Building a Secure pig pen

Marie Overton
Jan 5, 2024
4 min read

Updated: Jun 16

We have had several animals over the years but never pigs, mostly because of my childhood memories of chasing pigs back into their pen and repairing the damage they had done to our yard and garden. While we are fond of bacon, I was very willing to let someone else do the raising of the pigs for me. That was until this summer when I was offered a pair of 4-week-old pot belly pigs for free. I was determined to make a pig pen that would keep memories of chasing errant pigs in my childhood alone.

Three people lift a small structure near a blue barn. Hay is visible inside the open barn door. The setting is grassy with trees. — preparing the area

Our first step was clearing the space. It is inside our alpaca pasture and has been used as an area for ducks so we had to fill in the old duck pond and pull up their shade cover that was imbedded in the ground. We'll shore that up and keep it for additional cover for the pigs. The stall in the barn was used for hay storage so we had to move some of that to open up a corner for the pigs to live in.

A person in gloves kneels in a hay-lined barn, spreading cement from a sack labeled "Quickcrete" near shovels. Bright light streams in. — setting a post in the barn

We had to add a concreted post in our stall as something to attach a wall to so that we maintained an area for hay storage. We use a dry technique where we put in the concrete mix and then add water and mix it in the hole. This has worked well for us in the past.

Person working in a wooden barn, crouched near the wall with tools on hay-covered floor. A yellow pole and gloves are visible. — adding walls

Then we attached the walls to our posts. We made sure they were high enough so the pigs would leave the hay alone.

Person in blue shirt fixing wooden panel inside barn. Text "ALP" visible. Hay on floor. Calm, focused atmosphere. — trimming the wall

As a last optional step, we trimmed out the corner. This protects the edges of the plywood from wear and tear as well as looking better. We used screws for this whole project so we didn't have to worry about the pigs pushing the boards off when they get bigger.

Man installing metal gate next to blue shed using a wrench. Hay on the ground, wooden door visible. Outdoor setting, daytime. — installing the gate

We attached our gate right to our barn after we put a new layer of paint on it to help protect it from rust. We tried to make it have small gaps so that there would be nowhere for the pigs to squeeze through.

Man using a screwdriver on a blue shed door in a grassy yard with piles of dirt and trees in the background, creating a focused mood. — adding an ending post

Adding a post that was directly attached to the barn gave us a sturdy point to attach our fence to. We had to use excessively long screws for this so that it was firmly attached into the framing of the barn.

Hand painting wooden beams with a brush outdoors. Red stain is applied. Nearby is a metal can of wood finish. Earthy ground visible. — treating the wood

To protect the posts and rails from the elements, we coated them with Thompson's Water Seal. Ours was a transparent Sedona color.

Man digging with post-hole digger in sunny backyard, surrounded by construction tools and wood. House and fence in background. — digging post holes

Digging the hole to the correct position and depth requires a little planning and a lot of measuring. We decided to use the pasture fence as our guide and match up to it. Using the rails as a guide was also helpful. We like to put 24 inches into the ground to make a secure post.

Man works on a wire fence near a blue shed in a grassy yard. Tools and wooden planks are scattered. Trees and a white fence in the background. — adding the cattle panel

We waited to mix the water in the concrete so that we had the ability to make small adjustments as we were putting on our cattle panel and rails. We used large staples to hold our panels onto our posts.

Two people build a wire fence near a blue shed with a sign reading "Alpacas." Wooden beams and green grass surround them. — adding top/bottom rails

After the panels are on, it is time to use large screws to attach the rails at the top and bottom. Pigs like to scratch their sides by rubbing up against things, so everything has to be well secured. The only thing that would have made this design more secure would have been attaching the panel and rails to the inside so that when they push on them it pushes them against the posts instead of away from them.

Man kneels on dirt, fixing a metal fence with pliers. A box of screws and red-handled tool lie nearby. Wood posts and grass visible. — connecting the panel to the rails

Attaching the panel to the rails as well gives it just a little more stability.

Person kneeling, installing a wooden and wire fence in a garden. Red shirt, blue pants. Dirt pile in background. Sunny day. — concreting the posts

Then it was time for us to double-check our placement and add water to our concrete. We did this part one wall at a time so it was easier to use that side as a measuring guide for the following walls.

A person kneels by a wire fence post in a grassy yard, using a tool for digging. A concrete mixer is nearby. Sunlight casts shadows. — placing the rebar

After discussing our plans with some pig farmer friends of ours, we determined that we needed to add a few defenses. The first was a rebarred, concreted ditch that ran the entire perimeter of their pen. Pigs are designed to dig up roots and can actually dig out of a pen given enough time. We made our ditch about 4 inches deep and 4 inches wide and then placed in our rebar.

Man in blue shirt pouring concrete from a white bucket next to a wooden fence post with metal wiring. The ground is grassy and muddy. — pouring the cement

With the ditch, we made wet concrete in our mixer and added it to the ditch. We had to lift the rebar as we went to make sure it stayed in the center of our ditch instead of just on the bottom. We did have to dig around the concrete of the posts but that wasn't that difficult.

Man in black shirt fixing fence in a sunny yard. A dog lies nearby. Text on shirt says "millennium." Green grass and blue items visible. — adding the smaller fencing

Due to the size of our piglets, we also had to add a layer of wire fencing to the bottom so that they couldn't climb out between the panel wires.

A person stands behind a wooden barn gate with a chain. Green grass and wire fencing are visible. Sign reads "ALPACAS" in the background. — blocking off the gate

It was also necessary to add wood to the bottom of our gate which not only kept the pigs in but kept our curious puppy out.

Two piglets with spotted coats roam on grass near a wire fence on a sunny day, exuding a playful and carefree vibe. — Piglets!!

I have been surprised by how much I have enjoyed having pigs. They have these fun little personalities. Every time I step out the back door they make an excess of noise trying to get me to come over and give them a treat and a back scratch.