[kitchen cottage]

charlotte is nearly 5 and producing (and always has produced) litters of about 8.  i am assuming therefore her fertility will drop very shortly?
 
She has a BEAUTIFUL female in this last litter which I plan to keep as a second/replacement.
 
She was born in April and therefore will be 8 months at Christmas (get me and my maths! ).  I want another April litter because my land is clay and is wretched over winter and winter litters here haven't thrived. 
 
Justin at the City Farm (my guru) doesn't breed until 2), which will mean Domino can't go to the boar at Christmas. Other people seem to start at 6 months!
 
These are Essex Pigs. 
 
What is the "right" age?

[HappyHippy]

I think you want them well grown before going to the boar, we had a gilt who farrowed at 11 months (not intentionally) and she's a bit stunted in size compared to others who were older. She's fine and healthy and her litter was great, but I'd have liked her to go to the boar at 11 months rather than farrow then (we had a sneaky lil Kunekune boar  )
Modern breeds and commercial pigs are generally breeding earlier but for traditional breeds 10-12 months is ideal (only in my opinion mind  ) or around 110-120Kg liveweight.
Oh and Charlotte's fertility might not drop, if she's fit, healthy and not overfat there's no reason why she can't go on for a couple of years yet 
HTH
Karen 

[JulieS]

I agree with HH.   I think it's best to wait until they are well grown.


When I first started I bought an in-pig gilt, who I was led to believe was 14 months old - she did look a little small for this age, but I was new to it all and believed the breeder I was buying from.


When her paperwork came through she was only 9 months old and farrowed in at only 11 months old.


She did OK and is producing litters of 13 - 15 now - but she isn't as robust as my other sows and I think this is because she was bred too young.


Charlotte sounds like she's still got a few litters to go, so I wouldn't think there was too much rush. 

[robert waddell]

the choice is entirely yours     gilts and sows will continue to grow if looked after properly
there body clock keeps ticking and i see not real benefit to keeping a gilt to 2 years old before being served you have fed it and looked after it for a year for no return
9 months is not to early for a pig but depends on breed and how well grown it is   if it has had to look for its food it will be underdeveloped  it if it has been well cared for it will be alright

[Berkshire Boy]

Agree with Robert, mine usually go to the boar 9 month, year at the latest. I find they put on a growth spurt after their first litter.
I really can't see the point of waiting until 2 years old, all you are doing is shortening its productive life. Also what a waste of time if she's barren or has other problems.

[oaklandspigs]

We put our saddlebacks to the boar at around a year (10-12 months old depending on how she has grown), by that time they have sufficient size, and tend to throw good first litters.
 
 

[Tamsaddle]

We were hoping to do our Tamworth and Saddleback gilts at 8 months, but they were really too small, so we waited another month and they were serviced at just over 9 months.  Two very successful pregnancies with both farrowing at approx 13 months old.    Very much depends on the individual pig's size - they can vary so much even within a litter if there has been uneven competition for feed since the start.   We have also noted a huge growth spurt in each sow after their first litters.  Tamsaddle

[kitchen cottage]

This is her at 8 weeks, she is the one to the left with the spot (hence the name Domino), she's sturdy for her age

[princesspiggy]

our dolly has just farrowed at 13mths. she kept condition really well and had 10. 

[hughesy]

I would have thought the size of the boar you're using should be a consideration. If he's a big lad the gilt will need to be a bit bigger and stronger to avoid potential injuries.

[kitchen cottage]

Good point Hugh!
 
I usually use the boar at the city farm... but he is her father so that would just be icky!
 
I am keeping this sow (and not buying in from a different line) because that boar is getting on a bit and is likely to be , .... *ahem*..... "holidaying" some time soon to be usurped!
 
She is very broad backed and sturdy, so I'll just see how it goes.
 
I was always told first litters aren't brilliant (Charlotte had 5).
 
Which leads me to another question.  Charlotte has 7 to 8 (she once had ten).  Is the litter size a genetic characteristic, so that by keeping Domino I will have about 8 from her?  I know other sows that standardly farrow 12!
 
That said I haven't had a loss from Charlotte who is a gentle Mother and just a joy to handle!

[oaklandspigs]

The quantity of the litter depends on
 
(have used mother as easier to write than sow/gilt each time)
 
Condition of mother at time of serving - both body wise and ability to stand for the boar
Condition of boar at time of serving - again both body and legs - ability to mount mother
Age of mother - tend to start with smaller litters, get to a peak, and then drop of with age
Age of boar - gaain they will drop of fertility as they get older, and can drop if they aren't regularly worked
Fertility of mother - some pigs and lines have larger litters
Fertility of Boar - again some pigs and lines have larger litters
Any trauma in first ten days - this is when the eggs implant, and knocks/bumps in this period can lead to loss of pigs or whole litter.
 
I'm sure there are other factors
 
So yes fertility is genetic, but lots of other things can affect a particular mating/pregnancy
 
 
 

[Tudful Tamworths]

I've never heard of someone having a policy of not breeding until 2 years old. Either his gilts are small and very slow growing, or the boar is huge! As others say, it depends on how well-grown the gilt is - and it's really important to match her size to that of the boar.
 
Mine are normally ready at eight months, so their first service is between then and 10 months old. I did have one which was caught by a (thankfully unrelated) young boar at six months old. She had a lovely litter of eight, and has just had her second, which was 11 live, one stillborn.
 
Good luck with everything,
Liz