The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: harry on September 17, 2011, 01:18:00 pm
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i have 4 complete kks now 4 months old..... am getting some more 8 week kks... hopefully castraited ...is it safe to mix them together. they have large free range.......all boys.
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From your post on castration, I'm guessing that your current pigs will be about 6 months when you get your 8 week old weaners?
Others know much more than me about this - we've never had KK - but a 6 month old Tamworth is an awful lot bigger than an eightweek weaner. I would thing that bullying, especially at feeding time would be a real issue. Personally, I wouldn't mix them - certainly not right away. They might be OK if they could see each other for a while before actually being in the same pen, but even then...
Still, lots of experienced pigkeepers on here who will advise.
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we tried to add another pig to our lot it wasn't nice best to let them see eachother thru a fence and see how they react was told by a friend who keeps pigs they will pick on a smaller pig as we found out as rosemary said her advice was good let them see eachother i wouldn't do what we did let them see eachother :pig: thru a fence for a while and see how they react
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I have two kune girls and was given two saddleback weaners, runts who were smaller than my pugs!! I just had to feed them separately for a week or so as the girls shoved them away from the grub. I now have to feed them separately as they chase the girls away from the grub ;D (Robert, thanks for your advice, they are bigger than the Kunes' now after only twelve weeks)
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Harry, although Kunes are incredibly laid back your older, uncastrated boars will bully the little ones and it could end quite badly if you weren't there to break it up. I wouldn't mix unrelated boars EVER ! Gilts and sows you can get away with - they have a few squabbles and it'll settle down but boars fight til the other one stops moving :-\
Karen :wave:
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We've put young boars of different ages together occasionally when we have to. The rules seem to be:
Don't put just 1 or 2 young in with a lot of old. Similar numbers ok. 1 old and several young ok.
Spread the food out quite a bit so all can get some.
A bigger difference in age can be an advantage as the younger pigs are less likely to challenge the older ones' dominance.
Keep an eye out to make sure they can all get shelter as well as food. If necessary put in a temporary extra ark.
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it comes down to skill observation and what age they are
we have done the same as tiva diva has the majority of times it works but you can have the occasional full scale war not recommended for any newish keeper
what can work for tiva and us may not work for others
pigs fighting is eyeopening but not as bad as fully grown bulls having a set to tractors or land rovers have to be used at least the farmer is relatively safe then :farmer:
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Harry, I will echo Robert really, I have introduced little pigs with bigger pigs before the little ones always have spent the first night out in the cold but by the next day they are all OK together, echoing again I would add more than 1 or 2 you say you have 4 bigger ones then I would get 6 smaller if you have the room. my weaners pen I never have a problem with it is my pen for the hoodies there is always a problem, I have never had a death through fighting a few bloody mouths though, but they all settle in the end my dogs tend to help, if there is one in particular that is being a bit of a bully my dogs will nip there legs and bark at them a lot :P
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i have 4 complete kks now 4 months old..... am getting some more 8 week kks... hopefully castraited ...is it safe to mix them together. they have large free range.......all boys.
I owuld not mix the 4 month olds with the 8 weeks olds....at 4 months they are pork and at 8 weeks they are only spit pigs..... At 4 months they requaie different feed to the spit pigs......I would keep them in seperate pens.
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again this a difference betwean oz and Britain
the majority of pig keepers on this forum are not commercial therefore the 16 week pork weight is irrelevant :farmer:
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i dont think i will get very fat off the pork on my 4 month KKs???????????