[Gpdd] HEALTH Grass and clover

[Penny Charlesworth]

I have always put my herd out on the grass when the English climate permits. I have a large run for all the sows and smaller pens for the pairs of boars.

Until recently I have always had a dog, who would keep any predators well away from the Piggyfriends. They were so well guarded that not even a sparrow would dare go into their enclosure. I'm not sure how it is going to work this year. I live out in the country with no neighbours so cats or other dogs were never a problem.

If you cover your fenced off area with landscape matting it is unlikely that enough light will penetrate to allow the grass/clover to grow properly. My boar pens are of the folding variety, which can be stored away for the winter and have flat lids with a narrow mesh, which keep any birds out but allow light in. They can be moved around the lawn so that the piggies have fresh grass each time that they go out and also allows the previously munched grass to recover.

Random bird droppings are always a hazard so I keep all of my bird feeders well away from the piggy area and have never had any trouble from this source.

I grow all sorts of veggies for the piggies but even though I use no chemicals in the garden I still wash everything just in case.

Hope that this is of some help and that Phoebe and Pumpkin will soon be out there enjoying their grass.

Penny and the Piggyfriends