Pigs a plenty pigs galore

In Spain it is legal to keep a couple of pigs on your own land, for your own consumption without licenses and all the other paperwork and DFRA records and numbers required in the UK. This is a tradition for Spanish people and many people in the countryside still do it.

It is over 15 years since I had anything to do with pigs, and then it was on a commercial basis. I remember only too well covering them in sun tan lotion at the Great Yorkshire Show to stop them burning in the sun - That tells you how long ago, how many July's can you remember being hot and sunny in the UK recently.

So my husbands great plan in March 2008, lets get a couple of pigs. So there we start trying to find someone here who can supply the little porkers. Surprisingly that was easy, as a local commercial pig fattening unit would be happy to supply a couple to us.

Now - how do you keep pigs here warm in winter and cool and shaded in summer - Time for the internet search engines to work overtime. If we use a traditional English pig ark the poor things will be roast pork here in the summer before we know it.

All commercial pigs in Spain are kept in air conditioned factory units, but we want ours to be free range and have the life intended for pigs. Rooting in the undergrowth, wallowing in mud and playing.

The answer a house made of straw - hope there are no foxes here who an huff, and puff and blow the house down. But straw will give them warmth in winter and coolness in summer - Perfect.

We choose the piece of land for the pigs to live on, away from the house, but visible from the house. Now to plan the fencing.

Unfortunately due to the economic downturn in the construction sector in Spain many small building firms have gone out of business and our local reclamation yard is full of surplus building equipment, including large 3 x 3 mt fencing panels which are used to fence off building sites here. Perfect pig fencing, at least while they are small.

The fencing duly bought and delivered together with the straw, construction of the pig palace begins in preparation for our new arrivals. An old metal bed base provides the perfect gate. Total cost approx 200 euros, including pig swill bins and pails. It might look like something the Dingles would use, but it serves the purpose for our first attempt at rearing pigs.

The pigs will have an area approx 25 sq mts to live an play in. Normally commercially produced pigs here live in about 2.5 sq mts each, always inside. Our 2 pigs are going to be so lucky.

We also have a number of the fencing panels left over - hmmm now what can we do with those? 'I know says the husband - lets get some chickens'.