Does anyone keep pigs?

[tootles]

I am seriously thinking of getting a couple of weaners come the spring. We have the space and I am desperate for proper bacon! We are fortunate that there are still plenty of local abbatoirs in France so that side of thins shouldn't be too tricky. I know very little about keeping pigs though. Has anyone here done it? I think I will be spending alot of the winter in research.
(also has anyone any idea how good the Hugh Fearnley-Wittingstall online courses are?)

[Cloud]

No I don't but I would like to but I don't think the council would like it!!!!

[Hilary B]

I kept pigs on a 'back-yard' basis for a few years, quite a while back. What do you need to know? Rules you will have to find out about locally.....

[tootles]

Hilary, thank you.
I really wanted to know about things like space, shelter, feed and vet type things (ie do they need immunising etc). Are there any common problems with pigs and how much space will an average baconer take up in the freezer?
I will have to have them registeres in order to have an 'official' slaughter,butcher and vet test (although, apparently the local abbatoir has a day every now and then for just slaughter and no questions)
Anything you consider vital info really would be gratefully recieved.

[Hilary B]

Best done via PM tootles, there is so much to it! When we had pigs the bacon we made was the sort that doesn't need freezing and remains useable for up to a year. The best reference book I can suggest is "the book of the pig" by Susan Holme (or maybe Hulme, I haven't seen our copy for ages). Covers pretty much all of it, including recipes for sausages, pate, ham, and all other possibilities.
There is also SOME useful information (for those who don't like 'official') in Seymour's books.
Weaners need enough 'covered' space to get out of the weather, and plenty of straw bedding. If the sleeping area is pretty dark, and they have room to be outside, they will rarely produce poo indoors. Pigs are omnivores by nature, but these days they have to be vegetarian (not sure about fishmeal any more, we stopped keeeping pigs around the time they started getting silly about feeding rules, it may all be different outside of UK anyway), but if you prevent all contact with meat, then vegetable waste, dairy waste (not eggs) and possibly (depending on the local rules) fishy-waste will all help keep down the feed bills. We used to scrounge the 'trimmings' from the fish-stall on the local market, when customers wanted heads, innards etc removed.
If you can control them on a 'not-in-use' bit of vegetable patch (electric fence), they will eat most of the weeds, dig the soil, and spread some good useful manure. If you have just cleared a potato crop, they will dig up all the 'leftover' tiny potatoes, and any other 'not worth-harvesting' veg will all help them grow.
Feed rule is, feed twice a day, and if they eat it in about 10-15 mins, it was about right. If it vanishes really fast, give a bit more. If they aren't 'keen' at feeding time, reduce it. If they really aren't bothered at all, miss out a meal before restarting at a lower level.
That is just a start......