# How to move 2 pigs ??



## LittleRedHen (Apr 26, 2006)

I have a chance to buy 2, 100 lb pigs for 65 dollars each. A deal in my book! though the gas reduces that deal but I can go pick up a box of broilers (chickens) too and make it more worth my time

The trouble? they are about 1 1/2 hours away (freeway) It would be a relatively smooth drive being that its the freeway though. But its a long drive. I do not have a pig crate though maybe I could make one? What would I need to transfer 2 pigs? 

We have a mini van and a small light trailer. Dh said the trailer is too light for such a long trip and it doesn't have shocks. He thinks the pigs would jump too much and it wouldn't be good for them. My dad has a pick up truck with a topper but I dont really want to ask him to use his truck. I really could use these two pigs because we dont have enough pork for a year. These two pigs would be perfect plus they are already half grown for me.

HOW can I get these two pigs home??? If I weighed down the trailer would it work? Please please give me ideas on how to get these beautiful pigs home to my pig pen  DH has a bigger trailer but its not in the condition to go so far either and it doesn't have lights nor a license plate so thats not possible..

HELP! I want these pigs!


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

I know how to move them but you will not believe me. It is somewhat like the above post regarding the prolapse. Few believed that also. So here goes. Get a length of 4 feet long field wire that has opening large enough for the pigs feet to go through. Roll the wire to make a 14 inch+ or - diameter circle and secure each end to make a caged circle. Cut a couple of scraps of wire and enclose one end of the rolled cage securely. Make another end but do not secure it to the rolled cage at this time. Repeat this process for a second cage. Put a tarp/cover on the floor of the mini van and put the two cages in the van and head off to pick up the pigs. When you get there put the pig in the roll cage head first and then use the loose end to wire the rolled cage shut. You do not want the pig to turn around so limit the space. you and another person can pick up the pig by the cage and place same on the tarp/cover on the floor of the van. Place the pigs/cages side by side and tie the cages to each other. Everyone including the pigs can ride home in comfort. The pigs will settle down and just lie in the cages with there feet protruding.


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

A burlap bag or pillow case works well if you have nothing more.

A large number of our piglets travel away from our farm to their new homes in dog carriers.

Next up is people often just put some hay in the back of their covered pickup truck. Seems to work fine.

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/
http://HollyGraphicArt.com/
http://NoNAIS.org


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## LittleRedHen (Apr 26, 2006)

Thank you both! That could work. Dh was saying that we would put them in the mini van with a tarp and just hog tie them and at first i was thinking NO WAY!! pig poop reeks! lol.. 

But the way you explain it sounds fine. Once tied I could put them in a gunny sack I got from the feed store. Wrap them a bit up in a tarp and pray they are tired.

Ooh I am excited now! I am getting two more piggies!


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

ChickenLittle,

Our minivan is what we used for taking pigs to market. We can fit three market hogs in the back. We built a box of plywood with doors on it that snugs up to the loading ramp. The pigs walk in, we close the door of the box, close the van hatch and drive away. The box is sealed with silicon around the bottom and we put hay in it incase there's any peeing or pooping on the trip. 

Here's some pictures:

http://sugarmtnfarm.com/blog/2007/04/loading-pigs.html
http://sugarmtnfarm.com/blog/2007/01/mark-to-market-end-of-runt-tail.html

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/
http://HollyGraphicArt.com/
http://NoNAIS.org


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## QueenB04 (Feb 9, 2005)

Walter....that is some serious snow ya'll get! Great idea too=)


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

You are not going to get a 100 lb pig in a feed sack!


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## BobK (Oct 28, 2004)

....and if you do you'll probably not keep them in the sack.....or tied up......I've used burlap sacks for smaller pigs, dog carriers for up to 100 lb hogs......and the enclosed camper shell for five pigs we had to transport one time.......


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## LittleRedHen (Apr 26, 2006)

what about several sacks? rofl

I think I will get Dh to build me two plywood crates. Then I can take out the back seat and slide the crates in. I have a 36x30 inch dog cage but I dont think im going to get a 100 lb pig in there... Maybe I could. I have a 115ish pound pig out in the yard and maybe I can do a test run with it first. 

Dh said he plans on hog tieing the legs and then somehow keeping them in something so they cannot move around. Then I will have the tarp along the bottom and some Chux pads to soak up anything that comes out the rear. Steam cleaner at home for when I get there if there is accidents


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## BobK (Oct 28, 2004)

....there will be 'accidents' ...that you can count on! Make sure whatever setup you use has plenty of ventilation for the pigs....no need to add on heat stress on top of transport stress.......


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## LittleRedHen (Apr 26, 2006)

walter I like your site!

I will be sure to tell the woman to withold feed and water for 24 hours before we come so that they are nice and starved. Then I will bring a feed bucket and lure them into the crates we will build. Dh can do the hard man handling. He picks up 100 lbs all the time so he should be able to lift a pig a little distance. (certainly couldn't though if they were marketsize) 

I can use the boxes later for transporting chickens to auctions too


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## LittleRedHen (Apr 26, 2006)

BobK said:


> ....there will be 'accidents' ...that you can count on! Make sure whatever setup you use has plenty of ventilation for the pigs....no need to add on heat stress on top of transport stress.......



Will there still be accidents if they withold feed and water for 24 hours??

And, if we found some pallets, and hammered them together on a solid 2x4 frame, could that be strong enough? It woudl certainly have plenty of ventilation.

Or should we go with plywood sides and then use a few 2x4's across the top for ventilation?


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## farmergirl (Aug 2, 2005)

Why not just ask a friend with a truck and trailer to help you haul them? You could offer fresh pork in trade.


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## BobK (Oct 28, 2004)

ChickenLittle said:


> Will there still be accidents if they withold feed and water for 24 hours??
> 
> And, if we found some pallets, and hammered them together on a solid 2x4 frame, could that be strong enough? It woudl certainly have plenty of ventilation.
> 
> Or should we go with plywood sides and then use a few 2x4's across the top for ventilation?


yes, I would expect accidents.......either setup sounds OK.....and you will probably have to figure on catching and carrying the pig to whatever carrier you are going to use....we picked up a barrows that was close to 100 lb and once the pig was caught and turned on its back (carried by its legs by three men) there was very little struggle....key seemed to be getting the pig upside down...


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## farmergirl (Aug 2, 2005)

IMHO, "hog tieing" swine should only be done in a life or death situation where no other alternative for restraint exists. I had one guy who came to pick up a pig from me with nothing but an open bed pickup truck to transport it in. He had brought along a rope to hog tie the pig. We let him take the pig, but decided as he drove away that we would NEVER again sell a pig to someone who came unprepared to transport the pig in a humane manner. Pigs are intelligent and sensitive animals. They deserve to be treated with respect. Not saying that you are intending to be mean or cruel, just had to voice my opinion after having the experience I mentioned above.


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## LittleRedHen (Apr 26, 2006)

i coudln't imagine only hog tieing a pig and then havnig it in the back of a truck. I would definately not allow a pig to move around or bump. Thats why Dh doesn't want to use his trailer. He thinks it would be too bumpy. The only thing about using the mini van is that it means the whole family cannot go get the pigs. I guess it means DH comes with me and the kids (excluding the newborn) goes to grandmas. I think I will get dinner too... Dinnner chickens and pigs... sounds like a great day to me l ol


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

agmantoo said:


> I know how to move them but you will not believe me. It is somewhat like the above post regarding the prolapse. Few believed that also. So here goes. Get a length of 4 feet long field wire that has opening large enough for the pigs feet to go through. Roll the wire to make a 14 inch+ or - diameter circle and secure each end to make a caged circle. Cut a couple of scraps of wire and enclose one end of the rolled cage securely. Make another end but do not secure it to the rolled cage at this time. Repeat this process for a second cage. Put a tarp/cover on the floor of the mini van and put the two cages in the van and head off to pick up the pigs. When you get there put the pig in the roll cage head first and then use the loose end to wire the rolled cage shut. You do not want the pig to turn around so limit the space. you and another person can pick up the pig by the cage and place same on the tarp/cover on the floor of the van. Place the pigs/cages side by side and tie the cages to each other. Everyone including the pigs can ride home in comfort. The pigs will settle down and just lie in the cages with there feet protruding.


I don't believe you. But trouble is, I can find nothing wrong with your method. We usually haul weaners in a big wire cage, we once took a hundred pounder to the vet in a pickup with a topper. He was banging all around the bed of the truck. But if I had to transport some quick and cheap, I think your method would be great. 

Hog tying should be left for the experts, if there are any, and only for short periods of time. Wrap a string around your wrists, tie it tight, leave it a few hours, and see how you like it.


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## beeman97 (Jul 13, 2003)

2, 100 lb pigs will fit just fine (allbeit tight) in a large dog crate in the back of your mini van just fine, we move piglets all the time in one. 
good luck
Rick


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

We try to load about mid-morning, say around 9 am generally. We don't feed yet. That way the pigs poop and pee before loading for their trip to market. This minimizes the pooping and peeing in the transport box in our mini-van. Then after we've loaded them we give them a small amount of water for the trip and we feed the rest of the pigs who are staying home. We do use a little bread or cheese often during the process of loading.

One trick for moving piglets or growers that we use is a barrel. Large trash barrels with a lid and handles are ideal. 50 or 60 gallon plastic barrels work well too. Pig goes in head first, two people tip the barrel up, pick it up and carry it to where ever is needed. This works up to about 120 lbs. That's also the largest size we've done in a burlap bag.

The barrel is great for piglets because what we'll do is make it be their sleeping spot with some hay in it. Then early in the morning you just come out and tip the barrel up with the piglets in it. They're caught with a minimum of stress or fuss.

When moving groups of piglets around the farm we try to do it by herding as much as possible. If there is a 10 to 20 foot wide well delimited path they'll scoot along in front of us to the new place. Rabbit or other short netting fence works great for this, much like the electrified poultry netting - doesn't even need electricity for this purpose.

When people come to pickup piglets from us they often use dog carriers. That works well for several weaners or even growers up to around 60 lbs or so. A lot of people also simply put the pigs in the covered bed of their pickup truck.

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/
http://HollyGraphicArt.com/
http://NoNAIS.org


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## unioncreek (Jun 18, 2002)

I built a crate for the back of my pickup out of a two 16 foot hog panels. I used cable clamps to hold the corners and sided together and it held up to the hogs I hauled. I would put it in back of the camper and put a bunch of straw in it, that way their manure will not get in the pickup bed, but you can always wash it out.

Bobg


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