Advice needed please with male bonding

[fi.cantillon]

I run a rescue centre in Bristol and have had someone contact me as one of there male boars recently died and they would like to get him a friend. They have now decided that they would like a small herd of about 3/4 but all males as they do not want to get him neutered. They will be living outside and I will be assisting in finding a suitable hutch.

This is new for me to do. I will be doing a home visit to ensure that there is space to do match up process slowly and when I receive the new hutches at the end of January I will be able to lend him single hutches. My thoughts are that they will need to be housed separately but near enough to smell, see, and talk to each other for a while but after that I do not know how to do this.

Please can I have some help with this. I am convinced that the people adopting will be looking after the piggies really well which is why I am considering this option.

Should I be considering this? Is this possible to do?

Thanks for reading

Fi

 

[MintyAndGarry (TEAS)]

I'm guessing it is possible to do, but I'd also say that success is rare. I tried to bond three piggies together and that unfortunately didn't work so I now have two pairs who get on great within their own couplings! Could your adopter not have two pairs side by side?

I think there are some members on here who have groups of boars who get on like a house on fire who could probably offer better advice...

 

[MemberX]

I think Niki has her boys running around the garden in the summer with no problems.

I personally feel if it is done they need a shed probably 10x8 with room for their own space. I tried 3 boars once and it never worked. I wouldn't chance it as they could end up with 3/4 lone boars with no space.

 

[Niki]

I think Niki has her boys running around the garden in the summer with no problems.

I sure did, there were 6 of them at one point in a run approx 11ft x 14ft & were supervised at all times. There was one occasion when i went to answer the phone & left them which was a big mistake. One had taken umbrance to another & there were tufts of hair everywhere & a few minor wounds.
Having said this i had far more trouble with my 2 neutered boars/6 sow combo-this group was a nightmare.
My boys were all single boys except for one pair, none of the singletons will live with each other yet are fine to graze together.

A group of intact boars can work altho' they do seem to be few & far between.
Many years ago i had a group of 4 non-related intact boars, living in a hutch/run combo that was far too small by todays standards, whom i just put together at varying ages & i never had any problems altho' i've never had the same since. I can only think i had the right mix of personalities.

For new boars to be introduced to the existing boar they wouldn't have to be housed separately; for me the best way would be to introduce them at your rescue in a totally neutral space with distractions.
Boars are usually upfront (unlike sows) & you would know almost immediately if they are going to get on, however, this is no guarantee they will stay this way.
I would say it's a very temperamental situation esp when they hit their "teens" & I personally would have 2 separate groups of 2 boys to each hutch as the prospective adopters may end up with 4 singletons.
If they really want "a herd" then i would introduce the piggies only at run time/grazing (don't know if they're to be indoor or outdoor piggies) to see how they interact but they must have a large space to do this.
Mine were for the most part fine in my run but no way would they have shared their homes with one another.

 

[fi.cantillon]

Thank you for all your advice. I have decided that it is not the thing to do and have said that I will rehome his Boar with 1 boar and I have another which will need to be kept seperately. Still waiting to hear from him.

Kind regards

Fi