Author Topic: Newbie with piglets and castration (Read 1254 times)

Sarahjane610 · « **on:** February 25, 2017, 11:47:32 pm »

This year I'm planning to breed from my Kune Kune girls. I've bought a boar that is arriving next week and the plan is to get them in pig relatively soon.

The girls are registered pedigree as is the boar so I will be able to sell them as pedigree Kune Kunes that fir the criteria for registration (can only do this if both dam and sire are registered themselves).

Having done some homework, there are no breeders around here registered with the Kune Kune society, pedigree Kune Kunes don't seem to come up for sale around here (well not in the last year) and they seem to be a popular breed especially as pets. This, together with certain pre orders for the piglets means I'm fairly confident of the market.

My issue is around the male piglets. My understanding is that with other breeds, male piglets are sold for meat so castration is not needed or kept uncastrated for specific breeding purposes. Kune Kunes are usually bought as pets and the society forbids the sale of uncastrated males to anyone planning to keep the pigs as pets.

Basically, I then have 7 days to get boys castrated which is fine but as there appear to be no boars in my area there might also be a market for uncastrated makes for breeding purposes.

Any advice on what I should do? Castrate all the boys in 7 days or keep a couple back in case? Or something else? Just want to maximise the opportunity but not be left with boars I can't use and might be no good for slaughter.

greenbeast · « **Reply #1 on:** February 26, 2017, 07:16:22 am »

Boys can probably be done later, girls can't really ( not after sale age anyway), so you could wait in theory

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #2 on:** February 26, 2017, 09:21:54 am »

Have you asked advice from the breed society? Someone there will almost certainly already have been down this road.

harmony · « **Reply #3 on:** February 26, 2017, 09:30:33 am »

Hello there!

With other breeds the registration process is two fold. Litters are birth registered and then any pigs suitable for breeding and meeting the breed standard are registered. Gilts and boars not suitable for registration are sold for meat. Never would you have a litter where every pig born was suitable for pedigree registration.

I don't know about Kune Kune's and their registration process but as many go for pets the castration policy is a good one. As MF says talk to the society.