[AlexInLincs]

Hi

We have 2 gilts and a boar who have been living together for about 7 months.  The two gilts have just gone 14 mths and the boar is 16mths.  We had hoped that they would have mated by now but nothing seems to be happening...

Any thoughts?  Do we need to be more actively involved...?

Any help appreciated.

Thanks

[bloomer]

chocolates, flowers and soft music....

sorry couldn't resist!!!

[HappyHippy]

Hmmmm, yes. Something should have happened by now 
Kunes can become sexually mature really early (ask Rosemary about her friend's KK's 'virgin birth' at 7 months the weaner was in-pig before she left the breeder at 3 months old)
Are the girls coming into season regularly ? (every 3 weeks) Is the boar proven ? AND how fat are they ? KK's are prone to get fat, and overfat leads to problems with conception.
They may also have gotten too used to each other. What you could try doing is taking the boar out for a wee while (other side of the fence would be fine) this way he sees and smells them, but can't get at them. When he's re-introduced he should get the idea 
Assuming the girls are cycling and he's just not interested, get in the field with him and have a tussle - play fight if you like. A bit of shoving and wrestling will get his hormones raging and pheramones flying, then try 'helping' him into position (show him their back ends and he'll get the idea )
Another thing just worth mentioning is that I believe there's been a question of the fertility in the jenny bloodline - worth checking with the breeder you got them from and others who've bought weaners from them.
HTH
Karen x

[Pel]

My mum has a gilt and boar. The boar turned 2 in November and the gilt turns 2 in April. They have been together, they have been apart, and together and apart about 3 or 4 times, my parents have now given up hope and they are together permanently if they so wish (they have a hole in . No piglets yet. We've had him from 10 weeks old, we've had her from 5 months old, put together when she was 8 months old, she cycling every month, she flirts with him, she even gets really angry when he doesnt do his deed and storms off/gets grumpy with every one. He shows no interest, he will smell her, and flirt through the fence but you put her in with him and he does nothing except be grumpy as she brings all the dirt into his house and doesnt take it back out again.

There is the other answer to send one of your gilts out to a different boar, (you can send both but if they both get pregnant then you have a lot of piglets to deal with) and hope once she has some experience she can lend a helping hand to the boar. (my dad doesn't want to do this with our gilt). Other than these two pigs, all other larger pigs I've seen, seem eager to breed.

So doesn't answer your question, but we do have the same problem.

[robert waddell]

i think the biggest problem with kunes they are fat    i will get shot down in flames for saying this        but we had them and that is why we don't have them   now     she is wanting it he cant give it no wonder they are grumpy

[Pel]

Lillian is that to me. I didn't say the boar was grumpy, and she is only grumpy for those few days. If i was in charge of them, she'd be sausages by now, but I'm not. Though it has to be said he was bought as a pet, not as a breeding boar (though apart from the lack of the piri piri he aint far off), she was bought to be bred from for meat.

[robert waddell]

yes but it is these few days that are important well first for her anyway     cross her with something that will give pigglets

[Roxy]

They can get in pig at 3 months?  I thought it would be about 8 months!!

[Hilarysmum]

We rescued a kune, who had been running with 2 separate males at different times.  At 3 + she had never been in pig.  She only stayed a few weeks with us whilst we rehomed her.  During that time she must have nipped in with George although we didnt know she had.  We were shocked when she produced I think it was 9 or 10.

[HappyHippy]

Roxy - it is unusual for them to get in-pig so young, but not unheard of. KK's become sexually mature very early on (like pot bellied) so you've got to be careful !

Pel - this might be a silly question, is your boar definately 'entire' ?
Many breeders will castrate boars which don't make the grade for breeding (to avoid someone buying as a pet, then using it as breeding stock. I only keep my very best boars intact and even then, if no-one has reserved a breeding boar, they get the chop
At 2 years old, it's going to be harder to get them in-pig, especially if they're carrying any extra weight. If you really want piglets, get her fit (you can cut out ALL feeding and leave her purely on grass) and use a different (proven) boar, that should do the trick ! KK x Berkshire is a tasty (and slightly quicker finishing) combination.

HTH,
Karen x

Lillian - a wee bit extra fat comes in handy for making sausages 

[robert waddell]

aye but not that amount

[HappyHippy]

Uh huh, BUT what did you feed yours again 
Wasn't there a fair bit of barley in their diet ? 
I've actually been overfeeding mine, I think, with the half 'standard' rations, just found out Wendy Scudamore (who REALLY knows her KK's ) only feeds 1lb of pig nuts per pig, per day for the first year, then they're just on grass. (unless in-pig or nursing) Wendy certainly doesn't eat her's (she's veggie) but the lady who we got Red from eats her KK's - we got some chops from her (with only 14mm of fat, though maybe it had been trimmed - not sure on that ) her's are on grass with a few nuts. It's all to do with the diet and habitat 
You've got to remember these little piggies were kept by the Maori's where they scavenged for food, grazing the grass and clearing up the scraps. They were contantly foraging for food and had little or no supplimentary feeding (not in the way our fattening pigs are) So when you put them on a standard 'fattening' diet and in a restricted space - they're going to PILE on the fat, they need to be moving and grazing  I'll prove you wrong (or prove you right) when I slaughter mine - promise ! lol!
See you tonight 

[robert waddell]

thats interesting on the feeding we had been told that you can mix sawdust to bulk out the feeding(pig thinks it is full) never tried this one
if they are not contented(hungry) they will break out
10mm of back fat is what the butchers/commercial guys aim for measure it with the rind on
interesting point (the maori,s) you don't see many skinny ones
when are yours going to pig paradise

[HappyHippy]

Is that the big pig paradise up in the sky ? 
They'll probably not be away til at least June - just have to see when they look 'oven ready' 

[Pel]

My parents pigs, get 1lb nuts in winter and about 1/2lb nuts in summer they've had sow nuts from the start due to KK needing a lower protein content, plus any fruit or veg from the garden and apple trees. They aren't desperate for piglets (be nice to have a litter). Merry the boar is definitely an entire boar (his mum's owner did not castrate them), we saw them "drop" at 7months as he didnt seem to have anything till then (unlike the welsh pigs, and most other breeds), we did try and get him castrated at 9 weeks by the vet but they wont do KKs round here. We'll have to get his tusks cut soon as well, luckily we know of someone who does do it, but we'd like to try and do it ourselves if possible.