# Who has concrete?



## Feathers-N-Fur (Dec 17, 2007)

My DH grew up raising pigs. They had concrete floors in the barn, but could also go outside in the dirt and mud. When we bought our little 5 acres, all that was here was the house. We have done all the fencing and built the pig barn, but haven't been able to afford to put in concrete in the barn yet. Others have implied that we don't know how to raise pigs since they aren't on concrete. They only go in the barn to sleep, get out of the rain, and they get confined to stalls at farrowing time (no crates). So I'm curious how many of you keep your pigs on concrete? Also, I've been told that since they are on dirt that we don't need to give iron shots to the piglets, we did anyway, but was curious what others do. Thanks


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## FL.Boy (Dec 17, 2007)

I have no concrete, don't give iron shots, don't go Thur much feed there on about a 150 by 150 pasture. I hear the concrete thing a lot people get stuck in a rut and think they have to do the same thing there granddad did.


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## farmergirl (Aug 2, 2005)

I don't like to nest on concrete and I assume my hogs agree. Hence, no concrete at our place.


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## Rogo (Jan 1, 2006)

I try to raise my critters as close to natural as possible in a domestic situation. They all roam free. They have shelters if they choose to use them.

Cement seems to be for the convenience of the human for cleaning. Just hose it down. I've heard that critters develop arthritis from being on cement.


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## 3kidsomy (Jan 6, 2008)

snobbery in pigs, i swear some people think their way is the only way. Well i am too ---- cheap for one thing, and we do concrete foundations and flatwork! I gave no iron, they were all great. I think the concrete would only be for the humans(ease of cleaning) but i doubt the pig finds it very comfortable.


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## Mare Owner (Feb 20, 2008)

We don't have concrete, house outside a barn under the leanto, and large "runs" for them to be in. The barn has stalls with dirt floors, but so far haven't used them for the pigs, but will when/if we need to. Our first litter is due soon, and we won't be giving iron shots.


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## Up North (Nov 29, 2005)

We use both dirt lots and concrete pens. Prefer to see the pigs out in pasture or on dirt lot ...but... when it rains for days in the winter and the ground just won't dry up, concrete pen covered with straw and underneath a roof provides a nice dry place for the pigs.
Dry bed full belly goes a long ways.


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

I would suggest going with a sand floor for the barn. We have no concrete floors in the animal sheds. Dirt works great, it drains and you can let a bedding pack build up over the winter creating a warm bed through the composting action.

Our pigs are all out on pasture and we don't do the iron shots, or any others. I would vaccinate if there was a disease issue in our area but there isn't. Check what's hot in your area on that issue.

Cheers

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


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## RedHogs (Jul 7, 2006)

Concrete has gotten a bad rap, mainly because it is associated with strict confinement farming, but reality is that most new startup farms are hybrid farms with a combination of pasture, feed lots, and barns.....and yes pasture and alot of concrete.

The idea of concrete farming is nothing new, it was invented and replaced dirt stalls by allowing bi-vocational farmers...

The idea that a man could farm 200 sows, 2000 growers and still work a full time job, with _perks_ such as regular income and health insurance....These men were able to weather the market turn with ease and afford capital improvements much quicker than their dirt farmer competion, the mom and pop backyard hog producer was all but gone when the coporate push got started, these corps were the original family farmers that had went high tech and then went public...

So, my point is concrete is nothing more than speed... wether you are pasture, hybrid, or confinement.....Concrete pens allow faster sorting and more durable pens, alley ways for equipment.....High intesity mangement and high speed sorting and hog movement in any weather conditions...If you want to be a hobby farmer with just a few or a full time hog farmer concrete may not be necessary, but if you want to turn out thousands of hogs with very little if zero employee or family help, and yes 2000 hogs a year with no help and working over 40 hours is possible, I do it....Most days less the 2 hours farm work.

Then consider wear and tear on equipment, Once you get to feeding 1000-1500 lbs of feed a day, your equipment will sink into mud very quickly....you could make ten trips or you could make one trip.

The people that bash concrete have no solution for replacing the speed of concrete, the durability and necessity of year round use.....I will not give up my day job and wade in pig muck, in fact....I won't get pig muck or mud on me if possible.


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## FL.Boy (Dec 17, 2007)

Well at $100 a yard you can have your concrete. I don't even want to think of the concrete bill for my little garage.


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## pigman (Mar 31, 2008)

I raise all my pigs in the dirt and the only cover they get is during farrowing, even then it is still on the dirt. I have heard with a cement floor, more piglets get crush by the sow.


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

I have had both, concrete and dirt. For market terminal hogs concrete is difficult to beat if you are into high volume which I was. For farrowing in confinement I was a disaster. As a one man operation and working full time off the farm I was a failure at farrowing. I went to dirt with the sows. It was the right move for me and the sows. I had them farrowing in the pasture during decent weather months and it worked. It all has to do with the lifestyle and the expectations of the producer.


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## stoneunhenged (Sep 22, 2007)

Dirt and trees more or less describe the elaborate architecture of my hog operation. But, I raise them by the dozens, not the thousands.


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## shagerman (Apr 10, 2008)

mine are on concret much easier to clean. i wished mine were on dirt but i cant as of yet, but i have 6 pens and they are concrete and easy to take care of. not only that but i clean them with bleach once a month to kill the nasty stuff i clean every other day the pens and they are easy to clean. so what ever you decide will be best for you,


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## Mountain Mick (Sep 10, 2005)

Hi , Our town ordinance say that we must have our pigs on cement floors and that they must be drained into a sump pit and this pig water must be treated like human waste. , But you can run them in a grassed day pen, Well hell the grass does not last long, .

So what I do is I have cement floors in they sleeping quarters, which I lay about 12" to 24" of straw which the pigs love to make a night nest. and run them in a day pen with grass hahah floor if look like a old fashion pig pen, they have access to they day pen 24/7, the straw once used I compost for our garden. and No iron shots as our soil is very high in iron as we live on ironstone country, by keeping our pig this way, our town ordinance is happy our pigs are happy and we get to eat nice lean home grown pork , bacon , hams & fresh sausages,


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