Can I raise pigs in winter?

[Cornerstoneacres]

Here in northern lower Michigan the weather gets really nasty!! I have a heavily fenced in 48x30 garden area (that I can also hotwire) that I would like to put two feeder pigs in around Oct/Nov and have slaughtered around April-ish. I do realize that it will take more to raise a pig (feed wise) in the winter, but due to space constraints I do not have the room for two pigs AND my vegetable garden.
Couple of questions:
1)Will they make a good "rototiller" and fertilizer in this area? Or will they compact it too tightly to even thing about (mechanically) rototilling in the spring. The snow will get quite deep here so I'm wondering if they will even be able to "reach" the earth in winter. and most importantly, should I still be able to grow a garden in the area in the spring?
2)Should that space be adequate? They will be generally grain fed along with hay supplement.
3)any suggestions (or links) on how to go about building a good shelter for winter housing? I would like it to be able to be taken down or at least moved during the summer months.
4) my normal practice would be to scatter my horses manure over this garden area in the winter months. Can I still do this to some extent with pigs in there? Will they just help break this up, or could there be health problems for the pigs associated with this? (Will they try and EAT the poo?)

 

[ksalvagno]

A friend of mine did just that. We live in Ohio. The Amish told her that it is better to raise in winter because the smell isn't as bad. This month she is taking her pigs in to be processed.

 

[Weedchick]

Pigs will do a fantastic job of rototilling your garden in the fall, but I'm a little skeptical of that happening in the winter, at least, where I live the ground is like iron come January, and if you can even find it, a pick will just bounce off it.

 

[Cornerstoneacres]

Weedchick - that's kind of what I was thinking. But the ground doesn't freeze until a it later than November so if i put them in the would have at least a month or two to root around. Then some time in spring (as big pigs) to do a spring tilling for me.

 

[Weedchick]

That sounds reasonable...