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Enough Space For 5 Sows

GPIGFAN

New Born Pup
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Hello and Merry Christmas!

I have 2 sows and they are currently in a Hartwell 6ft x2 foot hutch double storey with a 4 ft x 2 foot run area. They haven't explored upstairs at all yet - I don't know if this is because they are still settling in (We only moved them into the hutch in our heated garage on Thursday this week) or if i should add a fleece cover to the ramp?

Anyway my friend is still keen to give me her 3 sows (I'm not sure when exactly, but at some point in the new year) and previously when I asked about housing all 5 of them on here it was suggested that I could just take out the ramp of tge 6ft x 2 ft hutch and 3 sows could live on one floor and two on the other. My only concern is how would the ladies on the top floor get access to the run area?

I have a 3ft x 2 foot hutch, which my 2 sows came with, which is too small for them obviously, but I was wondering if I gave all 5 piggies access to both floors of the double storey 6 ft x 2 ft and a run area that was approx.7 ft x 2 and free access to the 3 ft x 2 ft hutch as well would this be enough space for all 5 of them? At the moment the 6ft x 2ft hutch is sat next to the 3 ft x 2ft hutch so I was thinking I could extend the run to be outside both hutches. This option would involve introducing and bonding them. Do you have any advice on how to do this? I think my 2 sows are younger than the 3 sows that my friend wants to give me.

If they don't want to be together how would I give the upstairs piggies access to the run area? The 3 sows will come with their own hutch and run, but I don't know what the measurements of the hutch or the run are at the moment. I would prefer them to all be together if they like each other so they have a bit more company, but obviously I don't know what they will think about that yet. I guess I could just keep the 3 sows in their existing hutch and run and keep my two in their hutch and run and get rid of the 3 ft x 2ft hutch?

How big should a run be for 2 sows? 3 sows? 5 sows?

Any suggestions would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks and best wishes
 
One more question - at the moment the run area outside the 6 ft x 2ft hutch is the 4 ft x 2ft Midwest cage, but I could make the space bigger if I had cage panels. Could I use the Midwest cage panels for this? Where can I get more cage panels? What would I use as the flooring for the run? Would you use cable ties to secure the panels to one another and to the hutch?

Sorry so many questions. I just want to make sure it is the best it can be.

Thanks again and best wishes
 
Maybe try adding something your pigs can grip to the ramp. Or try making it more shallow.

Five pigs should have a bare minimum of 16 square feet. So the minimum space you should give us the space you have now, which is 20 square feet. If you gave all pigs access to the run, smaller hutch, and the hutch you have now, they’d thrive with 26 square feet of room! To make it a mansion, you could somehow connect the cage they come with to all of these — any of these options would work.

As for introducing, I’m not sure. I’ve done it before, but I don’t know if I did it correctly. I’m sure there are some things on this forum about introducing pigs.
 
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