What is best date to put out a hog house
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Having had hogs in the garden and hoglets last year (very exciting for everyone) I thought I would treat them to a hog house this year – its arrived but what is the best time to put this out? – is it too early mid Feb and should I wait a couple of months until after hibernation period (hogs are not hibernating in the garden at the moment). Ive seen some conflicting advice about this with some people saying now would be ok, what do others think and thx in advance.
Hi i have a house which i leave out all year, in the winter i make sure no activity and cleaned it out before hibernation starts, i have had one in it since November put a bit of hay in it and a pile outside because they like to take it in. It is not hibernating but comes out every night and goes back in for the day. They also use it in the summer for occasional nights as well so put it out now there are some hogs maybe would like to do bed and breakfast, good luck and let us know what happens
I have 3 feeding stations which i still “top up” during the winter and 3 hibernacula which get used off and on. If you are putting down a place to rest, they could use it all year.
I’ve been told several times that they like to drag the bedding in themselves.
Water is also provided all year. I think that is first when they visit. they have so few possibilities in my area that i reckon water tops their list.Hi peebee
How lucky having hoglets in your garden last year!
It’s great that you have a new hog box/house, There isn’t any time when it’s inappropriate to put one out. Hogs are known to change their nests during hibernation, so it would provide another potential site for them to do that. During the rest of the year hogs could potentially use them for nesting or napping in. So I would put it out as soon as possible.
Hogs sometimes won’t use new houses until they become part of the furniture, so even if you are planning on using it for food, there’s no reason not to put it out now, even if you don’t want to feed at the moment – although some people continue to leave small amounts of food out all winter for the hogs who have chosen not to hibernate.
But I got the impression you were intending a ‘home’ rather than a feeding station? If intending for a ‘home’ it might encourage a hog to use it sooner if you put in a handful of i.e. leaves in the hog house and leave a supply of potential nesting material (leaves, long grasses, etc.) nearby for them to take in if they wish. They do seem to like doing their own interior decorations.
Don’t forget to leave water out for the hogs all day every day. You never know when a thirsty hog might happen along – even during hibernation time.
Good luck. I hope the hogs make good use of the hog house.
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