The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Introduce yourself => Topic started by: jent1964 on February 14, 2011, 12:06:46 pm
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Hi my name is jenny, just started out with keeping pigs, we have a goat, and 2 shetland sheep, i have horses and just took in 2 rescue foals. My husband is a contract farmer, and wanted to do a bit of his own animal keeping.
we have just got a german micro pigx potbellie gilt, age 12 weeks, and a small GOS x small not sure what breed bore, hoping to keep them together for a few weeks but they just fight!!!! tried the water thing, has anyone any advise for us........
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Welcome from fife :wave: :wave:
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Hi and welcome. If they are fairly evenly matched and aren't killing each other let them be for now, but keep an eye on them. Have just gone through much the same with our "baby" and a new companion for him. Despite being half his size she bullies him. Yet tonight they are cuddled up in deep straw grunting companionably. They have to establish a pecking order.
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hi and welcome from moray :wave:
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they have been bitting at each other, the male just keeps going at her, we have cut ears so i parted them again, do you think i should just leave them and let them sort it out, hes only 10 weeks,and shes 12 weeks......
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If you can separate them say with an electric fence so that they can see and smell each other but not bite.
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thanks i will do that, do you think they will go together after a while! its funny that they go crazy to get to each other and then fight!! lol
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That's teenagers for you ;D
Welcome from sunny ;D Carnoustie :wave:
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if it is head bitting that is them sorting out the pecking order
if it is tail or rear end bitting that is full on war
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thanks for all the advice , ye its head biting! put them out either side of a fence this morning ( frankie and mable ) after 20 min of fence bashing, and trying to bit each other, they both went off and done there own thing............maybe there starting to like each other!!! 8)
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Hello from me in South Lanarkshire :wave:
Welcome to the forum, and the mad, mad world of pig keeping ;D They'll sort themselves out, only really need worry if it's bottom biting as Lillian says ;)
Whereabouts are you ?
Karen x
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im in camerton just out side of Bath in somerset, my thing is horses really had them for 21 years, but love pigs, had a potbellie for years, a long time ago, now in a postion to own pigs again. got frankie the other day, hes really small his mum is a micro bought a gilt mabel, thought as still young would hit it off but oh no, at each other all the time!!
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Hi and welcome from North Yorkshire. :wave: Have you thought about getting another goat for company? We rescued one and he was in with sheep for a year. We decided he should have company of his own sort and just loved it. He was the boss though obviously. :goat:
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my goat was with another when we got her, and she was bullied all the time, since we rehomed the other goat, she has thrived, and everyone aid how much happier she is, she loves the sheep, curlesup with them to sleep, so we decided to not get another at the moment, if she was unhappy would def get a freind for her.... :)
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Hi and welcome from Sue in Worcestershire. There are lots of knowledgeable people on here. You will enjoy it :wave:
Sue
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my goat was with another when we got her, and she was bullied all the time, since we rehomed the other goat, she has thrived, and everyone aid how much happier she is, she loves the sheep, curlesup with them to sleep, so we decided to not get another at the moment, if she was unhappy would def get a freind for her.... :)
That is so cute that she curls up with them. Alfie our ram sneaks into the goat house with our two. It sounds like she has some loving friends. :) I hope you didn't mind me mentioning it.
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not at all, nice to hear from others with same animals :)