Pigs
Pen size, feed, bedding and the guides behind the numbers — everything for keeping pigs in a backyard or smallholding setting.
Who this is for. These tools are designed for backyard pig keepers, smallholders and hobby farmers. Some feed and welfare figures come from commercial pig guidance where that's the best published source available.
Need a vet that sees pigs?
Most vets only treat dogs and cats. Our directory lists clinics whose own websites say they treat pigs, across the UK and the US.
Pigs at a glance
The headline figures, each traced to its source on the page it links to. Starting points for planning, not a substitute for the calculators.
- Indoor space
- 0.15–1.0 m² per pig (UK legal minimum, by weight)
- A per-head share of a group pen. US: no legal minimum; the National Pork Board publishes 2.1–8 sq ft per pig by weight band.
- How much space a pig needs →
- Outdoor land
- 12 m² per pig rotated, 40 m² on the same ground (UK)
- RSPCA free-range labelling figures. The US has no single national figure, and a UK pet-pig charity advises about half an acre per pig.
- How much land pigs need →
- Feed
- About 0.5 / 1.5 / 2.5 kg a day
- Weaner, grower and finisher, from AHDB guidance. Growth stage matters more than any single figure.
- How much a pig eats →
- Bedding
- About 12.5 cm to start
- A starting depth from Iowa State University guidance; deep-litter systems are topped up rather than replaced.
- How much bedding a pig needs →
- Running cost
- Feed is the big recurring cost
- Vet care, bedding and setup add to it. Enter your own prices to get a real estimate.
- What it costs to keep a pig →
Planning to keep pigs? Work through it in order
10 steps, each a couple of minutes — click a step to open it.
01Think hard before you buy+−
The RSPCA is cautious about pigs as pets: they live for years, grow larger than sellers suggest, and need company.
Buying a pet pig →02Check you're allowed to+−
Rules differ by country and, in the US, by town and state. In England you need registration from the first pig, pet or not — worth settling before anything else.
Can you legally keep a pig? →03Work out the space+−
Pen size for your group at its adult weight, against the legal minimum and the RSPCA Assured standard (UK) or the National Pork Board figure (US).
Pig pen size calculator →04Decide indoor or outdoor+−
The trade-offs in cost, welfare, land and climate — and why paddock land is a separate figure from shelter.
Indoor vs outdoor housing →05Add up the land, bedding and feed+−
Housing, paddock, bedding and feed together, so the footprint and the weekly bill aren't a surprise.
Plan my setup →06Plan for company and fencing+−
Pigs are social and do better with pig company, and an outdoor pig needs a fence that works every day — both change what you build and buy.
Do pigs need a companion? →07Get the weather and shelter right+−
Pigs are vulnerable to heat, cold and mud. A warm, draught-free shelter, shade, a wallow and hard standing decide how well outdoor pigs do.
Can pigs live outside all year? →08Fence it properly+−
Permanent and electric fencing, double fencing for disease control, and how much fence a paddock actually needs.
How to fence pigs →09Plan the vet care+−
Find a vet who treats pigs, and understand the movement rules that apply even to a trip to the surgery.
Pig health and vet care →10Check the running cost+−
Feed, a vet allowance and other costs, in your own currency, using the prices you actually pay.
Cost of keeping calculator →
Calculators and tools
These cover all nine species — following a link opens them with pigs already selected.
- Plan My Setup
Housing, outdoor land, bedding, feed and running cost together in one place, for a species and headcount.
- Feed Cost Calculator
Estimate daily, weekly and monthly feed cost from a headcount and your local feed price.
- Water Calculator
How much water your animals drink a day and a week, from the published figure for each species.
- Bedding Calculator
How much bedding to start with, based on your floor area and species.
- Cost of Keeping Calculator
Feed, vet allowance and other ongoing costs, by species — a weekly, monthly and yearly running-cost estimate.
- How Much Land Do I Need?
Indoor housing plus outdoor paddock or run space combined — the total footprint, not just the pen size.
- Breeding & Hatching Due-Date Calculator
Enter a mating or egg-set date and get an expected due/hatch date, by species.
- Compare Animals
Which backyard animal needs the most space, land or vet budget — a side-by-side comparison of all nine species.
- Sources & Methodology
Every figure behind every species' housing calculator, traced to its source, what it applies to and when it was last checked.
Pigs guides
- How Much Space Does a Pig Actually Need?
The principles behind pig space requirements — lying, standing and social space — and why the right number depends on more than just weight.
- Can You Legally Keep a Pig in Your Backyard?
What actually determines whether backyard pig-keeping is allowed — zoning, breed classification, and the local rules that decide it, wherever you are.
- How Much Does It Cost to Keep a Pig?
A realistic breakdown of what a pet pig actually costs — purchase price, feed, vet care and the setup costs first-time keepers most often underestimate.
- How Much Land Do Pigs Need?
Outdoor paddock land is a separate figure from pen size: 12m² per pig on rotated ground, 40m² on static ground, and why rotating ground matters so much.
Common questions about pigs
- How much space does a pig need?
- In England the legal minimum runs from 0.15 m² per pig under 10 kg to 1.0 m² per pig over 110 kg, and the RSPCA Assured standard asks for more. Those are per-head shares of a group pen, so for one or two pigs our calculator also shows a minimum-pen estimate. The US has no legal minimum; the National Pork Board publishes an industry figure.
- Can I keep a pig in my backyard?
- It depends where you live. In England you need a holding number and APHA registration from your first pig, pet or not, and there are separate rules in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In the US the answer comes from local zoning, your state agriculture department and USDA rules — there's no single national answer.
- How much does a pig eat a day?
- Roughly 0.5 kg for a weaner, 1.5 kg for a grower and 2.5 kg for a finisher, so growth stage matters more than any one number. Multiply by your local feed price to get a running cost.
- Are teacup or micro pigs a real breed?
- No. There's no officially recognised miniature breed, and pigs sold as teacup or micro commonly reach 80–150 lb (36–68 kg) or more — closer to the space, feed and cost of a standard small pig than the marketing suggests.
- How long are pigs pregnant?
- About 115 days on average — three months, three weeks and three days — with a commonly published range of 111 to 120 days. Enter a mating date in the due-date calculator to get an expected date and a window either side.
Want to see what keeping pigs is actually like?
Try My Backyard — a simple interactive simulation. Adopt one, feed it, play with it, keep its bedding clean, and see how it gets on.
Play My Backyard →