Hogs and goats...free range?

[Scoot McGoot]

So I'm not new to farming...I grew up on a dairy. But, I'm not familiar with hogs and goats. Looking for any input or knowledge from you guys.

So recently I bought a sizable bit of vacant land... has ponds, meadow, woods, swamp. I'm interested in fencing in about 10 acres of meadow and forest and putting a few hogs and a few goats in there to free range...not many. I'm not looking to sell any. I just want them for meat...for my own needs. Ill just shoot one occasionally as needed. I basically want to get the most rugged breeds that need the least attention... breeds that are good at foraging. I want to let them be as wild as possible...basically the most inverse from dairy farming.

For hogs I'm looking at mulefoot, guinnea hogs, and tamworth. I might get all three and let them hybridize. These are old school breeds so it will be expensive to get them...but worth it because they are rugged. regarding goats im not sure...still need to research more. For both hogs and goats I want to get smaller breeds (less likely to bust through fence).

 

[GTN]

My nephew helps on a farm with goats. Two things he has told me about them is they are comical to watch and they are escape artists. They don’t go through - they go over every thing

 

[Curmudgeon]

less likely to bust through fence

That's gonna be your biggest issue

 

[Scoot McGoot]

I did read that... that's why i was thinking a smaller breed.

I was planning a 48" high fence with a barbed wire strand along the top. About a 52" max height. Then I will make sure all trees are clear nearby so nothing bends it down in a storm or gives them a climbing opportunity. I know they can climb like cats!

 

[96coal449]

I spent time on a farm that had both. The highest hog count was around 350. The goats had free range of aprox 20 wooded acres. They kept a road perimeter on the inside of the fence. Regular maintenance of the fence was often needed. From tree limbs and goat breaches. They did tend to stay content with such a large area to roam.

The hogs ....whole different story. It was a hog farm originally and established for 70 yrs. It was a breeding farm, and boy could they breed. There was also a slaughter house there. They had two large pens. One on each side of the hog barn. They require a ton of upkeep. They rut the ground like crazy looking for grubs. I've seen large broken slabs of sidewalk moved that were meant for containment. I've seen other things I never want to see again. I had even boycotted consuming pork for a long time.

On hogs I would suggest keeping a low population since you want them for your own personal consumption. A small building for shelter, pen, and plenty of food for them. When you can't keep up on the meat they will provide, bring some to the auction. Remember, they multiply like rabbits.

Good luck.

 

[Scoot McGoot]

Yeah my thinking is to keep the population to less than 10 each for the hogs and goats. I will build a nice shelter for them to stay out of wind with straw bedding and make a chute for stacked hay bales to feed down as they eat away at the bottom bales. I can put out mineralblocks for them too... I know that's important for both goats and pigs.

 

[96coal449]

For your own consumption I would suggest less then 10 hogs. They are a handful.

 

[BDinPutnam]

Thank god this thread isn't in The Bar.



We thought about getting like 4-5 sheep for a bit until my wife found out how high maintenance they can be.

 

[96coal449]

Thank god this thread isn't in The Bar.

Hogs .........

 

[Scoot McGoot]

Haha nice

 

[Shadow rider]

Free range Texas hogs...no fence required!

 

[Benny]

Pigs | Sugar Mountain Farmcheck this site for tons of info

 

[Drinkthekoolaid]

 

[soylentBlue]

If you have goats, sooner or later you will find a goat on your roof.
You will yell at the goat, "How did you get up there?"
The goat will not answer you. It will look down upon you with mockery.

 

[Scoot McGoot]

Haha yeah goats can be real bastards but they are hilarious

 

[Criticalt]

Ive been growing hogs and goats for about 20 years.
If you like the taste of goat meat, they can be very easy to raise and breed.
They do escape alot but often stay within 20 yards of the breech. They seem to just want to get 10 feet further. Ive had goats outside the fence for weeks, the rarley go very far.
As far as pigs, unless you raise more than you need and sell some, its hardly worth it. They require more maintenance than goats and need feed. It sounds great to think you can just feed them your table scraps...so you better own a restaurant, pigs eat alot. They are also more prone to sickness and can get expensive.
Also, pigs will ruin everything. From fences to trees, they rub on everything and knock stuff over.
If you want hogs for health or humane reasons go for it but of youre trying to save money, it wont happen.
Your best bet is to grow alot of root vegetables and let them root all year, thats what we do. Potatos, carrots, onions......

 

[S&W Fan]

Several years ago My brother in law and I raised about 7 hogs for slaughter and I’ll tell ya they can do a number on a fair amount of ground in short order. Just as @Criticalt said above, if you’re raising just a few to save money on supplementing your food bill it aint gonna happen.

 

[Scoot McGoot]

I was planning on giving 10 acres of overgrown area to about 4-5 smaller size pigs and an equal number of goats. Even with that much space do you think they would do much damage?

 

[Scoot McGoot]

Also, the variety of pigs I was planning to get stay small compared to modern breeds....generally smaller than 200lbs.

 

[Criticalt]

I was planning on giving 10 acres of overgrown area to about 4-5 smaller size pigs and an equal number of goats. Even with that much space do you think they would do much damage?

Im not an expert on hog breeds but from my expierience there is not enough food naturally growing to feed any amount of hogs. We plant root veggies by the acre, which takes alot of time and effort and still go through 200 pounds of quality feed a month...we have a dozen higs at a time. We eat maybe 2 a year, the rest I sell. I make hams, sausage, salami.....etc...and also sell whoe and half hogs.
There are breeds of hogs that are very hearty and do well from foraging. Berkshires do well on their own in a pasture, but they can grow to 800 pounds, a bit more than you say you want.
Yorkshires are also a good choice.
Any old breed from England are great meat producers.
Another thing to remember is hogs can be very cold intolerant. We have a heated barn that our hogs spend 99% of the winter in.
Also, if your ponds freeze, youll need heated water bins for drinking water.
Most pigs will not step foot in the snow.
Goats on the other hand are tough as they come but cannot forage in the winter, there isnt enough food. On the bright side, they can eat cheap hay where hogs need actual nutritious feed.
Just a few things ive learned over the years.

 

[GOYABEAN]

Fencing bottom better be sunk in some into the ground because pigs or coyote's will have a field day

 

[Criticalt]

Fencing bottom better be sunk in some into the ground because pigs or coyote's will have a field day

If you keep goats, I would always suggest having at least one LaMancha or Nubian buck.
They are big and fearless, coyotes will not mess with them. Or a donkey, coyotes fear donkeys.
I agree with burying the fence, hogs love digging.

 

[MuttCat]

I don't keep any animals, but I'm surrounded by neighbors that do...or try to. I can only say that the above comments ring true. I've actually had to get the law involved to get the critters off my property.

Most folks quit with the hogs. Plenty of goats still. You will never keep them in. But as mentioned, they do stay close to home. Hogs though are another matter, and I have seen them nowhere near any farm. Once it was a bunch and there were quite a few little ones. They were domestics, but it looked to me they were free range for a long time. Ditto on the digging.

 

[Criticalt]

I don't keep any animals, but I'm surrounded by neighbors that do...or try to. I can only say that the above comments ring true. I've actually had to get the law involved to get the critters off my property.

Most folks quit with the hogs. Plenty of goats still. You will never keep them in. But as mentioned, they do stay close to home. Hogs though are another matter, and I have seen them nowhere near any farm. Once it was a bunch and there were quite a few little ones. They were domestics, but it looked to me they were free range for a long time. Ditto on the digging.

Oh yes, hogs follow their noses looking for food. Goats can live off twigs and dead grass. Its really amazing how well goats can survive on very poor quality food.
We give our goats good food but they still eat the crappy stuff.
One ate my knit hat once....completely gone.

 

[Scoot McGoot]

The pet goat we had at our farm when I was growing up would eat all of the brown paper towels that we used to wash the the cows before milking. That thing was a massive pain in the ass. We had to spray soap on the towels to keep him away.

 

[MuttCat]

I find goat meat to be delicious. And I understand goat milk is an option for those who are lactose intolerant...some make soap from it too. And every once in awhile the news reports somebody starting up a lawn mowing business...with goats. Good grief.

They are some crazy.

 

[Criticalt]

I find goat meat to be delicious. And I understand goat milk is an option for those who are lactose intolerant...some make soap from it too. And every once in awhile the news reports somebody starting up a lawn mowing business...with goats. Good grief.

They are some crazy.

20 years ago when I ate my first goat I put them in the "this tastes like poison" category along with tomatoes, olives and green peppers.
Then I learned how to prepare it.
Back then I was the just cut a hunk of meat off the bone and fry it in butter with some salt. It was so strong I almost vomited.
Then I learned using such aids as buttermilk, marinades and long cooking times ......you can make it taste good.
Now, 20 years later, I enjoy it on the bone over the fire with some salt and pepper. I still prefer beef or pork, but its much easier to butche a goat for a quick cookout with friends.
Our beef is the best tasting food one could possibly put in their body.
I will put my Dexter ribeye up against any American or Japanese Wagu or Japanese Kobe beef......ive had all of them and am not impressed for meat costing $85 plus a pound.

 

[MuttCat]

...it's those square eyes.....