Have fencing, water, shade and a usable loading route ready before pigs arrive. Check the layout for their expected finishing size; equipment that works for small feeder pigs may not fit mature hogs.
Test gates, water delivery and the route to the trailer while the enclosure is empty. Give the backup caregiver the same operating and emergency instructions.
Test containment and access
Check gates, corners and the places where people bring feed or move equipment. Choose a fencing system appropriate to pigs and obtain guidance on its installation and management.
NCAT’s outdoor-hog guide discusses fencing and facilities as central parts of pasture and woodland production. Outdoor-hog management.
Avoid designing an enclosure that works for daily feeding but has no practical loading route. Plan how pigs will move toward the trailer before you need to do it.
Check water at the drinking point
Confirm water delivery where the pigs drink, not only at the source. Protect and maintain the system so ordinary animal activity does not interrupt it unnoticed.
Have a backup arrangement that your actual caregiver can use. A written plan should identify the supplies and who can respond.
Inspect shade during the hottest part of the day
Pigs need suitable protection from heat in outdoor systems. Review shade and cooling arrangements with species-appropriate advice rather than assuming a small shelter will work for every group and season. UMN outdoor-pig summer considerations.
Inspect the shaded area during the hottest part of the day. The position and usefulness of shade change over time.
Keep maintenance in the budget
Record repairs, bedding, water-system work and time spent maintaining the site. Those costs belong in the project even when no feed is being purchased that day.
Keep repairs and water-system checks on the routine work list. Recheck gates and the loading route before finishing, then confirm transport and arrival arrangements with Underground Processing.