The #1 thing you should do before bringing any animal home is ensure that you have proper fencing. Luckily with Kune Kune's they don't require intense fencing like other meat pigs. Kune Kune is a wonderful gentle breed that is not prone to testing fences like other larger livestock. This helps your bottom dollar and saves you a little time when creating their fencing.
Even if you plan on keeping your Kune Kunes as pets inside the house, I would still urge you to set up proper fencing as your pig will most certainly enjoy time outdoors. This keeps your pig safe and also out of mischief such as finding your prized petunias.
The fencing we like to use on the farm is welded wire. It is sturdy, will last forever, isn't prone to having breaks in the wire like other flimsier wire fencing so less maintenance over the long run. Any type of wire mesh fencing will work just fine.
If you have a predator issue in your area you may choose to add a strand of hotwire fence to the top to prevent predators from climbing over the fence into the pig enclosure. Some also like to run hotwire at the bottom too to prevent anything from digging into or out of the enclosure. Since we have 2 little girls on our farm, we personally don't use hotwire and our donkey does a pretty good job of keeping the predators at bay. Your fence needs may vary widely from ours. But I will cover a basic fence set up and you can feel free to add on what works best for your homestead.
First - Determine the size of your enclosure. If your pig is just hanging outside part of the day and spends most of his time inside with you then your enclosure can be smaller. Most pigs will enjoy plenty of room to free graze during the day, if possible. Once you determine the size it helps you know how much fence you will need.
Second - Select the type of fence. My favorite option is 4ft high welded wire which is both economical but sturdy. Another alternative is 6ft high welded wire if you have more of a predation problem in your area.
Third - Select what will be holding up the fence. We prefer to use 6ft metal T posts which are both economical but sturdy. You will want to purchase T post Wire clips to attach the fence to the T Posts. You will also need a crimping tool or pliers to bend the wire clips around the T-posts and fencing to conjoin them together.
Fourth - Design the layout of the enclosure. Ensure you leave plenty of room for shelter to be built. Ensure there is plenty of room for each pig if multiple pigs will be in the same enclosure. If you are buying your pigs as babies, build the shelter for what their adult size will be. This will save you time down the road from having to extend the fencing area.
You are now ready to build your fence! There are several in-depth articles online that go into detail about building a fence, if you've never built one before. You Tube is also a great resource. Hope this helped give a general idea of the type of fence for your Kune Kune.
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