Breeding Pigs

[geniebell]

I want to raise pigs sooo bad...but having trouble getting my husband on board. So I thought I would gather information...and see if I can convince him. We have Dorper sheep and a couple of calves. My son has shown fair pigs for 4 years, so I know some about pigs, but nothing about breeding, farrowing, etc. My big question is how difficult it is to keep a boar. Do you run sow and boar together, then separate when she is close to farrowing?

As for breed. I don't want pets...I want to raise for butcher and sell to people for butcher. The kid has shown Yorks and his current pig is a Blue Butt. They get so big. What about some of the other breeds that do not get so large?

Thanks in advance for any info.

 

[M.L. McKnight]

As far as breeds go, I'd suggest Red Wattle or Berkshire. They are both heritage breeds and are really easy going. The Red Wattles will get big when they get old but my sow's everyday weight is around 300lbs and those wattles are always a conversation starter. The Berkshires grow a little slower than the other breeds (*IF it takes another breed six months to do something, then it might take a Berkshire seven months or maybe even eight. A good example of this is a gilt coming into heat for the first time), they are a little shorter than other breeds and that makes them seem heavier. Both are really good and command premium prices.
I run my boar with my gilts/sows until they are roughly a month from farrowing. Then I put the boar in a large pen. Some people run them together because a sow WILL DARE ANYTHING to get to her babies and that boar is smart enough to know better than to mess with them. I gentle all of my hogs and will not keep anything aggressive. My boars have been easy to keep and quite honestly I spoil them. I scratch their belly and ears, give them apples and eggs and ALWAYS REMEMBER that they are boars! If they smell a gilt or sow in heat then they will try to get to them, just make your pen really strong for him. I only put mine in a pen during farrowing times, that way when it comes time for breeding my girls he is ready and has established his domain.

 

[geniebell]

That is a wealth if information. Thank you! I did not know boars could be gentled. That's great! With the here Tahoe breeds, do you have to use a farrowing crate?

 

[M.L. McKnight]

I don't use crates at all. I give my gilts/sows their own hut with hay and leave them to it. Put a bar or 2x4 about 14-16inches from the ground on one side so the babies can crawl under it if they want but the sow can't get to them. A buddy of mine keeps his herd on pasture and went to move his sow too late, by the time he'd finally found her she had made a nest out of sticks, lined with grasses and had ten healthy little oinkers peeking over the side of it. Hogs aren't nearly as scary as some people make them out to be and are a lot more self sufficient than we give them credit for.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Amazingly self-sufficient! Years ago my DH brought home two half-grown feral hogs. They were in an old garden area without a real shelter and a cold front was coming with a hard freeze forecast. He was out of town deer-hunting and I was left with the task to figure out some kind of shelter for two wild pigs. My intention was to use hay bales to build them a three-sided shelter and lay some sheet metal or plywood on top. I drug about 6 bales of hay out to their pen and then went inside to warm up. Imagine my surprise when a couple of hours later I went out to find NO intact hay bales. These ingenious critters had dug themselves an oval pit, probably 18 inches deep and about 4 - 5 foot at the widest. They used all the dug out clay to build a berm on the north side of their pit that was probably at least a foot tall. They had shredded the hay bales and had used some of it on the north side berm and had lined their pit with the rest of the hay. They stayed warm and dry for a long time in their self-built shelter. I never built them any thing else. Occasionally I'd give them another bale of hay and they'd add to it to their shelter themselves. Crazy smart critters!

 

[M.L. McKnight]

I toss the cores from my round bales of hay to my hogs in the field, they bust them apart and make a huge nest then flop in it.

 

[geniebell]

Thank you for the info. I really gotta push the pig thing. I really enjoy them. My sons fair pigs are always so sweet...well there was one that wasn't, but in general. The one going to the fair next week is sooo people friendly! She gets so excited when Joshua goes out to work her...well, till she realizes it is time to work...she isn't a fan of excercise .
You all have have really put me at ease with keeping a sow and boar. I had no idea boars could be friendly, well other than staying out of their way if sow is in heat, which is understandable. I would like to keep everything as natural as possible for them. The fair pigs have quite the pig palace, and the FFA advisor told us the other day that he has noticed in his years leading pig groups, that some kids always have pigs that gain well and some always have trouble getting weight on their pigs. He thinks it might have something to do with the pig facility...happy pig vs not so happy pig. This fair pig was 2 pounds from max weight on 5/4, and doesn't get weighed for fair till 5/13...ugh!!!