getting sows

[DM06020]

hi, as i have mentioned before i would like to rescue 3 sows to go with my 3 boars. before i joined the forum i wanted to get a sow an get her pregnant but now i have firmly decided not to because there are so many pigswho need adopting and so many risks that i wouldn’t want to happen. i’m planning on making 3 pairs. one of my boys is not neutered yet but i will be doing that as soon as possible i just need to make and appointment. i have a few questions though.

- they have been fighting a bit. blood has only been drawn twice since the summer though. should i separate them and get the sows but have them next to him in a separate pen or should i neuter him and leave the 3 boys together for the 6 weeks after? this would mean more fights but the other option might make him sad and lonely.

- my next question is about the bonding. how will i make sure that the boys each get a sow they like. my rescue does not do bonding/dating. another thing i’m worried about is that one of them might be happier with a different sow than what i gave them to live with.

sorry if my questions are unclear
and sorry if i mentioned breeding but i did say that i am now against the idea of breeding any pigs in any circumstances
(:

 

[Piggies&buns]

If they are teens and if blood has been drawn before and there are still fights occurring, then these fights are only going to get worse - it is incredibly difficult to keep three boars together without there being problems. The normal advice is to separate after one incident of blood drawing occurring as it is unlikely that any relationship will work out going forward. One boar living alongside the other two is a suitable short term solution to stop fights until you can separate then out with a sow each.

When you bring home piggies, then there is always going to be a risk that their new potential partner won’t be accepted - it is about character compatibility and you are going to have to try them to find the right match. It’s not an exact science and there is going to be some risk if you can’t do dating before bringing piggies home

 

[DM06020]

If they are teens and if blood has been drawn before and there are still fights occurring, then these fights are only going to get worse - it is incredibly difficult to keep three boars together without there being problems. The normal advice is to separate after one incident of blood drawing occurring as it is unlikely that any relationship will work out going forward. One boar living alongside the other two is a suitable short term solution to stop fights until you can separate then out with a sow each.

When you bring home piggies, then there is always going to be a risk that their new potential partner won’t be accepted - it is about character compatibility and you are going to have to try them to find the right match. It’s not an exact science and there is going to be some risk if you can’t do dating before bringing piggies home

thanks so much! what i’m worried about is that one boar might be better off with one of the other 2 sows. how can i tell of they would be happier?

 

[Piggies&buns]

thanks so much! what i’m worried about is that one boar might be better off with one of the other 2 sows. how can i tell of they would be happier?

Only by trying them, and seeing which ones get on better. I’ve not bonded sows and boars (I only have boars) but I believe it is the sow that needs to accept the boar, not the other way round - somebody with sow/boar bonding experience will be better placed to advise on the specifics.

 

[Merab]

I bonded a young boar with an established herd of 3 sows last year but that’s my only experience.
Micah lived next to his future wives until he was safe to join them.
During this time I watched the interaction of the 4 through the bars.
Phoebe seemed to spend more time at the bars with Micah than the others.
Priscilla also spent time with him while Jemimah didn’t seem bothered about him.
The girls seemed happy with him and Micah was definitely keen to be allowed in.

I bonded in neutral space and all went smoothly- this continued when they all moved back into the newly cleaned and extended cage.
Jemimah treated him like an annoying little brother, to be tolerated.
Phoebe and Priscilla shared the honour of being his great love.
Micah was beside himself with excitement.
He didn’t seem to know which end of Priscilla was which - her fur is a life form in its own right.
The girls seemed to understand that Micah was still very young and treated him with patience and tolerance.

Hope all goes equally well for you.