Why Pigs Are the Secret Weapon for Turning Dirt into Fertile Soil

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@GrizzlyGroundswell Ай бұрын

Good video! The one thing you did not hit upon is that these little oinkers are expert hydrologists. On my homestead we had compacted clay soils that when the rain came it all gully washed off. Enter pastured hogs and they went to town, and now I have swine swales that hold that moisture and create micro climates of fodder and trees like my black locust. The black locust is a suckering tree that the hogs disturb enough to get them growing especially when an older one is coppiced, pollarded or fell down in a storm. That gives shade and future fence posts while adding nitrogen to the pasture. Yet, these oinker hydrologists have landscaped their pasture from clay death to hog crater abundance.

@DowdleFamilyFarms Ай бұрын

For sure!

@speaklifegardenhomesteadpe8783 Ай бұрын

Awesome!

@deborahlawing2728 Ай бұрын

Our only experience with pigs, unfortunately, was in a relatively small enclosure. Three pigs in a space about the size of a double car garage. We noticed in that situation they all seemed to poop in one corner of the pen. They did not wallow in it. Very clean trio. 😅

@DowdleFamilyFarms Ай бұрын

Yes, i've noticed that they will do that in confined spaces too. When they ha ve a lot of space, they will scatter it abroad except where they sleep usually.

@raincoast9010 Ай бұрын

My experience with pigs was that they compacted the soil.

@ajb.822 Ай бұрын

I've always heard that, so was a little surprised and disappointed when, sharing a garden space at a friend's farm, next to their outdoor pig pen, I did not witness such. Maybe due to it having been a pig pen area for several years by then, and not kept bedded (or anything done to it) usually, except in winter ( once they started keeping a sow, vrs. just buying piglets every spring) or because they often raised more like 5 maybe.. in similar, 1 to 2 car garage sized area, but they seemed to poop just anywhere and def. wallowed anywhere that turned into a wet spot (from rain or hose leaking, combined with topography). Since the piglets were little of course, to begin with, it still woulda pry been plenty of space had they done more of a bedding system, adding it promptly as needed.. I'm guessing and from what I see on YT channels of those doing it.. ? So far ( I haven't been seeking them out) I've only seen the usual 2 pigs in a carport, tho. Am from a dairy farm background myself so I know similar situations ( pens/stalls/paddocks & bedding, weather, variables) but with cattle, and a tiny bit w horses and sheep, not pigs. Am interested in learning about dealing with pigs in the shoulder seasons in a northern-ish WI climate... as simply ( incl. low cost), naturally & regeneratively as possible.

@allonesame6467 Ай бұрын

Wonderful discussion of feeding on-farm cover crops. Grow what you feed. Feed what you grow. It's a closed loop that fertilizes your whole operation! Hey, and daikon radish makes a great fermented pickle! Grateful for all you share!

@DowdleFamilyFarms Ай бұрын

Yes! Thank you! One of my favorite things to do is graze the cover crops a little bit each day myself. My favorite are the peas!

@ShockedSquirrelhere Ай бұрын

This is really helpful! I really appreciate you sharing your experiences it seriously helps those of us getting into homesteading ❤

@DowdleFamilyFarms Ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@Lamar-ok5sl Ай бұрын

Man you give great advice on your videos. I'm not a farmer at all but if I was starting, you're my guru! 😆

@DowdleFamilyFarms Ай бұрын

I appreciate that more than you know. Thank you for watching!

@brycewiborg8095 Ай бұрын

I read in the comments that hogs compact soil. That isn't my experience. It must have something to do with the soil, and, or the soil consistency. Given the choice a hog will always leave manure in one area when confined. We tended to feed table scraps, and cooked garden surplus. On one occasion my Mother discovered some canned plums that had fermented. She dumped them in a bucket, and instructed me to pour it in the trough. They fought over it, and wandered off to take a nap. Always enjoy your videos. Thanks.

@DowdleFamilyFarms Ай бұрын

Hogs can compact the soil, but it depends on management in my experience. Agreed, in small pens, pigs will manure in one spot, but in larger areas, it tends to be scattered.

@ronlevin2339 Ай бұрын

from my experience chicken manure is very concentrated, dried and very acidic. You cannot use it alone on any soil, only on base soil that has a lot of lime stones inside. Usually if we had to use it, we had to ferment it first. Cow manure is also acidic, but much less, but also very dry. We used it dried directly under the plants. Pig manure is very liquid, this is why it absorb much faster by the organisms in the soil. We used it between the rows of crops.