# Pig wallow pond ??



## moopups (May 12, 2002)

Our caretaker job includes feeding 11 hogs whom are on a sand lot, they get daily food and hay for bedding. The owner wants to create a wallow pond for them in that it gets really hot here. The size would be about the same as a kids wading pool, located under a spray mister that runs constantly, eventually the pond will fill up. The question is, what do you use to make the pond? This is sand soil so the water just seeps right on down; any flimsy material will get destroyed immediantly.


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## John Schneider (Sep 9, 2005)

Well...what about a kids wading pool? You could probably get one at a garage sale for next to nothing. Just sink it in a hand-dug pit of equal size and voila. It is rugged enough plastic that will probably last a while. Enough dirt in the bottom of it will protect it from sharp hooves etc. In years, it will in-fill with dirt that you could easily shovel out.


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

moopups, a spray mister that runs then turns off and lets evaporation occur then turns back on is far more cooling than one that is left on. Have you ever notice that a brief summer shower will cool the blacktop but a puddle that forms will remain very warm? The heat will leave with the evaporation but will build up with standing water.


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## moopups (May 12, 2002)

The hogs owner pays our meal ticket, putting a pond is what he wants to do - so that is what we are going to do / right or wrong. I am sure the hogs will turn it into to a mud wallow very shortly. If they use it - fine, if they don't want to be boiled live - fine. I just need ideas of what to make it of.


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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

While I often curse our clay soil especially in the winter, it does have the advantage of holding water and our pigs have excellent wallows as a result. Johns idea is a good one and worth investigating - if it doesn't work then there is no great financial loss. 

Another idea is to use pond or dam liners. I don't know anything about them except that farmers here use them to line water dams in country such as yours. The material used is very strong and rugged as it has to deal with cattle wading in to drink but I guess much depends on how much this chap will let you spend?

There must be hundreds of ideas - if only I could think of them  

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## Up North (Nov 29, 2005)

Moopus - On Pure sand you could pour a concrete Bowl with a gradual boat ramp feature for hogs to enter and exit. The concrete should be about 4 inches thick with a reinforcing mesh poured into it. Then about 6 inches thick with reinforcing mesh on the boat ramp feature. The boatramp would allow you to muck out the solids with a skidsteer every few years for maintanence.
Another desirable feature would be to have a v-notch overflow channel at a location on rim of bowl where it is desirable to channel off excess water, in the event of a Hurricane or such, LOL.
If you do go with concrete, just be sure to leave a rough troweling for traction, and put grooves in boat ramp for hoof traction when exiting pool.


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## SDjulieinSC (Aug 8, 2005)

My pig has built his own, none of my ideas seemed to suit him.
I have, and still do use a plastic kid pool. About $12 from walmart during the summer. I usually use 2 per summer. I fill these with fresh water 2x a day during the summer, once a day in winter. They need to be changed often as the water does get quite warm and YICKY! I think he thinks it's a big toilet! 
I have thought about the "cement pond" idea for quite some time now but have decided that it just would be too hard to keep clean unless there was some type of drain and was able to be cleaned regularly.
The pig has solved my delema for me, he built his own out of the run off from where i empty his pool every day. It works well as the water does evapotate during the day so I just refill it in the evening when I change the pool again. If there seems to be not enough water in his wallow I just add some more with the hose. He keeps the hole cleaned out himself and makes a few architectural changes from time to time, a little to the left or right, foreward or back as he sees fit, but it always stays in the same general area. 
Perhaps you could dig a large shallow area in the sand and put some other more clay like dirt inside so the water won't run out so fast then filler up and see how it goes. The misters should refill at about the same rate as it drains and evaporates. Seems it would be better to let it drain a bit than have the liner and let the water get to nasty. 
Just a thought.
If nothing else have your pigs call my pig and he can explain it!


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## Up North (Nov 29, 2005)

Quote "If nothing else have your pigs call my pig and he'll explain it to them"
:rotfl: 
Large Hog holding Cell phone says "CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?"


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## moopups (May 12, 2002)

Problem took the self cure route. Today the owner poured a new slab for a new hanger at the air port, he had the crew pour a bowl shaped water gathering space about 6 inches deep for the hogs to wallow within. Now if we could just teach the government how to do this....


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