Dirty pig

[Foxmanor]

I have a 6-8 month old gilt. She has a large pasture (big enough that she hasn’t rooted up the whole place and it still has grass. There’s trees for shade a shelter her food is at one end and her water is about 15-20 feet from the feeder. She made a wallow at her water area. Things used to be fine, she pooped in a pile at the opposite end of the pen. Then she started pooping wherever she was and now she poops exclusively in her wallow. She has a pond of pee and poop that smells terrible is impossible to clean and she still uses it... why is she doing this? Besides rolling in her own waste I’ve seen her turn up her nose to clean water and drink from this... I’m worried she’s going to get sick and the smell is terrible. I also can’t get the spot to dry up, what do I do?

*I should also add that she’s pooping normal poops, she’s just doing it in an abnormal place.

 

[Wild Bug Ranch]

Pigs poop wherever they want to poop. I don't know really how to stop that besides potty training your pig, but I don't know why she is pooping in her "pond"

 

[Jesusfreak101]

well its marking partly mine do this as well but they mostly just pee in it, have you had any changes or wild pigs around? mine do it to mark whose wallow it is. i have a total of six pigs two just came on the farm today. i notice that behavoir alot also when they came into their first heat.

 

[Jesusfreak101]

also i think she be find contiune to offer a fresh source and cattle do this as well and they are fine. its does stink i some time let a hose in it and just run it to flush it out some and that has helped.

 

[The_V's]

The pooping and peeing in the Waller is a sign of a couple things. Firstly, she is marking it with her scent, she and other pigs commonly do this when they are coming into estrus or period. It signals to other pigs that she is around and this is her Waller. Secondly the sudden change usually has something to do with surroundings, either another pig is nearby and she smells it or some predator maybe. The mud Waller is mother natures way of being symbiotic with the pig. A typical mud Waller wont hold water very well until its established or if you have clay in your dirt. Often a sow or a boar will pee or poop in the Waller and it adds certain microbes to the water and poof the Waller holds water now. It also does something for her skin when they pee in their water and wallow in it. Now to the last bit, summer is very hot for pigs, some pigs will blow their coat, some pigs developed behavioral issues during the summer months that will typically solve themselves once they are cooler and comfortable again. The Waller is a social area for pigs, so of course she needs to put her smell in it. It’s like Chanel no5 to other pigs. If you are concerned with the smell you can let that Waller dry up and dig her a fresh waller somewhere else in her pen.

 

[Ridgetop]

Pigs don't sweat so they need to coat themselves with mud to keep cool during very hot weather. If she is 6-8 months old, she could be starting to have heat cycles like The V's and Jesusfreak said.