[Helencus]

Hi my gilts are now 7 months old and I wondered when can I expect them to be ready for the boar and how can I tell they're hogging?

[JulieS]

I have GOS and I prefer to wait until they are 11 or 12 months old before I put them with the boar. 

The only experience I have of them being bred younger is when I bought an 'in pig' gilt when I first started breeding.  Being new then I didn't think to ask how old she was (I assumed she was older and I didn't want to look silly to the 'experienced' breeder!.....wouldn't happen these days!!!) and  when I got her paperwork through she turned out to be only just 1 when the piglets were due.

To cut a long story short she had a lot of problems with the farrowing and we had no end of problems with the piglets......only 2 out of 5 survived.  She also was in poor health for quite some months afterwards.  Very large vet bills!

She is very well now and just in pig to her second litter.

Not sure if all the problems were because she was relatively young, but I'm sure that didn't help.

[sabrina]

Breeding from any young animal is just wrong, please give them the time to mature so that their body can cope with producing and raising young.

[Fowgill Farm]

Like Julie i have GOS and do not believe in sending them to the boar until they are at least 10mths old.

How to tell they're in season, with most breeds the back end (we call it the Tush!?) gets a little redder and more prominent, you will find if you scratch her back she will squeal and pressure on her back end will make her stand firm like a rock. Some pigs temperaments change when they come into season, some are quieter and go off their food a little, some become feisty and shouty.
If you can keep a note of her seasons approx 21 days apart so you'll have an idea when to send her to the boar for when you want your piglets to be born. If she's 7mths now i would be suggesting sending her to the boar end Oct/start November for piglets end feb/start of March.

HTH
Best Mandy

[Helencus]

Sorry didn't make myself clear I have no intentio of breeding from them until 1 just want to know how you can tell when they're on heat.

[Helencus]

Thanks mandy that helps. Will wait til Dec so it's warmer when they farrow I think. May give AI a go. They're saddleback gilts any tips ?

[little blue]

allegedly, the fluid from her "tush" has a unique smell .....luckily, it was quite obvious just by looking when our gilts are in heat, so haven't tried sniffing them!!!!

[Helencus]

Eww think I'll give that one a miss little blue! 

[jacob and Georgina]

i am correct in thinking thst it is best to wait till their 2nd season before going to the boar?? i think i also read that the second week during their season is the best time??? correct me if i am wrong i dont have pigs of my own but soon will so i am reading a lot of books and cant always remember the details. 

[GOS]

Hi Jacob,

A gilt can start to come into season from approx 6 months of age, but as previously said you wouldn't put them with the boar until at least 10 months old.  Although the season is usually every 21 days it lasts between 12-36hours which is why doing AI can be difficult to catch and why you get three lots of semen to do morning, afternoon, morning OR afternoon, morning, afternoon as soon as she comes into season.

[Wizard]

You can of course use Jonkil's method

[Helencus]

What's that then George?

[Wizard]

Oh dear sorry H Look in Electric fence testing and look at the video in the clip by jonkil the link works 

[dixie]

Mine are easy to tell when in heat but others can show no signs! As for the best age, I know an old pig farmer who insists they must farrow around their first birthday, I think around 10 months is a good age. Too early and it can restrict their growth, ending up with a smaller sow, the litters can be smaller too. But wait until they are well over a year and you may never get her in pig!

[little blue]

Too early and it can restrict their growth, ending up with a smaller sow, the litters can be smaller too. But wait until they are well over a year and you may never get her in pig!

BUT, it depends on the breed....
"traditional" or rare breeds often dont mature as quickly as commercial breeds...