The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: nails on March 12, 2011, 07:22:16 pm
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Good evening everyone, well the subject heading says it all.
i have 3 OS&B weaners all boys, as they are for meat, but tomorrow i pick up 3 Mangalitza's, 2 sows and a boar, the lady thinks one of the sows is in pig and is due end of this month, so its going to be a bit scarey for me as i have never had to look after piglets before. Any help and advice would be great.
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OMG that sounds like a baptism of fire. Hope it all works out for you....
You have come to the right place, there are some very experienced folk here with endless patience for questions, no matter how basic.
Look out for those who post very regularly on the piggy section, they will help you.
May i suggest that you make a list of the questions you want answered first....ie give us some specifics ;)
i am a total beginner, about to take my second lot of porkers in May!
Last year's pair were fantastic, they taught me loads and were so gentle with me - i was lucky!!
My only advice at this point is - ask questions, dont let your pigs suffer for the lack of your courage to admit you need help!
good luck and have fun
Emma T
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Nails,
Your Mangalitzas will be fine, but are different from the OSB's in that they have sight, so can see you coming!
We have found ours are much more forward, even pushy, so make sure you don't let them rule you. Once tamed, they are fantastic and very placid, and hopefully yours will come having been educated on humans !
If they are less than perfect, the trick in the early days is not to let them get distance between them and you, ours seemed to like to charge at us, so keep close to them and they cannot get speed up. Once they arrive, they don't seem to be bitey, but can catch you off balance !
Make sure you pencil in time for them to really get them used to you, particularly the boar !
As for breeding and piglets, there is lots of helpful advice here, and various books (including ours) to guide you through, so make sure you read up and prepare.
I'm sure you will enjoy them
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Hi there.
Our 11 year old son decided to invest his hard earned Christmas money from 2009 into a young Mangalitza gilt last September. She is filthy constantly, obsessed with food, makes a noise to behold when hungry which is basically all the time, and is down right dozey!
He loves her, and one of these days he may get round to brushing her, and if we can find a suitable boar may even make his fortune?!?!
Here she is...............Cleopatra!
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/jasonbirdman/IMG_8102.jpg)
Dont panic, yours will be fine, like you We are a bit new to boars however.................just be a bit more carefull!
Regards
Jason.
www.hairyhogs.co.uk (http://www.hairyhogs.co.uk)
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Bless she looks lovely
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I'm sure she's a delight - big bath of ass's milk and she'll be fine - but I think they look weird. Just can't get used to the coat :)
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She is certainly a woolly pig.....just love them......... dont think we have them in Oz.
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She looks lovely.. They're very unusual aren't they.
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Good evening everyone, well the subject heading says it all.
i have 3 OS&B weaners all boys, as they are for meat, but tomorrow i pick up 3 Mangalitza's, 2 sows and a boar, the lady thinks one of the sows is in pig and is due end of this month, so its going to be a bit scarey for me as i have never had to look after piglets before. Any help and advice would be great.
thats a lot of pig to start with.good luck. what are you planning with the boar. be very careful they can be dangerous things. if your not going to breed a lot then think of the cost of keeping him.
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OMG they are huge!!!! Went and picked up Curly Sue (Boar) not brave enought to call him just Sue LOL and the girls Blondie and Marilyn, all seem friendly enough, but was shocked at the size, i had read that they were a medium size breed the Boar must weigh 750 Kilo's the girls are about 500.
thanks for the advice, i will NOT be turning my back on the boar anytime soon.
Ah jason i see your sons is a Red, ours are all blonde.
Oaklandspigs, we are hoping to breed from them, and hopefully keep the breed going. So will be keeping our boy, when we are a bit more confident and know what we are doing maybe Hire him out, need to get some advice on his breeding line etc before we can think about doing that tho.
Have a couple of pic's not that good but will post them anyway
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nails are you not exaggerating a bit 750 kilos that is the size of a bullock
are they pedigree and registered???
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BLOODY HELL....................750 kilo's impossible ;D ;D ;D
Cleopatra is 8 months old and weighs about 90 kilos so I wouldnt say they are that mahoooooosive!
Regards
Jason.
www.hairyhogs.co.uk (http://www.hairyhogs.co.uk)
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lol i probably am exagerrating a bit but i am 5ft 6 and he is just over my hip in height and is about 6ft in length, his legs are as round as my calf!!!
Yes they are pedigree and registered i will be joining BPA and will also be getting them insured.
here is blondie and Marilyn
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad116/nails2009/145-1.jpg)
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(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad116/nails2009/143.jpg)
the pig house he is in is designed to hold 10 weaners it is 8 and a half foot wide and the same deep Now tell me i'm exagerrating lol he is humungus
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(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad116/nails2009/146.jpg)
The girls again
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(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad116/nails2009/134.jpg)
the little boys Bramley, Pippin and cox
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So cute, especially the first one