestible and appetitive. Brassicas are a great addition in our cooler climate. Variety is the spice of life.

Cheers,

-Walter Jeffries
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs, Sheep & Kids
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/


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## TamiJoyFarm (Oct 18, 2012)

ErikaMay said:


> My biggest concern is waste! It seems like their manure just sits forever! How long between cycling and resting the land do you typically go? 30 days enough?


We've got freerange chickens out on the pasture which help to manage the waste from the two steers and four IPPs.


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## TamiJoyFarm (Oct 18, 2012)

Farmerboy16 said:


> I have AGH, and want them raised on pasture, and I want to know how many of those hogs per acre without overgrazing and rooting. They will be sharing the pasture with the cows and goats.
> 
> Right now, I only have 3 acres of just started pasture, and have 1 milk cow with 10 months old heifer calf, 2 young goats, and 3 breeder sows and 1 boar, and 12 of 2012 June born hogs.
> 
> ...


 
Another consideration is county zoning regulations. Here in our area, we are limited to six hogs per acre.


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## Farmerboy16 (Dec 4, 2012)

Thanks ya'll for the info! I will get started on getting seeds to make the pasture better for the livestock.


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## farmerted (Dec 21, 2012)

Farmerboy16 said:


> Thanks ya'll for the info! I will get started on getting seeds to make the pasture better for the livestock.


great thread, I have 3 acres 219 feet wide. the only thing I have read on here that is not in this thread is that pigs eat what we eat. Knowing that I am pretty sure I will be growing a vegetable garden for my pigs. Zucchini for instance grows like a weed here, corn, barley and tomatoes do well too. 

hope you follow up with how things work out for you. I am planning mine for 2014. property is a wreck right now.

speaking of time to go meet the plumber.

have a nice day


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