Yes I am in Spokane. I am looking forward to getting the animals, went and looked at chicks yesterday but they were sold out of the breed I wanted and I had never heard of the ones they still had in stock so I didn't get any. Came home and read some more about them and will pick up a few next week. The guy said everyone seems to be wanting to raise their own this year and he can't keep them in stock. I don't have a barn or any other out buildings is the reason that overwintering animals is not an option right now. A barn is not in my budget but we are going to put up a coop and something for the pigs. Once the coop is up I will get some grown chickens too, but the little ones are so cute I wanted to raise a few babies and see if I can get attached to them enough to want to take care of them over the winter. Sleddogger thanks for the laugh, I can just imagine the pig getting into the neighbors garden! They don't know I am getting them yet. They are already unhappy about me putting up the fence. I actually an looking forward to them, have heard many good things about raising pigs and think I have enough room that they won't smell.

Claraserena, You have too small an enclosure is your first problem. I have kept hogs in small enclosures and it doesn't take long for a problem of bare ground and muddy conditions to develop. One of the things I can recommend you to look at is slope. If you do not have enough slope away from the pig pen it will not allow adequate drainage. Unless you want to keep pigs in the same area, all of the time, I wouldn't recommend pouring concrete to cover the area where the hogs will be. In the winter the concrete will ice over and you can have problems with legs/hips getting broken which will mean most processing plants will not take them in for slaughter. If they do not break a leg you will run the risk of muscle strains from slips which will mean hogs not eating like they should. If your husband wants to pour a concrete pad where the feeders or waterers are, that could be of benefit, but only in that area. If you want to gravel a part of the area, that could be of benefit in that area, but will not solve the entire problem. As to the issue of ringing thier snouts, that might be your only solution if you can not expand the size of the hog lot. But remember rooting is only one part of the problem. Each hog has four compactors, one on each corner, and each step they take tramples the grass and compacts the soil. If you can not expand your lot or change the slope so natural drainage can be enhanced your best solution might be too expensive to think of. You might have to do like some of the Europeans have done and build a confinement building with a pit for sewage. (I have seen some that are designed for only a dozen head, but they haven't caught on here. Most confinement operations in the U.S. are hundreds of head ops.) Then you can dispose of the sewage by pumping and spraying or injecting into the soil of either permeanant pasture or crop fields during the fall and winter.

You have an excellent idea. I've raised a lot of pigs. Pigs get large - very large. I would not, personally, consider raising a pig that I intended to keep for the long term, especially a potbellied. Believe me, a 400 (or much more) pound pig eats a lot, the vet bills could be astronomical as they age and they need care and attention at least twice a day, every day. Plus they tell me the potbellied is not a good meat animal. That said, the idea is wonderful. You got good advice about fencing if you can sort out a solution that'll work for you. Pigs are a blast to raise. Get yourself two feeder pigs, raise them together and have them slaughtered when they hit about 225 to 250. Unless you have a large family, I'd suggest finding someone to buy the extra pig and maybe pay the feed bills for both in return for your work raising them. Myself, I like at least a 10'x20' area for the pigs with 1/2 that in shade. Remember to give them water at ALL times and a place to wallow in the heat - pigs don't sweat and so must be kept cool. You'll be surprised at how clean and smart pigs are. And tasty, too. If you do it, have fun and feel free to email me for help - we really enjoyed our pigs and we're always happy to help other pig farmers get started.

Hi, Pigs can be a lot of fun to have around and are very smart. For an 8 week out I would mix warm water in her food. They appreciate the warm water in the winter too. Make sure she has access to shade and fresh water at all times. Like most animals, pigs are food motivated. If you plan on keeping this one for a pet you shouldn't feed it as you would a freezer pig. Give her plenty of veggies along with her food and she will enjoy fruits too. As far as bonding with her. Piglets have a reflex to move away from momma pig so they don't get smashed when she lays down. So when you go to pet the piglet make movements toward her from underneath of her. Not by bringing your hand down towards her like you would pat a dog. Come up from the ground with your hand to scratch under her chin and rub her belly. It shouldn't take too long before you can just give her a scratch on her butt or back. They do outgrow that reflex eventually. She might have charged at your daughter because she just isn't sure how to act with people. Set guidelines with her after she has had a little time to settle in. No biting at all is permissable. Tell her NO if she nips. If that doesn't work give her a thump on the nose, but not to hurt or injure her, just to reinforce the NO. As far as having her with the chickens they seem to get along pretty well. I have chickens that sit on the pigs backs. But keeping the pig out of the chicken food will be a problem. Never underestimate a pig that wants to get into a feeder. I think the easiest way of taking care of that is to put the chicken feeder up out of the pigs reach. I'm curious why you didn't get a pot bellied pig. The pots still get big, but not as large as a farm pig. And it has been my experience that the pots aren't as destructive as a farm pig. You need to keep a close watch on the dog and pig. They are natural enemies and when a piglet is squealing even the best dogs get upset enough to attack them. I think that high pitch squeal just plays hell with the dogs ears. Have fun! Carrie