Casa de Oink
 

New hog house

Base: 2x oak over 4x6 skids.

http://www.digistash.com/data/026a39...5_p124964.jpeg


2x3 walls with 2x oak on inside:

http://www.digistash.com/data/026a39...5_p124965.jpeg

Finished....exterior is poplar 1x8 tapered siding. Roof is 2x6 with 3x10' metal for top....roof hinges so I can hop the back wall later and clean out. Ready to be moved to the new hog lot.

http://www.digistash.com/data/026a39...5_p124963.jpeg

Re: Casa de Oink
 

Looking good!
No such thing as idle hands around your spread. :ok:
Many wish they could be doing what you are.

Re: Casa de Oink
 

Sweet! You're quite the architect. Thanks for posting!

Re: Casa de Oink
 

Very nice.

What are you using for siding? I have noticed on a couple of your projects you are using a rough cut siding. Looks good.

Re: Casa de Oink
 

8" poplar siding ( I make it out of whatever is handy, log wise...generally pine, hemlock or tulip poplar ).

Looking at the end, it tapers from about 1/4" at the top to about 3/4" at the bottom......8" top to bottom.....then however long I bucked the log.

Every shed on my place is sided with it.....some I've stained, most left unfinished.....it lasts a long time.

Re: Casa de Oink
 

I smell bacon!

Re: Casa de Oink
 

Looks like Hog Heaven...but why do they need a house?

You gonna hook 'em up with cable? I hear "Miss Piggy" is all the rage....

Re: Casa de Oink
 

When I saw the thread title, I thought Tn...Andy was building a police station. :biggrin:

Re: Casa de Oink
 

Heck of a nose.......You're about 6 months early......

Re: Casa de Oink
 

Andy,

How many hogs are you looking to have? Also what's the size of your hog lot? I am thinking hogs as an alternative to beef as I do not currently have the acreage to support them. Thanks my friend and looks good.....

Re: Casa de Oink
 

I hope you are moving that Casa de Oink a little farther away from the Casa de People !!!

Re: Casa de Oink
 

Just two....one for us, one for Armed Peasant.

Last time I did this, some years ago, I had a real simple lot.....16x16' using 4 "hog" panels, which are a wire 'panel' that is 36" tall and 16' long made of a heavy gauge galvanized wire ( like 3/16" wire ) that makes a real quick lot....you run in a few wood or metal T posts, staple or clip the panel to the post, and you're in business. Their housing last time was a few wood pallets cobbled together with a tarp over the top to shed rain. That size lot was actually fine for two. I put several pickup loads of wood shavings from a local planer mill in there over the course of the 6-8 months I had them, and the whole thing stayed fairly clean. Hogs really are a clean animal IF you give them a way to stay like that....they will pick a corner as the "bathroom" and another place to root around and make a wallow they can roll in as a natural insect control, and really have very little smell. The bad reputation comes from people that try to confine them in WAY too small an area...even keeping them in just a 'hog house' their entire lives.....so, naturally, they end up stinking to high heaven......as would ANY critter if confined like that...including humans. You give them a chance and a small amount of help, and they will stay quite clean.....and more healthy.

This time, I'm making that more permanent structure, and the lot will be bigger ( but again, made with the panels )....it's about 20x40, which gives them plenty of room to get around. Still just two this year, but next year, I might run 3-4. Only takes about 6 months to get them from 35-40lb weaned piglets to the slaughter weight I like, which is around 225-250.

We will feed a commercial grower ration, plus any garden surplus, plus stuff I raise just for them ......pumpkins, field corn, extra apples, etc......and then any household scraps.

Re: Casa de Oink
 

Andy,

When it comes time for Pork Chops and Sausage, are you going to butcher the hogs yourself, or send them away/have some one come in and do it(like a mobile butcher).

If you're doing it yourself, and you are so inclined, would you mind maybe making a step by step document of it all and posting it(with appropriate warning).

I apprenticed as butcher off and on, but I've never owned my own livestock so its a whole different game when it doesnt come in already cleaned and dressed and ready to be made into steaks. :)

I've also got some GREAT sausage recipies if you and the misses are so inclined!

Re: Casa de Oink
 

Re: Casa de Oink
 

Thanks for sharing Andy. It's been a while now since I've raised a hog of my own. The last two I butchered were market size I bought off neighbors. I have been entertaining the idea of putting in a hog or two this fall when my corn is comes off. Corn is up and looking great. I have chickens that are the target for the corn, but I could share it with a pig. I like to butcher my own because I like home cured hams and bacon.

Goats are also a fun thing to have around for supplying meat. They don't take very much time to grow to eating size and the meat is pretty good eating. A pleasant change from beef, less fat in the meat, something like deer meat only not gamy. However, deer is usually not gamy if it is taken care of within a few hours (same day) of the kill.

Re: Casa de Oink
 

Awesome! A pig is on our list of "critters to get".

We got the chickens and rabbits going. Probably get a milk goat next.

Then a pig (been holding off cause my bride is afraid she'd get too attached to it. ...really).

That will be about all we can have room for, since we have to have a garden too.

Thinking of bees too!!

Re: Casa de Oink
 

TN..Andy continues to inspire. Here I was proud of my 2X4 and 1X6 potato box I've been building up, up, up.

Re: Casa de Oink
 

Pigs are clean,and very commical.Hard to slaughter them because you become a little attached.

Not that i know much about butcherin,but we still have a giant cast iron pot that was used for scallding pigs in the old days.

Re: Casa de Oink
 

Casa de Oink installed with pen and new residents.


http://www.digistash.com/data/026a39...5_p125018.jpeg

Re: Casa de Oink
 

Nice. Very nice. Good job Andy.:coolbeer:

Re: Casa de Oink
 

Another fine job Andy.

Damn, boy........you retired????

Re: Casa de Oink
 

Yes......and it's about to kill me.....ahahahaaaaaaaaa

Re: Casa de Oink
 

Andy, did you build this out of your mind, or did you draft up a plan with measurments and what not? If its the latter, would you mind sharing it for my future reference.

I usualy like to just put some materials together and start building, but I really like this design that you have and the function of it.

Re: Casa de Oink
 

I don't think I could kill a pig. I killed a rat the size of a cat once and it freaked me out a bit. I'm not against eating animals tho. The way I look at it, these animals would never have been born if people weren't going to eat them. They get one good year and die quickly before they get old and never see it coming. Humans generally die a lingering, painful death.

Pigs are the domesticated animal most closely related to humans. They could probably even be used to breed human babies if the women folk continue to refuse to do it. Ladies, you can be replaced!

Re: Casa de Oink
 

How do you plan on cleaning it out when it fills up with pig shit?

Re: Casa de Oink
 

Look at the first pics, youll see the roof is on a hinge.

He said that when it comes time to clean, he just lifts the roof, jumps in and washes/shovels it out. Pretty smart really.

Re: Casa de Oink
 

He won't have to manure it out. Unlike other farm animals pigs won't crap where they sleep unless forced too, then they'll crap on one side and sleep on the other.

Re: Casa de Oink
 

Absolutely brilliant...thanks for sharing, Andy!

Re: Casa de Oink
 

Thanks for sharing Andy. If I ever need to build a pig house I'll have a design I can start from.

:ok:

Re: Casa de Oink
 

Enjoy it my friend. And the best of health to you and yours.:ok:

Re: Casa de Oink
 

He may be 'retired', but he certainly hasn't stopped working!! Way to go Tn Andy!

Re: Casa de Oink
 

Members who are ban will have an option...

Re: Casa de Oink
 

Exactly. One of the reasons pigs get a bad rap is people confine them to a small area and then complain about the smell.

The fenced in lot area is about 40' in length, and about 25' wide ( sort of oval shaped ), and the very first thing they did is run down to the end farthest from the house and designated it the "poop" area....and then return to that spot for each 'event'.

Re: Casa de Oink
 

You should do a before/after picture. In a few weeks snap another so that people can see how efficiently they root-up the ground.

Re: Casa de Oink
 

What's the cost to finish out a pig? How much does a pig eat? What is a 'commercial grower ration'? Cost?

We city folk haven't a clue....

Re: Casa de Oink
 

That'll do pig. That'll do.

http://img359.imageshack.us/img359/7049/wilburhz2.jpg

Re: Casa de Oink
 

Nice! thanks.

Re: Casa de Oink
 

I haven't ever really kept track of costs, but I will this time and let ya'll know in the fall.....one of these is going to Armed Peasant's freezer, so I need to keep fairly good tract of costs. I'm gonna guess about 200-250 bucks in commercial feed + what we will supplement.

You start weaned piglets on 16%, from weaning weight of about 30lbs to 50lbs

Right now, these two are about 50lbs, will eat about a #10 can ( each ) (2-3lbs) a day of 14% grower ration....which runs bout 9.50 for 50lbs.......when they hit 130 lbs, you can drop that to 12% feed to finish them to whatever slaughter weight you want.....I will go for about 250lbs....which they should be about November/December. By the time summer ends, they will be 130lbs or more and be eating garden leftovers/apples/corn/etc. plus commercial ration.

Re: Casa de Oink
 

looks like PALACE de Oink