May need to make some changes...

[Amanda1801]

I may have the opportunity to buy a house...it's in the early stages yet, but things need to be considered.

One thing, is how I will house the pigs in a house, with my I-like-to-eat-small-furry-things dog.

The house has a very large garden - more than large enough that I could split it in two, give the dog access to the first part, and have the bottom half fenced off with a gate, that could be the pigs area. Garden room is no issue.

They're currently indoor piggies. 2 have lived outside before, but they're not young pigs any more. As I see it, have three options for housing them.


I could house them in a part of the house that is currently used for storage (currently has a chest freezer, shelves etc.) which has a lockable door, but does get chilly in winter (it's part of the old conservatory and there's no central heating in that little bit). This is only a small area, and I'm also looking at going from 4 to 6 pigs, in 3 pairs, so I'm not sure if they'd all fit :...

I could house them in an insulated/heated shed

I could house them outside in hutches down the side of the house, very sheltered, but also very high walls, so not sure if they'd get much sunlight. In an ideal world, I'd turn this part into an outdoor pig run!

Would it be possible to move indoor pigs outdoors, given that the oldest ones are 4 years old? How would I safely heat a shed in winter?

Any suggestions welcomed - I'm going to try my best to keep hold of this house if I can work it financially, I think I'd be stupid not to...

 

[rachelsharp]

this all sounds very exciting! i can't wait for the day where i can manage to buy my own house and it's very much so that my pigs can have the run of the garden and animals could take over the house! (four cages in my bedroom and six pigs in a huge hutch in the garden isn't quite what my parents had planned).

anyway, we've got an outdoor electricity supply and have two electric tubular heaters installed on the underside of each floor level inside of the hutch (it's three tier) and they work great. that combined with a remote thermometer means i can keep track of the pigs temperature from the house any time of day. i think that would be the safest way of heating a hutch, and especially as i've got two girls that are heading on for the lovely age of six, it means it's doable to keep them outside.

this is the heater we have ( http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Tubular+Heater+/p51263 ) we have a 120watt and 240watt heater installed in the hutch. the only thing would be the cost, i do think that it can add up a bit, especially over the winter when we've got them on 24/7 and i'm very very fortunate that my parents absorb all of that lovely cost. i suppose though, a well insulated shed would be much more efficient in keeping the heat in, instead of a hutch. xx

 

[Amanda1801]

this all sounds very exciting! i can't wait for the day where i can manage to buy my own house and it's very much so that my pigs can have the run of the garden and animals could take over the house! (four cages in my bedroom and six pigs in a huge hutch in the garden isn't quite what my parents had planned).

anyway, we've got an outdoor electricity supply and have two electric tubular heaters installed on the underside of each floor level inside of the hutch (it's three tier) and they work great. that combined with a remote thermometer means i can keep track of the pigs temperature from the house any time of day. i think that would be the safest way of heating a hutch, and especially as i've got two girls that are heading on for the lovely age of six, it means it's doable to keep them outside.

this is the heater we have ( http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Tubular+Heater+/p51263 ) we have a 120watt and 240watt heater installed in the hutch. the only thing would be the cost, i do think that it can add up a bit, especially over the winter when we've got them on 24/7 and i'm very very fortunate that my parents absorb all of that lovely cost. i suppose though, a well insulated shed would be much more efficient in keeping the heat in, instead of a hutch. xx

Unfortunately, with the dog, the pigs would have to be down the bottom of the garden. I guess I could get an electricity supply down there; there must already be an external supply as there's a water feature...

I'd obviously much rather have them inside, but with the dog, it might be safer for them to be outside.

Argh too much to think about!

Yesterday the most pressing decision I had to make was what to order from the chinese. Today it's mortgages, solicitors, wills and who knows what!

 

[claremw92]

I have my garden halfed like you suggested... It works quite well... Also keeps all the dog mess away from the edible grass for the animals...

I'd personally go for a shed... They are cool in the summer and easily heated in the winter... Go for the best shed your budget will allow... Tounge and groove is best... I heat my shed with a oil filled radiator... And I have a dehumidifier in there aswell as it gets quite damp if it's not on... My electric in there is pretty basic... Just an industrial extension cord run from my house... I also have a light fitting in there...

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