# Can Boar hogs live together?



## doo dah

I have searched and searched but I can't find the answer anywhere.  All I can find is information on how to take care of one Boar, just one.  So I'm wondering, can boar hogs live together, or would they kill each other?  Can they live on different sides of a field fence, or would they try and kill each other through it?  Also, can you keep a boar in with gilts and sows 24/7/365, or do you absolutley have to separate them at some point?  Thanks in advance!


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## jhm47

If the boars are raised together from birth, yes, you can keep them together.  If strangers, definitely not.  They can and will fight to the death.  You can keep sows and boars together all the time, but if the sows farrow, you must separate them.  Boars will destroy a fence if it is not electrified.  A solid panel that they can't see through helps, but electric on both sides is best.


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## doo dah

Thank you jhm .  I would like more opinions/experiences so please everyone feel free to post!


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## jhm47

Just a word of warning about boars.  About 25 years ago, I had 25 gilts that I wanted bred.  Bought a purebred Duroc boar, and turned him in with the gilts.  Several of the gilts were in heat, and the boar showed little interest in them.  So---I went back to where I had bought the first boar, and got a littermate of his.  This was about a week later.  When I got the second boar home, I turned him in with the first boar and the gilts, thinking that the boars would remember each other.  I was wrong.

The boars took to fighting immediately, and I felt that I could break them up, so I went into the pen and started to kick at them.  One of them turned in a flash, and got me in my right leg.  He nearly took my whole pants leg off with one swipe.  

I didn't feel any pain, but I could feel blood running down into my boot.  Looked at my leg, and there was a gash there that was about 2" deep, and 6 " long.  It took over 30 stitches to close it up, and they ripped out several days later.  It seems that pigs have lots of bacteria in their saliva, and my wound quickly got infected.  I was on antibiotics for nearly 6 months till the cut healed over completely.  

Not a fun summer.  But, I did something stupid, and paid for it.

Oh---The first boar did begin to breed.  I'm not sure if it was the competition, or if he got some hormones from my blood and flesh.  Had good litters from the gilts, and made lots of $ on the feeder pigs.


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## no nonsense

Take the EMT's advice. If you even have to ask the question, you don't have the experience to do it. If you had the proper facilities to seperate them if you needed to, and you may always need to, then you wouldn't have to keep them together in the first place. Field fence is completely inadequate. A lot of things livestock, like chickens and bunnies, can be learned through trial and error, with not too much harm or expense to you. Keeping two boars, or even one, is something that may cost you dearly if you try it without being fully prepared.


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## doo dah

no nonsense said:
			
		

> Take the EMT's advice. If you even have to ask the question, you don't have the experience to do it. If you had the proper facilities to seperate them if you needed to, and you may always need to, then you wouldn't have to keep them together in the first place. Field fence is completely inadequate. A lot of things livestock, like chickens and bunnies, can be learned through trial and error, with not too much harm or expense to you. Keeping two boars, or even one, is something that may cost you dearly if you try it without being fully prepared.


Oh I don't plan on getting hogs anytime soon, especially without more research (but research is why I'm asking this question in the first place ).

Thank you again Jhm.  So did small farmers back before the industrial revolution just have one boar and buy a new one every once in a while?  Did they have to linebreed/inbreed a lot?  Or did they just let the gilts/sows get impregnated by the wild boars that were let loose?  You seen to know a log about hogs, so I figure I'd ask while I have the chance .


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## no nonsense

Thank you again Jhm.  So did small farmers back before the industrial revolution just have one boar and buy a new one every once in a while?  Did they have to linebreed/inbreed a lot?  Or did they just let the gilts/sows get impregnated by the wild boars that were let loose? *Yes, all of the above, and they sometimes pooled resources and kept one boar that they all would use locally. Same for other species.* You seen to know a log about hogs, so I figure I'd ask while I have the chance *There were also a lot more feral hogs in those days, so often they weren't even kept or managed closely, just hunted when needed.*


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## jhm47

We kept a couple of boars, never inbred our stock.  We would keep our sows for up to 6 - 7 litters, and usually bred them to a different boar every year.  Every year we would keep a few gilts back and breed them to a new boar that we purchased from a purebred breeder.  There are absolutely no feral hogs here in South Dakota.  Our winters make sure of that.  

Boar pigs can be just as dangerous as a mad bull.  They can and will destroy a fence, and can use their incredible strength to lift up gates, or whatever might be in their way.  They have razor sharp tusks on the sides of their mouths, and can slash and cut with lightning speed.  Don't mess with them if you don't have the facilities to keep them.  

You should also know that pigs are omnivores.  They eat meat with relish, and if they get started "hunting', they will kill and eat chickens or other small animals that they can catch.  Dogs and cats would also be on the menu if they can be cornered and caught.  As would humans (ever hear the old saying, "I haven't had so much fun since the pigs ate Grandma"?).   It isn't just a funny saying.


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## doo dah

Thank you guys for all your info.   



			
				jhm47 said:
			
		

> You should also know that pigs are omnivores.  They eat meat with relish, and if they get started "hunting', they will kill and eat chickens or other small animals that they can catch.  Dogs and cats would also be on the menu if they can be cornered and caught.  As would humans (ever hear the old saying, "I haven't had so much fun since the pigs ate Grandma"?).   It isn't just a funny saying.


I know all that, I have done research and have a couple of books.  These questions I couldn't find no matter how hard I tried to find the answers, so I figured you guys might know...and I was right! 

Again, thank you both.


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## miron28

what about if the males are castrated are they still that mean?


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## no nonsense

miron28 said:
			
		

> what about if the males are castrated are they still that mean?


No.


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