pallet pig house.

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pallet pig house.
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Duckhead

Joined: 24 Oct 2009
Posts: 2069
Location: Up the hill, Italy

Posted: Wed Jul 21, 10 7:58 pm Post subject: pallet pig house.

I am going to build a house for our soon to be delivered pregnant pig.
Pallets are free so i'm thinking of something like this. I may make it not so tall and with a door on. The straw at the back is chicken wired on for insulation. Tagged onto the front I will use stout posts to support 50 meters of chain link fence. I have decided, I think, that I won't put a floor on but will dig a little moat at the high side, to ensure it stays dry. The whole kit and caboodle will be moved around as and when.
All constructive critisism will be greatfully received.

Bebo

Joined: 21 May 2007
Posts: 12590
Location: East Sussex

Posted: Wed Jul 21, 10 8:09 pm Post subject:
Wouldn't bother with a door. She'll just knock it down if she wants to get out. Just make sure that you put the entrance facing away from the prevailing wind.

Duckhead

Joined: 24 Oct 2009
Posts: 2069
Location: Up the hill, Italy

Posted: Wed Jul 21, 10 8:16 pm Post subject:

Bebo wrote:

Just make sure that you put the entrance facing away from the prevailing wind.

That is part of the plan, facing it that way will also help as she will be able to use the structure for shade from the afternoon sun.

earthyvirgo

Joined: 24 Aug 2007
Posts: 7972
Location: creating prints in the loft, Gerlan

Posted: Thu Jul 22, 10 12:27 am Post subject:

Don't expect it to look like that for long!.

We were amazed at how unintentionally destructive pigs are with the structure we lovingly made them.

The most successful was probably a straw bale sun shade/shelter, which was just some stacked bales, 2 bales high, in a C shape, pinned together with stakes, the roof was (I think) a piece of marine ply with a couple of bales on top to hold it down.

EV

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Thu Jul 22, 10 7:03 am Post subject:

She's going to be using it for quite a while. And when there are piglets in there too..

Don't stint on height: she'll probably farrow in there, so you may need to be in with her. You'll want to stand up! Make sure there's enough space for her, you, piglets etc. We have a creep bar in our farrowing ark: the piglets go under them to get to their heat lamp, thus avoiding losses due to being squashed which almost certainly would otherwise happen.

How are you going to move it? Will it be on skids? If you have any other questions/problems you know you can alway pm me.

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Thu Jul 22, 10 7:21 am Post subject:
Nail a plank in across the base of the door. It will stop the piglets from getting out in the first few days.

T.G

Joined: 13 Sep 2009
Posts: 7280
Location: Somewhere you're not

Posted: Thu Jul 22, 10 10:41 am Post subject:

if you're planning on moving it about i'd go with EV, hay/strawbales .., self insulating, and surprisingly wind and water proof, stake through them pinning them in place.

easier to assemble, no sharp edges that you would get jutting out if big pig smashes the pallet wood, which they would with their big bottoms sitting up against it or rubbing.

reuseable, and you can take it down and store it if need be.

Duckhead

Joined: 24 Oct 2009
Posts: 2069
Location: Up the hill, Italy

Posted: Thu Jul 22, 10 12:44 pm Post subject:

Given a choice I would use bales.
Trouble is most folk now seem to make the huge round ones.
I have found one chap that will sell me some "proper ones" for 2 eu's each or 2.5 delivered.

I would need maybe 3 on each side of the C shape and four across the back., Thats 10. Then build it 4 or 5 high, 40-50 bales.
It would work out cheaper to get him to deliver them so thats 100-125 Euros. Plus a roof.

I can't get this wrong though, obviously. It seems The.Grange feels that the pallet idea is dangerous.
Oh dear, we are going to see a friend tomorrow who is very local, hopefully he'll put us straight.

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Thu Jul 22, 10 1:11 pm Post subject:
Both our arks are made from ply (thick). One is five years old and showing very little wear, although a couple of bits have had to be reinforced thhis year. It's more expensive to start with but lasts OK. We don't use the metal ones because we feel they're hot in summer and ocld in winter.

Duckhead

Joined: 24 Oct 2009
Posts: 2069
Location: Up the hill, Italy

Posted: Thu Jul 22, 10 1:23 pm Post subject:

Thanks Mochyn. I have to build this as cheaply as possible, even if it only lasts a year, things will hopefully be on the up soon so I can replace it with something better then.
I'm now thinking that I could use pallets for strength and line it with some thin ply or chipboard. That way if she swings her great big bum around she will more likely just shift the lot, rather than pushing a potentialyy jagged hole in it.
Nowts easy is it?

T.G

Joined: 13 Sep 2009
Posts: 7280
Location: Somewhere you're not

Posted: Thu Jul 22, 10 3:16 pm Post subject:

sfolati wrote:

Nowts easy is it?

not where animals are concerned

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Thu Jul 22, 10 4:37 pm Post subject:
Cant see the insulation lasting long behind chicken wire. Or even behind sheep fencing wire. You will need a joist to span the door gap or it will be a pain to move.

Duckhead

Joined: 24 Oct 2009
Posts: 2069
Location: Up the hill, Italy

Posted: Thu Jul 22, 10 4:43 pm Post subject:

RichardW wrote:

Cant see the insulation lasting long behind chicken wire. Or even behind sheep fencing wire.

You will need a joist to span the door gap or it will be a pain to move.

I thought to make three and a half, really strong panels and then bolt the panels together. Then when it was time to move I could easily take the panels apart, put them on some sort of a sled, drag them to where I wanted them and then rebuild.
ETA plus the roof would come off easy of course

lassemista

Joined: 28 Sep 2006
Posts: 608
Location: suffolk

Posted: Fri Jul 23, 10 1:10 pm Post subject:
We found they knocked down and pulled apart straw bales - despite them being secured by heavy duty fence posts. We have now bought a second hand arc, but have yet to transport it Andrea.

T.G

Joined: 13 Sep 2009
Posts: 7280
Location: Somewhere you're not

Posted: Fri Jul 23, 10 2:01 pm Post subject:

lassemista wrote:

We found they knocked down and pulled apart straw bales - despite them being secured by heavy duty fence posts. We have now bought a second hand arc, but have yet to transport it

Andrea.

out of interest what sort of straw was it?

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