3 boars living together, can it really work?

[Julie.T]

I have 2 boars who are about 4 weeks old now and have just taken in a 12 week old boar. He is understandably really sad and lonely on his own and I'm looking for another boar to bond him with. I was wondering wether to try him with the 2 baby boars I, they are all so young it might work, would be grateful for any thoughts or advice xx

 

[CiaraPatricia]

Um it can work and does work for some people, but is less likely to work than pairs. With three young boars, it might be harder, because when they all reach puberty they might fall out. There's not really any harm in trying, but be careful because you might have to pair them up with other boars in the future if they fall out.

 

[Julie.T]

Louie is in quarantine for a bit longer yet but once he's out I might let have a play in the run together to see how they get on.

 

[piglet_and_rogers_mama]

i have 3 boys and more often than not they get along fine. piglet is in charge, and as long as nobody tries to cross him (they've learned not to) then all is fine in pig world.

 

[Hanwombat]

I've had 2 successful lot's of trio boars before and I've also had one failed trio before. It can work but from my experience all three boars need to be quite placid.

 

[Suzygpr]

A trio of young males will most likely work, for the time being. Males can be very hormonal fron 3-15 months old so they can be difficult at any stage. 6-10 months is the most hormonal stage and this will be when most falling outs happen, it all depends on the level of hormones and the personality mix.

To have 3 boys all going through the hormonal period at the same time means that there is a high probability that it will fail. You simply won't know unless you try. As long as you have a back up plan if it does fail then it's worth a go - as you already have the pigs. I would not recommned anyone to get a single male to add to an established pair just because they like the idea of a trio - the pigs may well have different ideas and it can lead to having 3 singles that will not accept each other in any combination.

The most successful trios I've had were all older males (2 years plus) and picked for their laid back natures, I'm fortunate to have the time, space and numbers of pigs through the rescue to be able to create a happy group. Though in reality I've only had 2 trios that were stable and happy - all the others had to be split in the end as they became a pair that really liked each other and a 'spare' that was tolerated in the same cage but not wanted.

HTH

Suzy x