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Torc · Joined: 29 Jan 2007 Posts: 108 Location: North Clare

Has anyone got any advice on seperate feeding troughs? I feed my three pigs with three heaps set out on the ground, a few feet apart but they usually fight a bit before they sort themselves out. This can mean bites and wounds which are a bit worrying.

dara · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 186 Location: Mayo

Naturally they have a pecking order so no matter what you do the top pig usually goes round bullying the others off their food. I'd just try to put a bit more dsitance between them.

wayland · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 1171 Location: Campile. Wexford

We controlled this problem to an extent by constructing a concrete feed trough. All this consists of was a large glazed clay pipe cut in half down its length. This was set in concrete with the idea of having an easy clean surface. We also set in the concrete steel bars to prevent one pig from having a go at its neighbour, or even worse, walking along the trough eating all the grub. It worked for us and I will build something similar.
Good Luck.
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Torc · Joined: 29 Jan 2007 Posts: 108 Location: North Clare

I have been increasing the distance between them but it takes them a while to settle down to their separate food heaps and in that time there's a lot of biting with some wounds.
I suppose the trough wouldn't prevent this as they'd still fight for spaces.
Maybe they're too hungry and get too excited at meal times.

blowin · Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 11:30 pm Post subject:

I found that a reasonable solution was to put down one more heap of food than the number of pigs -- 4 piles on the ground for 3 pigs . This worked like a reversal of musical chairs . They kept running to where the other one was feeding but there was always somewhere for the less dominant one to move on to .