For 2 pigs we did 8'x8', but I would go a little bigger - they seemed happy enough, but they're more fun to watch in a bigger space where they can play more. Definitely put them together - they'll be more content and they'll eat more, faster if they're trying to make sure to get 'their's' before the other one does. That last 3 weeks or so they get moved to a bigger pen that just stays put. By then the ground is too hard for them to do much rooting or grazing anyway, plus that's when you want them to eat more grain. Somethings that I forgot to add was that escapes have not really been a problem for us. They always escape a couple times when you're moving the pen and they're little...but it's easy enough to remind them where the grain is and they come back in. For the most part though, we don't feed grain till they're a little hungry and we put it snug up against the 'wall' that's on the side we're going to be moving towards...they're generally way to distracted by it to notice that it's prime time for escape. I don't doubt at all that they 'could' push over or root under the pen - a friend of mine's did - but we've just been lucky that ours have just not seemed interested in going anywhere else. I think that they're pretty occupied with each other and a new space every day (plus we generally throw some hard plastic balls for them to play with, and our little dogs go in and visit a few times a day...I think there day is just too occupied. It would probably be easier for them when they're bigger, but ours have seemed to get lazier the bigger they've gotten, so that works out. Another thing is shelter, shade and a way to cool off - through the summer we stretch a tarp over one corner of the tractor to make sure they have shade and a place to get out of the rain if they want to (they usually don't want to). We've attached it to the tractor itself, but it's worked better to just use a narrow strip of tarp, staple a 2x4 to each end for weight and then just roll and unroll as needed - then you can switch corners if the wind changes or whatever, and it doesn't get stretched out from the tractor being shifted around every day. In the pen at the end of the season, they have a shelter - a large doghouse with lots of straw will work if you butcher fairly small (200-250lbs or so) like us. In mid-summer, I'll drape a garden hose with a 'mist' attachment over one corner of the tractor and keep it on through the hot part of the day - this also keeps them rooting more - they can't seem to resist wet ground. When we move them, before we plant grass seed, we rake the ground really well too...their rooting tears everything into big clumps that can become like bricks if left to back in the sun for more than a couple of days. We also have chickens and turkeys they go nuts over that area for a few days - which helps a lot, sometimes completely eliminating the need to rake if they really tear into things. We also don't scatter the seed until they've lost interest and moved on (for obvious reasons). Waterers - like someone said above, they'll just climb into or turn over a tub after the first sip...you can put a cinderblock or something heavy in when they're little, but that doesn't work long. We make one out of PVC pipe - cap one end, attach a spigot thing for animals (you can buy at Fleet or whatever farm supply you've got) and rubber band a fine screen over the top to keep bugs out. Attach vertically to the side with wires and fill up through the screen. Half the length was how much they rooted - almost exactly, it was kinda weird. They slept in one corner, pooped in one adjacent - and rooted the other half. You'd think they'd reverse it once we moved them and leave parts unrooted - but they didn't...ours always seemed to want to sleep and poop in the east corners, even if it meant they were rooting through their poop (on the west side) the following day. My friend who did have a problem with his pigs escaping from the tractors now uses one line of electric, 6"off the ground - which he moves occasionally, though not daily like I like to. That works really well for him. We're doing a bunch of feeder pigs this summer and are going to try to do a much bigger version of this method...I'm sure I'll be on asking for advice and sharing how that goes. Wish us luck!

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.

You would need a large area for them,with a strong fence of course..provide a shelter of some kind,loaded with straw for bedding and warmth in the winter. They need sun and love to lie in it,this is why you will also have to have an area in there that has mud for protecting them from sunburns. (that;s why pigs roll in mud) they also love to root with their nose,digging and pushing things around are a favorite past-time for them! I gave my potbelly smooth rocks in a plastic bin with low sides to play with. also,pigs are extremely clean animals,they won't pee or poo in their houses where they will sleep...so keeping that area clean will be easy for you...I only changed the straw once a week. other than that,if you are keeping them outside all the time(I kept mine in with us like a dog!) then make sure your fencing is strong enough to hold them in,and keep large predators out. Pigs can figure out how to open gates and escape in no time! concrete blocks somewhere in their area would help file down the hoofs making your chore of hoof trimming a little less.I did mine about every 3 months. also,they love a bath...I used a kids wading pool and it worked great...just put concrete blocks for them to get up. good luck with your pigs..I LOVE them and think they need more credit than they recieve from most people. They're HIGHLY intelligent creatures,and very sensitive to their surroundings and families..hope I helped :)

Yeah, I'd stay in my own home for a time. I assume the BF cleans and picks up after himself? Does the mess bother the BF or just you? Asking cause even if the boys move on someday, are you going to be 24/7 maid to the BF/husband? I'd be honest with the BF about the boys, they're well behaved, mannered, enjoyable delights, but you can't live in an environment of total pig sty and that you'd just as soon not race into any arrangement that would subject you to it on a daily basis (I'd also keep an eye on the BF's own living habits, you want to be a GF and wife, not a grown man's maid/nanny). My oldest son now almost 33 could be a bit of a slob, but it had to be kept to his own room. Almost funny in that during HS years his room was scary but when he moved out and first got own apartment and then married, he's a regular Mr Neat and Clean. He had to be neat and clean in the community areas of my home..no rotting half eaten food in his room, no garbage so that a little mouse might want to move in and live in his room if one managed to get in the attic and sniff it through the attic door, dishes taken up had to be returned when finished, that type of thing. He could toss laundry all over his room if he wanted to, but I never went to go find it, it just didn't get washed unless it made it to laundry room. He was not so much dirty as he was cluttered. Books scattered across his school work area, crumpled paper tossed around his desk, a tee hanging over his computer monitor and the lounge chair covered in about a weeks worth of jeans and tops. He did manange to take his used underclothes to the laundry daily, guess even my slob did not wanna smell up his palace. Opening his closet door could be a trying experience so I avoided going near that to return an item, just laid things neatly on his unmade bed ( I was not his maid, I provided clean sheets to his room and would turn and leave, he knew how to change and make a bed) When son married a young lady from a different country and different ways of household life, the DIL kept asking me if she was doing something wrong. Her husband was cleaning house, helping with meals, and whatnot even when she said 'no that's my job'. So my slob just turned out to be a temporary slob and only in his personal bedroom and when it comes to his own home he now it's pretty much spotless. I would hope that BF is working with the boys in other ways like making them do their homework so they can enter higher education and guiding their career choice their along with their school guidence leader, maybe working part-time to learn responsibility and prepare for young adulthood? You'd certainly not want the boys to be helpless and grown men still living at home.