[Ladygrey]

As the title really,

If you are what method/methods are you allowed to use?

I have sent two pigs to the boar so will have two spring litters, wandering if I can do it on my own without the vet, I cant seem to find anything (apart from american) on the internet to do with this?!

[HappyHippy]

Yes, providing you've been shown by a competant person (ideally a vet or experienced breeder) and you're doing it before day 5 of life - you'll not be breaking any laws.

We do all our 'big' pigs (Large Blacks and OSB's) ourselves, usually on day 3. I hold them while Bruce does the deed itself  Angle bum downwards (piglets that is) and slit the scrotum, gently pop the testicles out and cut the connective tissue, repeat on the other side then give a good squirt of antibiotic/antiseptic spray. The piglets make more noise being picked up then while it's being done and are back to mum within 5 minutes and really don't seem any the worse for it. (I couldn't do it otherwise  ) We run all ours in big family groups so this is a surefire way of making sure we don't have any accidents  I can also detect boar taint/smell/whatever you want to call it in the meat, so from a personal point of view I'd rather they were castrated.

But, we don't do the Kunekunes ourselves. Firstly, trying to find a Kunekune testicle at 3 days old is almost impossible  and they run a far higher risk of herniating during the proceedure because of a weakness in their inguinal ring. So for them, they go off to the vet at around 6 weeks old and have a closed castration under anesthetic just to be on the safe side    I do know some folk who castrate Kunekunes themselves and haven't had problems but one of our very first litter herniated while getting done at the vet first time round, if he hadn't been there he'd have been dead  that's kinda reinforced the vet for Kunekune castration method in my mind.

HTH
Karen 

[Ladygrey]

Thanks HH 

Our vet did the slit and pull method at 6 weeks! no local anaesthetic or anything, although at up to 5 days of age they may be small, I have been shown how by the vet and have done it when I was at college (but wandered if rules had changed since then) so depending on piglets sizes (and dongle sizes) then maybe will try on next litter.

The two kunekunes I have sent to the boar are fast growing ones so maybe the piglets will be big enough at that age, will have to wait and see