lottie
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Kune Kune KwestionWill kune kunes root up pasture just like other pigs or are they truly more grazing pigs? ---tried the tinternet but there seem to be conflicting comments. I know some of you keep them so I'm sure you'll know. 
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Cathryn
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Doesn't Pel? And she's nearby.
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Green Rosie
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From experience they do graze - then if the grass runs short they'll root just like any other pig
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Shan
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They do both. They root more when it gets muddy. Don't believe it when people say they hardly root because I can show you large tracts where we do not have anything but bare earth.
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bodger
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In my experience, other breeds of pigs will try their hand at grazing before rooting.
VPB pigs were advertised as being non rooting. They certainly havent got the equipment to root as well as other pigs but believe me, they do root.
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Tavascarow
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As far as I'm concerned a pig that doesn't root is a waste of space.
Rather have a goat & have some milk as well as meat.
If you keep them behind an electric fence & rotate them (pigs not goats), they can do a lot of the work in the veg garden & unlike a mecanical rotavator they eat the majority of roots, slugs & snails they find.
Unfortunately they also eat the earthworms but if you keep a healthy compost/manure heap they can be replaced.
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bring me sunshine
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Mine root when:
they've run out of grass
they're bored
they've got piglets
there's a tasty root they've got to eat and they want to eat it now
the ground is wet
The sow and boar with the piglets are currently digging away like mad, mainly because there's a plant whose roots they love so they're ignoring the grass and making a mess instead.
The sows are happily grazing, but they're on fresh ground with lots of grass. I give them another few weeks and then the digging will start.
Last year, I used my weaners to turf the veg patch. I say turf as (tasty roots aside) they generally just rip up the turf and leave digging for two leggers with spades. I "fix" most of the "damage" by putting the turf back together like a jigsaw!
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Porky
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i have to agree - they can root just as well as any other pig BUT they don't always have the inclination.
i have well over 20 and i only have 2 who ever root. they are all on the same type of land, sometimes in the orchard, sometimes on the drive, sometimes in other small paddocks but the same two are always the culprits.
i have never managed to find reason or explanation for the whys and wherefores of rooting 
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bring me sunshine
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| bring me sunshine wrote: | | The sows are happily grazing, but they're on fresh ground with lots of grass. I give them another few weeks and then the digging will start. |
How wrong can you get? They started digging even as I was typing that!!! I've taken some photos, will upload them when I've got some more time
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bring me sunshine
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Here are some photos I took yesterday, so you can see what digging Kunes do. Obiouvly, they'll keep digging but it's mostly just surface digging. I put a load of turf back this morning just using my feet
I think the sows (top two images) have started digging up the bracken rhizome, which is fine by me as the areas they dug up last winter had hardly any bracken on them this spring. I just wish they'd waited a while!
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mochyn
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My Tamworths demolish bracken most successfully.
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bring me sunshine
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I cut loads back this summer with the scythe but since my KKs dig, I refuse to see the point of breaking my back with a spade when they'll do it for me ... and eat the rhizomes while they're at it!
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mochyn
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| bring me sunshine wrote: | | I cut loads back this summer with the scythe but since my KKs dig, I refuse to see the point of breaking my back with a spade when they'll do it for me ... and eat the rhizomes while they're at it! |
It was seeing the way Tamworths had cleared an area of bracken that swung the old chap in favour of pigs.
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bring me sunshine
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Pigs rule
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mochyn
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| bring me sunshine wrote: | | Pigs rule |
Totally: entertaining, useful and tasty...
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lottie
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Thanks for the info,and smashing pics--confirmed what I thought,although the only pigs I've known have rooted I read that kune kunes were different, but was very sceptical. Unfortunately I dont want a veg garden turned over so back to plan B.
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Pel
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Mum's two, only root if ground is wet, and they dont dig down.. but will turn the top layer.. so instead of having like a metre hole like you get with certain types her two do about 10-20cms at the most. I suppose they are more like a chain harrow than a plough.
Though your more than welcome to come see the 'damage' for yourself, since your quite close by
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Shan
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OMG, you chose well. You got the only one of ours that doesn't dig!   The rest are trying for Australia!
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Pel
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Penny roots more than Merry, but its mainly where her nuts have fallen off her porch/veranda and by the gate where her food appears Merry mainly roots/walks along the fence that divides their pens, and roots when she is on heat/season. She has really white goo like someone has been painting her vulva rather than the normal clear substance.. at least its easy to tell, was a bit worried that we had missed her (sorry bit O/T)
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Shan
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I have had to seperate our girls out too and yes, they also have the white goo! Makes it easier to tell.
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