# transporting pigs



## paddler (May 13, 2010)

i have a real newbie question. i have no experience with pigs and i am getting a couple of them in two weeks. i have to transport four of them about 45 miles. the guy im buying them from says they'll be about 50 lbs. im wondering how to transport them? i have a big pickup. will that work? should i build up the walls with plywood to make them higher? or do i need to make individual crates? i really dont want to do that becuase ill probably never have to move them again.


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## Allen W (Aug 2, 2008)

Know any body with a dog box like they haul bird dogs in the back of a pick up in? I wouldn't just haul them in the pickup bed with out a way to contain them so they couldn't jump out.


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

Dog carriers work well. This is how most people picking up piglets from us do it. When we deliver piglets we use a dog carrier if the animal space of our van is otherwise in use. Put some hay in and several piglets, not packed tight but they do like company and are safer if they aren't rattling around. Secure the carrier with a seat belt.

For normal transport of pigs we have a carrier space in our van. See:

http://sugarmtnfarm.com/blog/2010/04/hand-cart.html

for a photo.

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs, Sheep & Kids
in the mountains of Vermont
Read about our on-farm butcher shop project:
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/butchershop
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/csa


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## farmmom (Jan 4, 2009)

I also used a dog carrier when I brought home my Guinea Hogs. They fit nicely in a medium size, but of course, they're a good bit smaller than other hogs.


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## Rogo (Jan 1, 2006)

What I do may not be right for some, but it works great here.

I haul my riding mount in the bed of my pickup, so have been able to transport swine and poultry. Rubber mats are on the floor.

I only needed the corral panels for the equine, but I also put in chainlink panels for the other critters.


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## PlowGirl (Nov 16, 2005)

I'd advise against using kennel carriers for this go round. With 4 to transport, a stock trailer is really your best bet. 

I know 50 pounds each doesn't sound like much, but that's 50 pounds of "resistant to your idea" of muscle. It's a tough enough job hoisting a struggling weanling into a pickup stock rack that's waist high, I couldn't imagine the bruising you'll take getting them into a carrier and then into the truck bed, or into the truck bed and then into the carrier. Either way is fraught with hazard. 

Surely you know someone with a trailer? Will you home-butcher, or will they be needing a ride to the butcher later, when they're even bigger?


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

A canopy for your truck is my favorite way to transport small critters. We have delivered piglets that way many times. We mainly use dog crates in the SUV though. I have also seen people bend a hog panel in the bed of their truck to keep piglets in.


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## HoosierHog (Apr 23, 2010)

I haul my pigs in the back of my pickup truck. a camper shell would be awsome but i just bought 2 utility cattle panels and cut and bent them in to a 4 ft x 5ft cage and wired it together with baling wire. just add lots of straw and you'll be good to go. total cost for me to biuld my cage was around $50.


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## KIT.S (Oct 8, 2008)

Generally, we put up to 80 pound piglets in a large dog crate. The crate goes into the piglet's fence, piglet goes into the crate, then two of us can carry the crate to the van. That way no one has to hug-a-pig and carry the squirming thing directly to the vehicle. They usually quiet down in the crate for the ride home. I would be concerned about getting the pigs out of the truck bed if you didn't have a ramp - if they jump that far, they could break a leg.
Kit


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## Rogo (Jan 1, 2006)

=== I would be concerned about getting the pigs out of the truck bed if you didn't have a ramp - if they jump that far, they could break a leg. ===


My riding mount used to jump into the bed of my truck but got to the point where he says, 'No more, mom.' So I use a ramp. Works for the other stock also.


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## fixer1958 (Dec 12, 2005)

I went that route with some 70 or so pound pigs.
Think of a sack of cement with legs and an issue with being manhandled.
It's an interesting situation.

I would go with something low to the ground, small trailer like.


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## MissyMoo (Jan 29, 2009)

with a pickup truck, and trying to go cheapest way, I'd recommend maybe the plywood like you said - make it at least 4 foot high sides, or use the cattle/livestock/hog panels which are very strong or maybe cyclone panels. then, since beds of trucks are slippery metal, put an old blanket or two in there to cover the bottom (cheap and easy and you can wash them and reuse them for other animal needs later). or the dog crate idea is great. I use dog crates myself with pigs....with goats I just let them be in the back of our van. I use metal dog crates. plastic is ok too but the metal ones I really like. I get them cheap on craigslist or thrift stores or yard sales and have several now and I reuse them all the time....and even loan them out to people sometimes. very useful items. if you cant find any cheap used ones (you should only need two large ones) then try borrowing them from someone (maybe put an ad up online?). 
everyone here has great ideas....like: camper shells, trailers, etc.


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## HeritagePigs (Aug 11, 2009)

"i'll probably never have to move them again."

heh heh heh...you might not move these pigs again, but you'll get some more next year...once you raise your own pork you'll never go back to the grocery store...


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## jil101ca (Jul 2, 2007)

I put a tarp down on the floor of my trunk and put the 4 of them in the trunk, mind you though they were only in there for 8 mins. I live close to the supplier.


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## KIT.S (Oct 8, 2008)

When we picked up our first pig, a sow about 400+ pounds, we borrowed a horse trailer. She got right in, did just fine, but as we got onto the main road she stood up in the back, put her feet on the top of the 4foot door, and stuck her head out. The folks behind us were thrilled to watch her ears flap in the wind, as she watched them! 

She and the boar live in the same place now, so we don't have to take her 700+ pounds anywhere, but it was quite a first trip!

We've also transported emu in a horse trailer, with similar effect on the other drivers! And PBP, sheep, goats and small pigs in the van. We used to pull into a fast food drivethrough with our PBP who liked to go for a ride. The folks at the window would feed her just because they were amazed to see her.

Kit


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## paddler (May 13, 2010)

well, i was at the dump this morning (im a scrounger) and i found a large outdoor bin that someone was throwing away. i wrestled it into my truck which was no easy feat. its all solid wood and is about 8ft long by 4 ft. wide and 4t high. fits perfect in a trailer i have. the top of this structure opens up. i was thinking, can i fill that up with hay and put the 50 pounders in there? it would be in a trailer so it would only be about a foot off the ground. they would all be in there together. its got a tight lid, theyre is no way they could get out of there. i just want to transport them forty miles w/o them getting injured. wow, i really appreciate the responses that i have gotten. this seems to be a very knowledgable and helpful group of people. appreciate it!


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## Laura Workman (May 10, 2002)

I like dog crates too. The pigs will go into them pretty willingly if you set it up right, and once they're in there, you can carry or cart them anywhere you want, at both ends of the trip. They don't stress much in a crate, either. I've carried quite a few pigs in dog crates. Mind you, I have mini pigs, so they're usually around 80 pounds each. One per crate, for space and because I don't want to try to pick up a 160 pound crate, even with help.


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## RedneckPete (Aug 23, 2004)

paddler said:


> well, i was at the dump this morning (im a scrounger) and i found a large outdoor bin that someone was throwing away. i wrestled it into my truck which was no easy feat. its all solid wood and is about 8ft long by 4 ft. wide and 4t high. fits perfect in a trailer i have. the top of this structure opens up. i was thinking, can i fill that up with hay and put the 50 pounders in there? it would be in a trailer so it would only be about a foot off the ground. they would all be in there together. its got a tight lid, theyre is no way they could get out of there. i just want to transport them forty miles w/o them getting injured. wow, i really appreciate the responses that i have gotten. this seems to be a very knowledgable and helpful group of people. appreciate it!


Sounds perfect. I would personally put a lid on it (whack on a sheet of plywood) and you have a crate that would last year. Good luck.

Pete


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## missythemom (May 11, 2010)

My husband has transported them for many years by using hundred pound grain bags and a piece of twine to tie it shut. Put them in the bag head first and give them a small hole in one corner where their snout is so they can breathe. He has transported them as far as sixty miles this way and has not lost any of them and they were just fine when released from the bag. The largest sized piglet he used this method with was seventy five pounds. Cheap method and works everytime.


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

We too use dog crates, but we have them around so I can see where, if it were an extra expense you may not want to go that route. The crate you found at the dump sounds just about perfect. I'd construct a top for it and make sure there is plenty of air flow/exchange so they don't get too hot on the ride, but otherwise it should work well.


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## rileyjo (Feb 14, 2005)

Thanks for the ideas. 

I need to transport 2 little weaners in my ford focus. Its about a 15 minute ride.

If I survive taking Mr. PsychoTurkey there as a trade-in, piglets will be easy.


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