Does Your Pig Hibernate? Behavioral patterns during the winter.

Strange as it sounds it sometimes appears to be the case around here, we notice a definite change in temperament and response in the pigs during the winter months, or when it has been nice and temps drop again. Even the house pigs are affected to a certain degree.

This year we have heard from numerous folks with indoor pigs that seem to be filling the affects. We know it affects the outdoor pigs as we have watched them for the last seven or eight winters. There is very little activity, a little more arguing and growling among themselves and a tendency to not even particularly like people.

This is not too hard to understand as some of us are cranky and crabby during the winter months also, or at least I am. A week without sunshine and I am hard to live with.

Harley Hog trying to decide if he wants to come outside or not.

With these pigs however, it is almost like a semi-hibernation. They sleep most of the time, are less interested in anything going on around them, and only seem to come alive at feed time and even then it is not to the same degree as the rest of the year. They do not do the walking around the feed pans, the butting each other, and it sometimes seems to be an aggravation to them for us to bother them at all.

During the rest of the year we are met with squeals of delight and happy happy sounds. during the winter they grumble at us, make low throaty noises and really don't care to be bothered with a belly rub or pat on the side. Pigs that have never swiped at us before will do it in the winter months and pigs that already have a reputation for it do it more often than I care to remember during the winter months.

Whether they are in a heated house or one full of straw they still show signs of winter depression. They are crabby and irritable and generally hard to get along with. They seem to want nothing from us other than their dinner and their blankets to lay in and cover up with.

Making them go out to do their business becomes a real battle of wills and one that we don't always win. You would think that they would appreciate the fact that we shovel their walk out and "business areas" and keep it clean of snow before we ask them to make the dreaded trip outdoors, but that does not seem to be the case.

They also appear to not care as much about attention and fun things that they may have enjoyed the rest of the year. All in all it makes for a real strange relationship for a few months.

Maybe the answer is for us to semi-hibernate with them, but then who would shovel the snow? How many times can we apologize for it being winter again? Oh well, we have the consolation of knowing that is won't last forever, even if it seems like it when it is happening.

Nothing, but putting up with a whole bunch of crabby, complaining, grouchy pigs for a few months could make us people appreciate Spring, RIGHT?

Winter Tips for Your Outside Pet Pig

It's winter out and you want to know how to keep your pig warm and safe from the elements. The outside pig needs a shelter out of the elements.

Housing:

If you have pigs outside for the winter there are things you can do to ensure they are warm and well. Insulate their house. This can be done with sheets of insulation between ply boards, or placing bales of hay around the outside of their house. We have also placed them on the top to help keep the heat in. Houses should be full of straw, a natural insulator, not hay...it breaks up easily. Try to NOT use blankets in the wintertime. They become wet and soggy from the pig going in with a wet belly and can cause problems. You will need to change/add straw often.

Placing a sack-cloth, moving blanket, rug, or similar over the entrance is a must in the winter. This can be lowered over the entrance way at night, and will prevent loss of heat or drafts. This is key to ensuring your pigs don't catch pneumonia in the winter months. Make sure the entrance is facing away from the prevailing wind. The last thing you want is for rain, sleet, or snow to blow through the doorway and into your pigs sleeping area.

We are not fans of heat lamps as there reports of fires each year. Usually with good insulation; lots of straw they will be fine. If you want something extra for really cold nights and older pigs we have used heat mats successfully here.

The brand is Stanfield and they can be found at either eNasco or QC Supply

The mats are screwed on to a sheet of ply board. That is then put on the rubber horse mat that is their floor so that they are not directly on the cold ground. We then put straw on top of the mats. The mats are plugged into a control that is needed to regulate the temperature of the mats. The highest setting we used all winter was 3. This kept their bellies warm and the chill off of their condo. Our lows were generally in the low teens.

Food and Water:

Make sure that you feed well in the wintertime as food helps make body heat. We normally doubled the amount of pig chow...you can worry about a diet come springtime. Try and make the last feeding in late afternoon.

Your pig MUST have water…it doesn’t matter how cold it is outside he still needs water. Snow is NOT considered an adequate supply of water and neither is ice. A pig would have to eat a bucketful of snow to get an adequate drink and their stomach isn’t made to hold that.

Some people give warm water in the winter...we don’t because the warm water will freeze faster than plain water will. I don’t know if they just seem like they do or if they really do, but our pigs seem to drink more in the winter than they do in the summer. Could be that they just enjoy the fact that we have more work to do in the bad weather and like to watch. Heated water bowls are nice, but keep an eye on them as some pigs will still dump them.

Potty Time:

Make sure your pig is going to the bathroom on a semi normal schedule. Some pigs will try to hold it and they can cause problems for themselves this way. Weather permitting they should go twice a day...once minimum. Constipation is more common in the winter months than in the summer. We add some Piggy Lax to the feed of all the older pigs just to make sure. Getting them up and walking to go potty also helps prevent constipation.