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Author Topic: Pig Fight  (Read 10693 times)

Luce747

  • Joined Jan 2011
Pig Fight
« on: May 29, 2012, 12:06:35 pm »
We had a pair of new Kune Kunes on Saturday and they are our first pigs.
 
One is a sow and one castrated boar. They just had a fight and have drawn blood. In fact the sow is now missing the end of her tail  :'(
 
Is this normal or are they just settling in ?
It is the first fight they have had and this is their 4th day here.
 
Glad I wasnt in the middle of that!! I was hoping they could live with a couple of goats but after seeing them fight it seems a little unsafe to trust them around other animals. They have already squashed a grower chick because they previously lived with lots of chicken and ducks so we trusted them. Have now removed the growers.
 
I can see they are going to be major handful!!!  :pig: :pig:

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Pig Fight
« Reply #1 on: May 29, 2012, 12:21:18 pm »
and some folk say that kunnies are the pigs to have
you just may have to get in there and administer a bit of evenhandedness
had it been two sows there is a greater chance of them fighting
has something changed in there environment to make them aggressive   are they new to each other on Saturday
thank you for posting it gives a more balanced approach to pig keeping ;) :farmer:

Luce747

  • Joined Jan 2011
Re: Pig Fight
« Reply #2 on: May 29, 2012, 12:29:27 pm »
they are not new to each other. been together all their lives - now about 18 month old.
 
all i can think is the stress of moving house has got the better of them or they now have new territory so re-establishing a pecking order?? I know very little about pigs so this is a steep learning curve.
 
hoping it wont be a regular occurence anyway!!!

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Pig Fight
« Reply #3 on: May 29, 2012, 12:42:38 pm »
maybe the castrate is going loopy   just watch yourself have somebody else there with you just in case it does decide to have you are they getting the same feeding as they were :farmer:

Luce747

  • Joined Jan 2011
Re: Pig Fight
« Reply #4 on: May 29, 2012, 12:48:35 pm »
previous owners did say they were feeding a sack of nuts 3 weekly which doesnt sound like much at all. i am feeding 1KG plus loads of carrots and will get a better variety of veg when i can get to a veggie market on thursday. dont want to overdo it as they are a nice weight.
 
suppose they havent got loads of space as I am messing about extending the area they are in but that shouldnt be an issue as they came from a 20ft x 20ft pen plus shed so its not like they are used to a field.

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Pig Fight
« Reply #5 on: May 29, 2012, 01:05:07 pm »
Sudden increase in, and / or excessive protein ration certainly could account for temperament changes.  No doubt Karen will be along soon to advise on feeding KKs...

The only other thoughts I had were (a) are you certain he's castrated?  ;)  But if they've always been together and they're 18 months old, then I guess he must be! (b) he couldn't have been stung by a bee or something, could he?  And thought it was the sow's fault, if she was nearby?
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Pig Fight
« Reply #6 on: May 29, 2012, 01:13:14 pm »
i thought the improper castration as well but you would know a handfull compared to nothing
1 kilo= 2.2 lbs  that is double what the recommended  is     if they are getting twice the amount of feed they would sleep not be aggressive :farmer:

Luce747

  • Joined Jan 2011
Re: Pig Fight
« Reply #7 on: May 29, 2012, 01:21:53 pm »
well there you go. I was told 1kg minimum for kunes with no grazing available.
seemed a lot to me but as i said at the top, i'm new to pigs full stop - not just kunes.
 
i havent had them long enough to diagnose the problem but the only time they appear to get excitable and snappy is when there is 'treat food' around - i.e something other than pig nuts!
 
I first threw some chicken grower pellet down the other day and the pigs snapped at the chicks and went crazy for their chick food. when eating the same old daily pig nuts they are much calmer.
Perhaps its because they were picking up some chicken feed or something. that might be what started the fight.
 
they are registered with the kune kune society as a non active male and breeding sow so presume sexed correctly!

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Pig Fight
« Reply #8 on: May 29, 2012, 01:29:30 pm »
ah as the story develops the more info is coming forward    it is meant to be i lb of nuts with lashings of grass   if no grass they will be the same as any other pig what they can eat in 20 minutes
the poor wee buggers are hank Marvin   no wonder they are a  small pig they don't get enough to eat
they will still eat the hen food and then the hens ;) :farmer:

Luce747

  • Joined Jan 2011
Re: Pig Fight
« Reply #9 on: May 29, 2012, 01:38:54 pm »
they are not starving... like I said, I am feeding a kilo of pig nuts plus other stuff which I havent settled on a daily weight to feed yet. The amount of differing advice you get is ridiculous and totally contradictory but somebody must be right! All I can do is trial and error. You mentioned the 20minute thing - it takes them 20 mins or more to finish their first meal and even a few pellets get left! So don't believe they are starving.
 
These particular 2 had occassional access to lush grass and never touched it so the previous owners didnt feel it would hurt them to move here - where there is NO grass.
 
But I presume by your response that drawing blood consitutes a serious pig fight so there must have been something wrong earlier. They are fast asleep at the moment.
If I cannot figure it out I'll just have to hope there are no more fights but it has been an eye opener. Like I said before - I now dont trust them around other animals and will have to keep the pair alone. At least they are evenly matched!
 
 
 

dixie

  • Joined Mar 2009
Re: Pig Fight
« Reply #10 on: May 29, 2012, 01:48:43 pm »
It's strange that they'd fight if they've always lived together, are they 18months old? If so she is a gilt and he a castrate, (just being pedantic) the move may have triggered her to come into season, causing her to be snappy and being in new surroundings has upset their routine. I'm sure once settled into a new routine they'll be fine, kunes are delightful little pigs, very docile. What sort of pasture are they on? If its good and lush they'll not need much feeding, mine have a 1lb per day bteween them and fruit and veg, they spend  a few hours a day on good grass. If the grazing is good they'll not need much at all, just keep an eye on them, look at pictures on the kune website, it'll give you an idea of what healthy weight looks like.  Take some pics if you can to show us.
Also grower sized chickens maybe too small, although the pigs might be used to chickens, the chickens aren't used to pigs, so maybe wait till they are bigger to be introduced, as for the goats they should all mix happily, as long as you keep the feeds separate, maybe let the pigs settle until they are introduced.

« Last Edit: May 29, 2012, 01:51:04 pm by dixie »

Luce747

  • Joined Jan 2011
Re: Pig Fight
« Reply #11 on: May 29, 2012, 01:55:35 pm »
thank you dixie - its good to know that they should settle and we might also have the option of trusting them with a couple of goats! I love to watch different species interact and hate having them all segregated.
 
There are even a couple of guinea pigs and rabbits running with them but they are agile enough to keep away from a snap.
 
It did occur to me that the 'gilt' (my mistake) could be on heat as she does look a little pink and swollen - like how my nanny goats gets.
Just didnt think that would particularly affect a castrate - and I am sure it is he who is instigating the bickering.
 
As for grazing - there is none but they came from a home with no grazing and have been fed on pig nuts & veg only.
When offered grass, they refuse it.
 
 

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Pig Fight
« Reply #12 on: May 29, 2012, 02:01:11 pm »
you have got to sympathise with the poor we guy there she is  gouping for it and nothing he can do about it :farmer:
« Last Edit: May 29, 2012, 02:10:14 pm by robert waddell »

Luce747

  • Joined Jan 2011
Re: Pig Fight
« Reply #13 on: May 29, 2012, 02:03:43 pm »
sorry - also just saw the bit about pics.
 
Here are some I took on Saturday just after they arrived:
 

 

 

 
with hubby

tizaala

  • Joined Mar 2011
  • Dolau, Llandrindod Wells,Powys
Re: Pig Fight
« Reply #14 on: May 29, 2012, 02:17:15 pm »
Layer pellets are poison to other animals, don't feed it where the pigs can get it.

 

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