Bonding Issues

[StardustEcho]

Hi.
We recently adopted two young sows (around 4 months old) and then decided to try introducing them to our trio which consists of 2 sows (4 years old and 6 months old) and a neutered boar (about 2). We tried the bonding yesterday in a neutral space and though it took quite a number of hours, during which many chases and sniffs were had, they all seemed settled down quite well together. Upon putting them in their clean cage, our boar returned to constantly chasing one of the new sows. He constantly chases and mounts her. He gets bored after a minute or so and lets her get on with things but 5 minutes later he’s back at it. She wasn’t too happy about this at first, and still runs from him but also stays still as he mounts her. There’s been lots of squeaking and small amounts of chattering from our boar but there don’t appear to be any injuries and no fights have broken out. Is it worth it to keep going with this bonding and hope he’ll calm down? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[SeijiBrinandtheTwins]

Generally after the introduction, the part where they meet on neutral ground, there is quite a bit of chasing in the cage as the newbies find out where they are in the hierarchy. As long as there is no injuries or blood then it’s normally nothing to worry about. Just keep an eye on them and it will probably turn out fine. If there is any blood, remove the newbies immediately.
Good luck!

 

[Wiebke]

Hi.
We recently adopted two young sows (around 4 months old) and then decided to try introducing them to our trio which consists of 2 sows (4 years old and 6 months old) and a neutered boar (about 2). We tried the bonding yesterday in a neutral space and though it took quite a number of hours, during which many chases and sniffs were had, they all seemed settled down quite well together. Upon putting them in their clean cage, our boar returned to constantly chasing one of the new sows. He constantly chases and mounts her. He gets bored after a minute or so and lets her get on with things but 5 minutes later he’s back at it. She wasn’t too happy about this at first, and still runs from him but also stays still as he mounts her. There’s been lots of squeaking and small amounts of chattering from our boar but there don’t appear to be any injuries and no fights have broken out. Is it worth it to keep going with this bonding and hope he’ll calm down? Any advice would be appreciated.

Hi!

As long as it is just vocal, please sit it out; the sow is accepting of him, which is a very good sign. None of the piggies will come to any harm. Just make sure that there are no huts with just one exit or any caught corners so the sows can run.

Many boars being accepted by sows will suffer an enormous hormone rush that will shut off the brain for a day or two. The sow he is chasing is either just ranked below him or about to come into season (which can be triggered by the new presence of boar pheromones in a sow that is close enough in her oestrus cycle).

Cross gender bonding can be on the dramatic to wild side. Just see the excess of emotion and pheromones as the glue that will bond them together more closely in the long run.