Hawg Hut or Goat or Sheep or DH's New Digs

Baymule

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We are getting 3 feeder pigs. One for us, one for our neighbor, Robert that helps us so much around here and one for @Devonviolet and her husband. They don't have a place for a pig, we do, so we built a MUCH better fence around the garden to double duty as a pig pen this winter. The guy we are getting the pigs from said to build them a hut using 3 sheets of 3/4" plywood. One for the top, one for the bottom and rip one longways for the back, then rip the other piece for the sides. Simple huh? :idunno Naawww...... :lol:

I am proud to say we built the Hawg House with stuff we already had, thanks to my scrounging abilities. Even the screws were leftovers from other projects. Oh, we did buy one small tube of asphalt roof patch for a couple of bucks.

To start with, for skids, I rifled through the pile for cedar cross arm pieces off the top of telephone poles, complete with the insulators. Not the pretty blue glass insulators, brown ceramic, but still cool. I had to spray the nut with WD-40 to loosen them up, then pound the threaded metal insulator holders through the cross arm. I dragged them to where I was going to build the Hawg Hut. My husband came out and together we cut the 2x4's and screwed them down on the cross arm pieces to make the foundation for the Hut. He brought extra help with him.

Hut skids.jpg


Then we laid down the 1st piece of plywood for the floor. The whole time DH and I kept up a running argument that he believed the pigs didn't need a floor. I believed they did, because it was going to be cold and the ground would be wet and cold. DH said pigs like the mud, he never saw a shelter for pigs with a floor in it. And nag, nag, nag, and yah, yah, yah, anybody listening to us would think we were about to club each other over the head. :gig

Our neighbor, Robert, showed up and we started up with the frame. My husband wanted an overhang on the front for more shade for the pigs. For somebody that wanted them to sleep in the cold wet mud, all of a sudden he wanted a front porch for them. For giggles and grins we put a piece of plywood on top and realized that two sheets placed longways would make perfect roof. And while we were making the front porch, we left a 10" overhang on the back to help keep rain water off.

Hut frame.jpg


We put the 2 sheets of plywood on top and screwed down the edges. It was wobbly, so we measured and marked another sheet of plywood for the back, then I ripped it with my cordless Hitachi circle saw. I adore my cordless saw and matching drill! :love We screwed it in place and that did a lot to strengthen it up. Then I crawled on top and screwed the top down real good.
Hut back top.jpg



We leaned a scrap against the side to have a look how it would fit. It got dark on us, so we quit. Robert and my husband made jokes on how nice it looked, that the pigs would have to move over, cause they were moving in the Hawg Hut themselves.
 

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Baymule

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The next day, DH had physical therapy at 10:00 AM, so I went out early to get some more done. I measured the sides, marked and cut the plywood. I got it screwed in place. By then, it was time to go, so I changed clothes real quick and we left.

Hut side.jpg


Our 8 year old grand daughter got out of school early and we were to pick her up. After DH's therapy, we had lunch, got license tags for our flatbed trailer, got the mail, killing time until it was time to pick up our grand daughter. After we picked her up, we went home. My husband was wore out from his therapy, they really worked him over. I decided to work on the roof of the Hut. We were going to put asphalt shingles on the hut, but they were $22 a bundle! :ep Not a square, but for one measly bundle! And that was for cheap 3-tab! :thSo to the pile of used stuff I went. I had some very used corrugated tin, the ends were rusted and eaten off, too short to cover the roof. No problem.

Hut tin ends.jpg



I laid the tin on the roof, the good end down on the low end of the roof, with the rusted end towards the high end of the roof. I got tin snips and cut 2' pieces.

Hut tin snips.jpg


I laid these over the bad ends of the tin and screwed it all down.

Hut tin two.jpg


It came out looking pretty darn good!

Hut tin roof.jpg

I had to stop. Time to take our grand daughter to ballet lessons and go pick up our 8 month old grand daughter from day care, then back to ballet, then take them home. Our daughter is out of town and our DSIL is a teacher and it was parent-teacher conference night. So we fed supper, got kids ready for bed, then their Daddy came home.
 

Baymule

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The Hawg Hut looks like any pig would be happy to live in it!

Hut interior.jpg


Hut tin side.jpg


This morning, I got the tube of asphalt roof patch and filled the holes in the roof, trying to beat the rain that was coming.

hut-roof-patch-jpg.12124


It was sprinkling before I got done.

The Hawg Hut still needs to be painted to protect the wood from the elements, but that will have to wait. It is raining now. We'll pick up the piggies next week!

The good part about building such a nice Hawg Hut is that after these piggies go to slaughter, the Hawg Hut can be used for sheep, goats, more pigs, and is skiddable so can be dragged to where ever we want it.

Still have to finish the "porch" that my husband insisted on. He wants some sides on the porch overhang, so the pigs will have more shade. So will have to construct some 2x4 braces to attach the sides to. :thumbsup
 

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Latestarter

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Just curious as to the breed of pig you'll be getting... If they are the big ones @ #300+ pounds, will three of them fit inside? And will the large floor area of plywood with no 2x4 support (in between the 2x4s) not cave in under their weight? Looks great! Spoiled pigs indeed! On another subject... you mentioned there's lots of land available there? I've been kinda looking North/South along the TX/LA border, TX side, and really want to stay a couple hours away from the big D and other large burb cities if possible. Lots of other "wants" of course...
 

Devonviolet

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On another subject... you mentioned there's lots of land available there? I've been kinda looking North/South along the TX/LA border, TX side, and really want to stay a couple hours away from the big D and other large burb cities if possible. Lots of other "wants" of course...
I'm not sure about how big the pigs will get. I don't think Baymule is planning to let them get to fully mature size. She will have to chime in.

DH and I live in North East Texas, and our DD lives in Far North Dallas, near Plano. It generally takes us 1-3/4 to 2 hours th get to her house.

Texarkana Is approximately 90 miles East of here. We would like to take a road trip some day, but are too busy to take off, like that, right now. Google Maps tells me it is an hour & 1/2 away.

It sure would be great to get some more of our BYH friends here in the beautiful state of Texas! :frow
 

Baymule

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Just curious as to the breed of pig you'll be getting... If they are the big ones @ #300+ pounds, will three of them fit inside? And will the large floor area of plywood with no 2x4 support (in between the 2x4s) not cave in under their weight? Looks great! Spoiled pigs indeed! On another subject... you mentioned there's lots of land available there? I've been kinda looking North/South along the TX/LA border, TX side, and really want to stay a couple hours away from the big D and other large burb cities if possible. Lots of other "wants" of course...

http://www.landsoftexas.com/texas/land-for-sale/2.21-acres-in-Smith-County-Texas/id/2798159

This is an exceptional price for this area. Deals are out there if you are willing to look for them. Our place was a HUD repo, the process was hell, but finally it was ours. What are you looking for, what price and how much land?
 
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