[ramblerskitchen]

Hello,

I need some advise please.  I bought a litter of pure bred saddlebacks  (not registered though) in March.  I  originally only wanted 6 pigs, but chap had a litter of 9 ( 3 of which were much smaller)

Decided to have them all as the chap needed to sell.  I have lost 2 recently to meningitis so I now have 6 very large pigs ( ready for slaughter in the next 2 weeks) and one small, un castrated boy.   

I was originally planning on keeping 2 sows to breed from, but I really don't know what to do with the boy.  He is really not ready to send off, but if I do keep him, I will have to keep him with the girls.  I am worried about Boar taint and also whether he will cover the sows?

I do wonder whether he is from the same litter and the same age as the others? or whether I was taken for a MUG.

What do you suggest?

Sarah http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/Smileys/default/huh.gif

[robert waddell]

you can get dwarfism in livestock (we had a bullock that did not grow ) have not seen it in pigs yet but it is a possibility

[ambriel]

Is it too late to have the vet castrate him? Surely not.

He's probably already prone to boar taint but I don't know if that goes off again if deprived of the hormones.

[HappyHippy]

If you got him as an 8 week old weaner in March, he'll be almost 10 months old by now - you'll need to watch your gilts carefully as he may have already got to them  and don't think his small size will stop him 
The taint issue is a very subjective one - not everyone can detect it. 1 in 4 woman and only 1 in 7 men can smell it, so it might not be an issue for you at all.
I'd take a girth measurement and length measurement and calculate how much he actually weighs - small pigs are just as tasty  Though obviously if you're paying a set butchery fee per pig you want to get your monies' worth.
If it was me, I'd send him with the rest because if he did stay the chances of him impregnating his sisters is an almost certainty (whispers.... which I why I castrate my boars)
HTH
Karen 

[robert waddell]

no point in whispering it happy       IT IS A MANAGMENT TOOL AND A WELFARE ISSUE LEAVING UNWANTED BOARS INTACT

[SallyintNorth]

no point in whispering it happy       IT IS A MANAGMENT TOOL AND A WELFARE ISSUE LEAVING UNWANTED BOARS INTACT

Ok. Well I'm not about to ignore robert shouting.

I have not and wasn't intending to castrate my 3 bruisers, now 5 weeks old and the size of 8-week weaners.  Should I?  Is it too late? 

[robert waddell]

it is to late for you to castrate          4 days old max for doing it yourself without anesthetic   after that it is a vet job

[HappyHippy]

I have not and wasn't intending to castrate my 3 bruisers, now 5 weeks old and the size of 8-week weaners.  Should I?  Is it too late?

If you can seperate them from their sisters after weaning it'll help avoid problems later Sally 
As Robert says though, if you want them castrated now (and it is possible, you can castrate adult male Kunes) it has to be the vet who does it and it's a more costly affair due to the weight of the piglets and the amount of anesthetic needed.
I do it because I like running them all on together, in a big family group and because of the taint issue - but the running them altogether is the driving force - I'm left with one boar from this current litter and wouldn't want to keep him on his own, so for me castration is the way to go. And doing them at 2 or 3 days old is quick and really doesn't cause undue suffering (I wouldn't do it otherwise  )
Karen 

[SallyintNorth]

Thanks both, I'll leave them as is then.

By what age (given they seem to be 3-4 weeks ahead of themselves due the small litter size) should I have the boars separated?  I'm planning to do one of the following:

• sell 2 girls, keep the 3 boars, who can run safely with Meg as she'll be in pig (to AI) by THAT date
• sell 2 boys, keep 2 girls and a boy, the gilts can be separated before THAT date, the boar can be with Meg as above (and will go for pork/bacon when she gets close to farrowing)
• keep all 5, the gilts can be separated from the boars before THAT date

And, how long after weaning would you think it would be safe to put weaners back with Meg?

[HappyHippy]

If you're not leaving them to self wean then you'll need to keep them apart for at least 2 weeks, but if you're AI'ing her I'd do that and leave her another 3 weeks before putting them back in. (the less stress in the 4 weeks following service the better - helps with implantation etc)
All your options work well Sally, the only thing you'll need to watch is that Meg doesn't bully the little ones and get the lion's share of their food when they're all in together

[ramblerskitchen]

Thanks for your replies.   My original post in not right, they were born at the end of March so they are 7 months old, which is when I usually send mine off. 

I will take your advise and send him off with the rest.   

As I am planning to breed a litter or 2 eventually, how easy is it to castrate young males myself?  Is this something that I could learn or is a vet the best option?

[robert waddell]

you have to be trained by a competent person IE vet or somebody that is EXPERIANCED IN IT  you need 2 people to work with the boars when castrating    scalpels and all that