The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: JMB on July 13, 2012, 07:25:24 am
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Hello. Just looking for reassurance!
Two of my kunekunes (Lumpy and Brother) are looking a bit bald. Lumpy looks like his hair is thinning out but Brother seems to have rubbed the hair off his body on both sides while the top of his back (where he can't rub) is still as hairy!
They had a worm test recently which was clear. I read on another thread about diet- but they're on pig pellets and fruit only.
Their skin looks a bit dry and I'm putting pig oil on, but it doesn't look bad to me.
But as I'm inexperienced I just wanted to ask please- would it be quite obvious if it was skin condition or lice or something?
Oh- and my other pig, Shorty, is just as hairy as ever.
If it were lice or a skin condition would it not affect all 3?
Thank you, Joanne xxxx
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our oldest Kune Kune (7) is bald on her back, hairy everywhere else, we are continually trying different things, all the rest of them are fully haired! We try to keep her oiled and careful in the sun, when it appears! Also on sow rolls and fruit& veg.
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I've posted on forums about this before, and it's a bit of a bone of contention. There seem to be two camps - one who have pigs that hardly ever do this, and who are convinced it is due to worms, parasites or stress/illness, and the other camp who have pigs that do this quite regularly. I am in the latter camp. My Kune's are wormed, and I had the vet check their skin for parasites the first time it happened to ours - I was really shocked when it first started happening. However, over the years I have seen a pattern in it, and my pigs seem to do it every summer. One just loses a little, and the other almost all of it goes, whilst the last one does nothing! We too use Pig oil. In previous years I can say that it seems to happen when it is warm, and the one's that wallow seem to lose less hair than the ones who hardly wallow at all! This year, it's hard to say why as it's not warm. Perhaps it is just a moult? Not sure why it happens and I have been told several things, but with no visible signs of any illness or conditions, we have just accepted it as part of them. Sorry, not much help I know!
:wave:
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Our pigs (not Kune Kunes) moult every summer after they've weaned a litter, look completely naked for a bit, then it all grows back again. Tamsaddle
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All pigs moult, at different times of the year, if you have checked for mites, they are visible, the eggs are tiny, yellow and usually visible around the ears, tail, the mites can easily be seen, mange mite isn't visible, it's seen as sore, itchy patches with large bald patches, the pig would be visibly uncomfortable. If you can rule these out, kunes are particularly hairy so moult can look severe! My castrate is moulting at the moment and has dry scaley skin, so I apply pig oil and give him a good brush, hope this helps :pig:
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Thanks ever so much for your replies xxxxx
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Hiya Joanne,
Ours do it too ;)
We've noticed that our little short, fat, extra hairy Maisie pig doesn't lose hair but Rora (taller, longer, slightly less hairy) moults a fair bit - Shorty is definately more like Maisie in size, whereas Rora has the same body shape and hair coverage as Brother & Lumpy. I don't think there's any kind of link but just wanted to let you know you're not completely on your own - we have baldy looking pigs from time to time too :D
If their skin is not inflammed, red or sore/broken then I'd bet they are just moulting a bit.
Have a look for eggs as Dixie says, if you're still not convinved you could ask the vet if they'd examine a skin scraping, that should show up any kind of infestation.
Hope they're back to being hairy boys soon :thumbsup:
Karen x
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My kunes are doing this too. My two castrates have lost most of their hair down their flanks and along their spine. I wasn't worried about it at all, as due to the time of year, I assumed they were moulting. My gilt is still as hairy as ever.
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We have a 12 month OSB gilt going bald at the moment so was reassured to read this!
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Our GOS shed their winter coats in summer more so the girls than the boys. We always know when bad weather or winter is on its way because all of a sudden they sprout thick coats again.
Mandy :pig: