My pig is very spoiled. She only wants to be with horses and cats. She no longer wants to be in with the chickens.. She was in a huge coop seperated with chicken wire. She squeels soooo loud when I leave her behind. So I tried the horse stall and she loves it.. I was thinking can I use hay? The ground seems hard and cold for her. She's 3 months old. Thanks and I'm here in Maryland.. Maureen

-- maureen (onemaur@yahoo.com), October 09, 2001

Answers

Hay will be fine for bedding .She can burrow under to keep warm.

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), October 09, 2001.

My pigs love fresh straw. They can snuggle down into it to keep warm. They love to play in it and spread it all around. If you can't find straw, the hay (grass hay, not alfalfa) should work just as well. Good luck!

-- cowgirlone (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), October 09, 2001.

Maureen,

A deep bed of hay or straw would work great. I have kept pigs over the winter here in Maine in a three sided pen in a deep (about 3 feet) bed of hay and straw. It works fine. I couldn't see the pigs when I went out in the morning to feed and water because they burrowed so far under the hay. I'd always know they were still there though because I could see steam rising from the top of the pile and the pile of hay would start to move when the pigs heard me coming with the feed bucket. Just be sure to use enough hay and to add more when it becomes trampled down. It should be a piece of cake with your milder winters in Maryland.

-- Murray in ME (lkdmfarm@megalink.net), October 09, 2001.