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Owners of private farmsteads sometimes want to have a piglet, but the obstacle to fulfilling their desire is the lack of a pigsty. The animal cannot be kept in a regular barn due to its habits. If the floor and walls turn out to be fragile, the pig will dig them up with its snout. Now we will try to consider how to build DIY pigsty and properly equip it inside so that caring for the animal does not turn into agony for the owner.
What are the requirements for building a pigsty?
Pigs are different from most other domestic animals in that they do not graze. However, the piglet also likes to take a walk. The animal spends about 75% of its time indoors, and the rest is spent outdoors. Pigs are walking in special paddocks. For convenience, they are attached to the pigsty. The paddock is made of durable materials, and they try to make it comfortable for the piglet.
For example, when breeding pigs to produce offspring, a completely different layout will be required, since the boar and sow will have to be kept separately. Fattening one or two piglets for meat can be done in a small pigsty consisting of one room.
Even before construction begins, it is important to determine the optimal location for the pigsty:
- Choose a dry piece of land in the yard. It's better if it's on a hill. But at the same time it must be warm, that is, illuminated by the sun most of the day.
- The area should be closed from drafts and cold winds. Sometimes owners specially plant fast-growing shrubs or other cultural plantings around the building.
- Usually a private yard is limited in free space, but next to the pigsty it is necessary to set aside a place for arranging a walk for a piglet.
Compliance with these simple rules is the first success of keeping piglets. If a pigsty is built in a low-lying area or in a windy area, the animals will constantly get sick. The paddock will flood with water at the slightest rain or when the snow melts. It is unreasonable to expect growth, much less offspring, under such conditions.
In addition to these rules, there are also sanitary standards that stipulate the distance from the pigsty to residential buildings. No matter how well the animals are looked after, the piglets will still emit an unpleasant odor. So, the distance from the pigsty to your own and your neighbor’s home is maintained at least 15 m. It is important to take into account the constant direction of the wind so that odors do not spread throughout the yard.
The video tells about a pigsty for four piglets:
Standards for allocating free space in the room for each animal
The size of the pigsty depends on the number of piglets kept.The free space for each animal is calculated according to its dimensions, as well as its purpose. Typically, modern pigsties are built with pens with a depth of 2.5 to 3 m.
Calculation of free space according to the purpose of the animal is done as follows:
- The boar is kept in a separate pen. 8 m are allocated for it2 free space.
- Sows are kept in pens with an area of 6 to 10 m2. Moreover, they are transferred there in the fourth month of pregnancy.
- Pigs left for fattening are kept in a common pen. The number of their heads can be from 1 to 6, which depends on age and size. In any case, 0.6–2 m is allocated per piglet in the pen2 free space.
A home pig farm should be designed so that the building has free passages 1.5 m wide. They are needed for convenient feeding of animals, as well as removal of manure. During planning, the sow's pen is located away from the cold walls. Here the newborn offspring will be warmer and more comfortable.
It is important to note that the height of the pigsty cannot be planned at random. Here the type of ceilings and roofing is taken into account:
- When the building is made without a ceiling with open beams, then the maximum height to the ceiling is 2.6 m. If thermal insulation is laid under the roof to insulate the pigsty, then the height of the room near the wall to the beams is allowed - 1.8 m.
- Flat ceilings are installed at a height of at least 2.2 m.
The photo shows a diagram of a pigsty designed for two paddocks. But there can be only one place for a walk. The dimensions and layout are selected individually according to the number of piglets.
The video shows a home pigsty:
Home pigsty foundation
Now we will look at the steps on how to make a home pigsty, and start with the foundation. After all, any construction of a building begins with laying the foundation. The walls of the building are erected from durable material with impressive weight. This means you will need a reliable strip foundation. It can be poured from concrete, laid out from reinforced concrete blocks or stone. Typically, such a foundation is buried down to 70 cm. If seasonal heaving of the soil is observed, then the foundation is laid to a depth below the soil freezing level.
The finished foundation should rise 20–60 cm above the ground level. A blind area of solid material 70 cm wide is laid around the formed base. Asphalt, clay, concrete, etc. are suitable for these purposes. Rain and melt water will flow away from the walls of the building along the blind area.
Walling
We have already noted that you need to make a pigsty from durable materials, and in particular this applies to walls. In addition, the walls must have minimal moisture absorption, as well as maximum thermal insulation properties. Wooden beams, bricks, any type of blocks are suitable for construction, but preferably not foam blocks. The thickness of the walls depends on the thermal conductivity of the material. Let’s say wooden walls are made up to 25 cm thick, and brick walls – 64 cm.
In general, the thickness of the walls is calculated based on the thermal conductivity of the material and the climatic conditions of the region. During the most severe frosts, the indoor temperature should not drop below 0OWITH.If the building is made of brick or other similar materials, the pigsty can be additionally insulated by laying thermal insulation between the outer or inner wall cladding.
Ceiling and roof installation
High-quality covering contributes to the formation of a special microclimate of the pigsty, favorable for animals. A built room definitely needs a ceiling if the outside temperature in winter drops below -20OC. The overlap will allow the air inside the pigsty to be heated faster. In addition, an attic air layer is formed between the ceiling and the roof, which serves as additional thermal insulation. In the southern regions you can do without ceilings, but it is better if they exist.
For the ceiling, boards or reinforced concrete slabs are used. The ceilings are whitewashed from below with lime, and any insulation is thrown onto the ceiling from above. The roof is constructed from any available materials. Typically, an inexpensive roofing covering is used for this, for example, corrugated sheeting, slate or roofing felt. In villages, pigsties used to be covered with straw or reeds. The material is short-lived, but has ideal thermal insulation properties.
Pig pen floor
The cleanliness of the animals, as well as the convenience of manure removal, depend on how the floors are made in the pigsty. In a small private building for raising 1-2 piglets for meat, a solid concrete or wooden floor is usually made. Modern farms are equipped with a self-floating system for manure removal. At the same time, a slotted floor covering is made. A similar system is recommended for a home mini-pig farm.
For a self-alloying system, storage tanks are poured from concrete. Manure gets into them through cracks in the floor covering.Each bathtub is connected to a sewerage system, which must be closed with plugs. After accumulation of manure, approximately once every two weeks, the storage tanks are cleaned. To do this, the plugs are opened, and all sewage is discharged by gravity into a tank outside the building.
Cast iron or reinforced concrete gratings are ideal for arranging slatted floors. At home, you can lay boards at a certain distance, but the piglets constantly try to pry them off with their snout, and over time they succeed.
Partitions for piglets
When the floor of the pigsty is completely ready, they begin to build partitions for the piglets. The machines are protected with durable materials. These can be reinforced concrete slabs or metal blanks. In home pigsties, partitions are often made of wood, but they are usually enough for one season. After installing the partitions, the entire room inside is whitewashed with lime.
Pig barn lighting
A pig, like any other animal, needs natural light. For this purpose, the pigsty must be built with windows. However, short daylight hours are not enough. For example, for a sow it needs to be extended to 18 hours, and for pigs left for fattening, 12 hours is enough. Only artificial lighting can cope with this task. Lighting fixtures are hung throughout the pigsty so that the light intensity can be adjusted. Moreover, you need to take into account the walls whitewashed with lime. The white surface reflects light perfectly.
The video shows how to build a barn for pigs:
Ventilation of a pigsty
Inside the premises where pigs are kept, there is a large accumulation of moisture, as well as the release of unpleasant odors from the manure. Ventilation of a factory-made or home-made pigsty helps get rid of them. At home, a hood is usually installed under the ceiling, and supply air ducts are made on the walls of the building. This results in natural air ventilation. In large pigsties, the hood is equipped with electric fans.
Heating a pigsty
Pigs produce a lot of their heat, and in a small insulated pigsty there is no need to install additional heating. During severe frosts, you can turn on a red lamp to warm the animals. Large pig farms are equipped with potbelly stoves, water or electric heating.
Don't believe the claim that pigs are messy. In a properly built and equipped pigsty, the animals will be clean, healthy and there will be little unpleasant odor coming from them.
