Advice needed please.

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Nettie

Nettie

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Hi, I am new here and recently got 2 female piggies in December not realising that they were both pregnant. They have since given birth and we have 2 boars born on 20th Feb and a boar and sow on the 28th.
My dilemma is, when do I separate them? Do I put all 3 boys and then all 3 girls together, ( they are currently with their mummies but do all seem to get on well when I have got them all out to play together). Do I do the separations at the same time even though the 1st 2 boys are a week older and who needs the largest hutch and run, the boys or girls?
I currently have them all inside in a large two tier hutch but have taken the ramp out and replaced it with a piece of wood and have a family on each level.
I had aimed to put the mums outside in the spring when the weather warms up in my other cage which is actually a very large chicken coop far too large to bring into the house.
So another question. Is it warm enough for the babies to go outside yet or do I need to change the groups around in their current hutch for now?
Sorry there are lots of questions but I am new to piggy ownership and ended up with a little more than I was expecting and just want to get it right for my gorgeous babies.
Thanks
 
Firstly, re cage size the minimum for 2 adult piggies is 120cm x 60cm. If it is more than one level, the ground floor still needs to be this size to allow the pigs to run around freely.

Your chicken coop, is this a wooden house with a run attached? That would be a lovely summer home. I wouldn't want to put the babies out just yet though, it is still quite cold.

The three girls will probably be happy together. The three boys will probably be fine to start with, but boars can be difficult during their hormonal "teenage" months and it is unusual for trios to work in the long term. You might consider getting one boy neutered to live with the girls and keep the two that get on best as a pair. There is a minimum weight for separation from mum if the boys are very small which I can't remember offhand but generally it is best done at 3 weeks.
 
Just checked for you and the minimum weight for separation is 250g. The latest date for separation of smaller babies is 35 days regardless of their weight at that time.
 
Thanks

Thank you for the advice, will weigh them all tomorrow and start to move about. the boys are quite big already and all are now over 3 weeks old. I think your advice about getting one neutered is great and probably what I will do. Would be great to get all the boys neutered so they can all be together as the chicken coop is certainly big enough.
Not sure of the dimensions but when I have worked out how I will post some photos, I previously had 2 large rabbits in it.
 
Neutered boars still show similar behaviour and can fight over girls, so you would still have to be careful keeping them as a single herd. It isn't impossible though, one member here, Christine, has a large mixed herd but you have to have loads of space. A boar pair and one neutered boy with a harem would be easier to manage. You should also bear in mind that the neutering operation is not without risk.

I think it is lovely that you want to keep all the babies, I'm sure you will find a setup that works for you :)
 
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Hi Nettie - your boars born on the 20th are now nearly 4 weeks old and could very well have made mum pregnant by now so they need to come out asap, as does the boar born on the 28th, as he could have made mum or sister pregnant.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum.

The boars needed to be removed at 21 days ideally, it is a little late now. But hopefully they have not impregnanted any of the females. I do hope for the mothers sakes.

Please seperate them asap. The guide to cage sizes is a good referance that Lissie has posted.

As for going outside, right now i think its far too cold for tiny babies to be outside. It might be mild in the day sometimes but the nights are still very cold, and even tonight i think they have forcast a frost in the north of England. So i suggest keeping them all in at the moment. What are you going to do with the the babies? Keep or rehome?

x.
 
Hi there

You've already had the basic separate at 21 days/250g advice which is generally correct. Here's my more complete guide in case any of your babies are below the minimum weaning weight of 200g.

Separate at 21 days as long as they weigh at least 250g. I never take any baby out before 21 days.

If they weigh less than 200g they must stay with mum for longer, remove no later than 35 days regardless of their weight being under 250g.

If they weigh 200-250g from 21 days you must base the decision to remove them on their behaviour if they are showing too much interest in mum/sisters.

I have had many babies that weigh well over 250g at 21 days and I have never had any pregnancies as a result.

Baby sows can reproduce from 4 weeks. Baby boars do practice a lot before they are able to reproduce so do not be tempted to remove prior to 21 days.

The earliest documented mating leading to pregnancy is 24 days.


As your babies are over 21 days you will need to keep all the females on a 10 week pregnancy watch and keep your fingers crossed they were lucky.

HTH

Suzy x
 
Thanks for your help

Thank you so much everyone for your advice. The boars are all big piggies and only the little girl Sophie is under the 250g mark but she is staying with mum anyway.
Boys and girls all separated now. Keeping the boys inside for now and put the girls outside during the day with a view to getting an indoor hutch for night time until Sophie is a little older. there has been a little mounting going on but fingers crossed it hasn't led to any pregnancies. I will be very vigalent over the next 10 weeks to check.
 
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