This DIY a-frame pig shelter is simple and can be easily altered to fit your needs.
How do you build a pig shelter fast?
When we decided to get pigs, we had about two months to get our electric fence and their shelter set up. I learned soon after that I was pregnant and the morning (aka all-day) sickness set in. I had to quickly scramble the weekend before they arrived to set up a shelter for them.
Pigs don’t need much.
Pigs honestly don’t need a whole lot in terms of shelter. They just need a place to keep them out of the rain and some shade in case it’s hot out. I decided to go with an a-frame pig shelter because it was simple for me to build and I could use scrap materials to make it. Plus it was very quick to throw together since I needed it fast!
How do you make a cheap pig shelter?
Use what you have or can find for free! We had some leftover metal from our new roof and with it being white, I knew it would be great at reflecting heat in the summer. I grabbed it and the scrap wood we had in our barn from someone else’s animal shelter they had taken a part. My motto is, use what you have and don’t buy new if you can help it.
How big should a pig shelter be?
Pigs do not require a whole lot of space, especially if they are being moved often. 8 square feet per pig is recommended.
We have a large area for them to root up so I just wanted their shelter to be big enough for them to get out of the rain or sun.
This a-frame pig shelter gives them 36 square feet to sleep in and we only have two pigs. This allows the pigs to still have adequate space as they grow.
My materials for the DIY a-frame pig shelter
- 3- 8ft x 3 ft scrap metal roofing
- 6 – 6ft 2×4 lumber
- 4 – 8ft 2×4 lumber
- 3 inch decking screws
- chop saw
- dewalt drill
I didn’t have all of the lumber cut down to size the way I wanted it so I just started laying things down and trying to calculate what I could build with what I had.
I took 4 2×4 boards and cut them each to 6 feet in length. Then I laid them out in a square and screwed two of the 2×4’s on top of the other two 2×4’s. This created my base to build on.
After that I took two of the 8 feet boards and cut a 30º angle on one end. I put each board on the left side and screwed one board at the front of my square base and the other at the back of the base.
I then took the other 2 8 feet boards and cut a 30º angle on one end and brought it back to the base. The boards were placed on the base and I marked the angle I needed to cut in order to have it lean flush against the other boards already screwed in.
Once I made the cuts, I took the boards back and screwed them into the base and the other boards already secured. This gave me my a-frame.
I secured the other 2×4’s about 2/3 up from the bottom on the inside of the leaning pieces of wood. I had to cut them down a bit to fit. The braces were needed to make my structure more stable.
My kids and I tugged at the structure and did a few hangs on it to make sure it was nice and secure before I put the metal on.
To keep the roof from leaking, I placed the center point of the metal at the peak of the a-frame. I used metal roofing screws to secure the top of the metal onto the wood frame.
After the first piece was secure at the top, I placed another sheet of metal underneath it on one side. This would keep any rain from dripping inside the pig shelter. I then secured the metal with more roofing screws and repeated the process on the other side.
There wasn’t any extra metal roofing for this project so there is about 16 inches of gap at the bottom that is not covered. I wanted to cover it completely but it hasn’t bothered the pigs at all. In fact they love to run under it when they play chase with each other.
This a-frame is light enough for my husband to move since we are rotating our pigs on pasture. Add a rope or a chain on one side if you need to pull it somewhere. It’s not perfect but our pigs seem to like it and it didn’t cost me a dime!
Did you make this DIY a-frame pig shelter? Let me know!
PIN IT for later!
More posts from Holistic Homesteading with the Hursts
Our first butchering experience
