[patmci]

I have 3 gos gilts and 2 gos sows due to farrow next month. I have 5 arks so they can have 1 each. My question is should i leave them all in together or seperate them.

Regards Patrick

[kwillett]

Your going to be busy 5 litters!

I would try to seperate them if poss, just use some plastic posts and electric wire. Gilts have a funny habbit of trying to farrow together! You may also have 2 decide they want the same ark and end up with 1 farrowing outside not good in november!

That said you may be lucky and get away with it, but your better to be safe than sorry, how much land are they on?

[patmci]

They are on 1 acre i was just wondering would they kill each others piglets.

Regards Patrick

[kwillett]

you have enough space, providing your not on clay? its highly unlikely that they will kill each others piglets but I have known it to happen in the past, you will more likely end up with your two gilts fighting with one each other because they have got to close to one anothers piglets.

Using electric wire to separate them allows the weaners to run between pens without causing any problems, just keep your eye on the mothers and make sure one isnt feeding all the piglets. Most outdoor commercial pig farmers will only seperate to a bare minimum using electric wire.

Personally i dont set my girls out like this and would seperate them completely but that is personal preference.

good luck and enjoy
 

[doganjo]

I have a friend who breeds dogs and she allows the pups to intermingle if she has litters at the same time.  I'm afraid I disagree with this.  How do you know which litter belongs to which parent if you let them mix, especially if they all produce at the same time.  Unless of course they are different colours.

[BillyBerridge]

Thing is if your breeding them for meat does it matter? Also depends if your ear notching soon after birth or not?

[patmci]

Not ear notching and all sows and gilts are registered and in pig to registered boar. Very tempted to leave them alone as last time i brought the 2 sows up to stables and had heat lamp  and all piglets bar one died.

Regards Patrick

[Hilarysmum]

Could you run temporary electric fencing between the arcs to keep them separate until the babies are a little bigger.