Many eager lifestylers have adopted beautiful little piglets with a picturesque idea of how a pet pig will fit into their green dream. Their intelligence is unrivalled, their social behaviour delightful, not to mention those porky little tummies and cute snouts. But when that adorable little piglet grows into himself and starts exhibiting all the normal behaviours that we can expect of pigs, the illusion is shattered.

Pigs evolved on forest floors, rooting amongst the top soil for vegetation and bugs. So understandably, pigs WILL root up the pasture. Perhaps not all of them to the same extent, and some breeds such as Kunes may have a lesser drive to do so, but all pigs will want to root up the ground. Pigs will also wallow. They will create a mud pit for themselves in the ground, not just to cool off, but to coat themselves in a natural sunscreen on hot summer days.

As cute as these behaviours are in theory, the reality can leave your green-dream paddock looking more like a patchy mud pit.

You may think of putting rings through their snouts and giving that a shot. This painful procedure often fails; falling or tearing out when the drive to root is so strong that the pig pushes through the discomfort, and for many they simply don’t work very well, leaving you back where you started. The welfare consideration of forcefully stopping a pig from exhibiting its normal behaviours should also not be overlooked. In desperation you may lock the pig into a small enclosure that quickly turns to mud- yet another welfare compromise. So what can we do??

The only sustainable alternatives are to either use their behaviours purposefully to turn over garden beds, clear and fertilise forest floors or otherwise support the natural ecosystem of your land- an idea called “permaculture”. Alternatively create a pig-safe enclosure that allows for natural behaviours in a sustainable way. Let’s break down the key components of a pig enclosure and how this could look for you.

Key Components of a Pig-Safe enclosure

Penelope and Charlotte are two sweet Kune Kunes that live at Natureland Zoo, Tahunanui, Nelson. Lets use their wonderfully created enclosure as our example.

Forage

The first thing you’ll notice is that these pigs do not have nose rings, but nor is the ground turned to mud. This is a testament to the amount of forage added regularly to the enclosure. Forage is long stemmed material such as hay, bark/mulch, sticks and branches. This gives an outlet for the rooting behaviour without turning the underlying dirt into mud. Go ahead and mix in food such as pellets to keep them further entertained. Beware if tossing kitchen scraps through the forage material, try to keep it isolated to an area where you can muck it out again, so it doesn’t rot.

A less natural, yet effective, tool is to include play toys that are associated with food in some way. Get creative, or simply pick up some large dog toys such as kongs- large plastic balls that must be rolled around for a piece of kibble to fall out. Scattering pellets into a kiddy pool filled with plastic balls also goes down well and is often used overseas where indoor pigs are a “thing”.

It’s a good idea to place your pig enclosure somewhere where drainage is not an issue. Flat ground on hard clay, for example, may mean the area turns boggy after rain, at no fault of the pigs.

Wallowing pool

Another key feature of Penelope and Charlotte's enclosure is the wallowing pool. There is a concrete bottom, making it a permanent, shallow, swimming pool that cannot be turned to mud. If you don't supply your pigs with one of these, they will fend for themselves and create their own out of mud pits and water troughs. Pigs don’t create mud pits for the sake of it, there is a method to their madness. You see pigs have few sweat glands in the skin, so need to actively cool themselves down. They also have very sensitive skin, prone to sun burn. Provide them with a cool watering pool, and plenty of shade and they’ll thank you for it.

Shade with protection

On this hot summer day Penelope rests in the shade of a tree while Charlotte cools off in the pool. Note how many of the trees and shrubs here have been protected at the base, to avoid damage from the girls lying up close to them. Shade shelter is crucial for pigs; again, remember they evolved on the forest floor. Natureland has gone the extra mile here, and erected a large shade cloth for good measure.

The Pig Sty

The pig house, itself, is NOT a place for the pig to wallow in mud. The house should be clean, dry and warm. Your pig house should be well ventilated; this means windows or slats at the top, to allow warm air and ammonia fumes OUT. A tall doorway can achieve the same function. The trick, however, is that it should NOT be draughty, ie should be protected from cold winds. Having the door on a perpendicular angle to the length of the house can help with this, faced away from prevailing winds.

The house should be large enough for the pigs to stand, lie down and turn around easily. Beware of piglets, which can outgrow the space quickly! MPI has a great calculator you can use. Head to https://www.mpi.govt.nz/animals/animal-welfare/codes/pig-space-calculator/

Clean regularly to remove any waste, as ammonia fumes can build up, hurting the pigs eyes, nose and skin. Alternatively, add another thick layer of clean hay on top regularly, to create a deep litter system which can be harvested at a later date as compost. Be sure to read up on deep litter systems before embarking on this journey, as there are some mistakes to avoid.

Safe water supply

Pigs are at high risk of a condition called Salt Toxicity, if they suddenly lose their water supply. Be sure to always have a safe, fresh water supply that is checked and double-checked, and can be monitored if you head off on holiday. Pigs will climb inside troughs if the sides are low enough, soiling the water, so be deliberate on the size of your troughs. Alternatively set up nipple-waterers, which release water then the pig pushes their snout against it.

“Crush”/medical facilities

It is always a good idea to have a low “crush” set up in case your pigs need handling by a veterinarian for physical exams and medical treatments. The crush should have enough space between side slats that a person can reach their arm inside, tight enough that the pig cannot turn around, with some mechanism to close them in once inside. In its simplest form, a small, rectangular pen will suffice, where a length of wood can be slid in behind the pig to keep it from backing out. This can save you money and heart ache when the day comes that a vet is required. Be sure to feed your pigs in here from time to time, to keep them trusting of the pen.

For an in-depth look at the day to day care of pigs enroll on our Pigs Health & Husbandry online course.