[harry]

i want to pre order 2/3 kks...i want them castrated at day old.... i know nothing of this so what do i ask the breeder ...ie how its done etc so i know they know what they are doing... are there any problems with day old castration.

[welshlass181]

Ours were done at 5 days old.  They were fine and healed up really well.  If you you tube piglet castration you will see how they do it.  Obviously there are bids on there of the states and other places but there are ones on there of the UK Can't see an issue with asking for boars to be castrated before you have them. 

P.s i always say this.  I am a noob at pig keeping and know very little apart from my own experiences 

[Rosemary]

Just wondering why you want them castrated? We've never had KKs - always Tamworths, but we've never had them castrated and they've been fine. I've always just felt it was an unnecessary trauma.

[robert waddell]

kunies cant be castrated by the cutting method that can be used on other pigs     they have to be done by the vet  there is a very good reason for this happy hippy would explain it
other pigs HAVE to be castrated by 4 days old     day old is far to young to be castrating
you will have to pick up the extra cost of the vet doing the castration
rosemary castrating male piglets lets you run mixed groups without the risk of the gilts getting up the stick
also if it is from pedigree stock that you are buying there is no chance of you using that meat weaner as your planned stud boar it also allows you to take the pig to a higher weight without the meat tasting of boar or as some describe it pishy meat
further you do not want mature boars as pets not even kks 

[oaklandspigs]

Just to clarify Robert's post.

You do not have to castrate pigs, but if you do then in England & Wales they must be done before 7 days if without anaesthetic and If over 7 days then vet required under anaesthetic.

Comes under the Mutilations (Permitted Procedures) (England) Regulations 2007, and the Mutilations (Permitted Procedures) (Wales) Regulations 2007, both under Schedule 3

1. Castration
The method used must not involve the tearing of tissues.
An anaesthetic and additional prolonged analgesia must be administered where the animal is aged 7 days or over.

Don't directly know which Scotish law covers, and it may well be 4 days there.  Will try amnd track down if I get a mo.

[harry]

the reason i wanted castraited is that the 4 i have now will be killed at about 11 months....... i wanted some to grow on to 15+ months for more bacon and no boar taint................. is that correct thinking ?

[robert waddell]

you want it harry you go for it

[chickenfeed]

  our kk boars we casterated using the usual cutting method no adverse reaction to it whatsoever.

[Sylvia]

Robert, I have a Kune boar and the only problem I had with him was jumping up at me for food, I had trotter-shaped bruises all over my legs I have taught him to sit and wait for his grub now as you would a boisterous dog. I've never kept a boar before and as you say they don't make good pets do you reckon he may become unfriendly later on? He's thirteen months old.

[Rosemary]

You do not have to castrate pigs, but if you do then in England & Wales they must be done before 7 days if without anaesthetic and If over 7 days then vet required under anaesthetic.

So you can legally castrate a piglet by cutting without anaesthesia if it is younger than 7 days?

[SallyintNorth]

You do not have to castrate pigs, but if you do then in England & Wales they must be done before 7 days if without anaesthetic and If over 7 days then vet required under anaesthetic.

So you can legally castrate a piglet by cutting without anaesthesia if it is younger than 7 days?

It doesn't hurt as long as you don't catch your thumbs between the bricks    :(D  Sorry, shoulda posted this in Js&Fs)

[thestephens]

Robert, I have a Kune boar and the only problem I had with him was jumping up at me for food, I had trotter-shaped bruises all over my legs  I have taught him to sit and wait for his grub now as you would a boisterous dog. I've never kept a boar before and as you say they don't make good pets do you reckon he may become unfriendly later on? He's thirteen months old


Sylvia, i have a full Kune boar too who is no trouble at all, like you can be a bit boisterous when it comes to food but would i leave my children in with him on their own, no im always wary of the tusks etc, as for his 6 month son (castrated) hes just a soppy little thing as soon as you touch him he is rolling over for tummy rubs!

[robert waddell]

a good number of years ago we had kunnies (never again)
sally i will be keeping well out your road with your bricks
it is up to the individual if they have a full entire boar as a pet or a castrate     would you keep an entire dog or cat as a pet or even a stallion    it is YOUR CHOICE
rosemary it is a five day limit in Scotland
if only happy hippy were back on line she would answer all points raised i could  but will leave it to Karen

[Rosemary]

rosemary it is a five day limit in Scotland

Five days, 7 days - doesn't it cause pain and distress?

[SallyintNorth]

We just recently had the vet castrate three over-three-months-old bullocks for us.  He used no anaesthetic and a very sharp scalpel.  There was no evidence that it caused the bullocks any discomfort at all. 

I've only seen it done once in pigs but it was exactly the same technique.

I think if you know what you are doing and use a very sharp scalpel to cut into the sacs there is very little if any pain.  In fact I'd say the only distress is the general annoyance at being constrained while the procedure is done.

I did ask the vet whether he ever used anaesthetic and he said in his experience the giving of the local anaesthetic and waiting for it to take effect caused more distress - and was a lot more dangerous for him! - than just getting on with the job.  (He does use local anaesthetic for removing horns, by the way.)

I wish they were allowed to castrate dogs and cats the same way - all the preparation for and recovery from general anaesthesia is unpleasant for the animal.  Many years ago the vets used to castrate cats by stuffing them head-first into a welly.  Cut, pull, puff of antibiotic powder, release cat, all done, took less than 2 minutes start to finish.