Normal dominance or aggression?

[danuutka]

Hello, I just wanted to hear from knowledgeable people because I’m a bit unsure about how to read the situation.

I rescued a 9 month old intact sow, Tilly, I believe she has been alone all her life. We decided to try to bond her with our herd which consists of: Ozzie (2 year old neutered boar), Nelli (4-6 years old), Koda (3 years old) and Winnie (1.5 years old). Winnie is the beta pig, Ozzie is alpha and the others float around the middle.

We followed all of the typical instructions of creating a neutral environment, with plenty of hideys with multiple exits, hay, scattered food etc. Ozzie was, of course, humping and mounting the new girl. Koda and Nelli could t really care less, they sniffed her and got on with their day. However Winnie is being a bit of a nightmare - she keeps lunging and chasing Tilly completely unprovoked. Tilly won’t be anywhere near her, yet Winnie just seems to attack her. I’ve given Tilly a look over and it doesn’t seem like any blood has been drawn, but it just seems really unnecessary especially because Winnie is usually really relaxed.

Is this normal? Or is it a sign that Winnie has rejected her and there’s no hope for the bond?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Sows will have their own hierarchy amongst themselves which the boar isn’t part of. So Ozzie may be the leader of them all, but one of the sows will be dominant over the other sows. The boar is part of group hierarchy.
So it sounds as if Winnie is the dominant of the sows And that she is making her position know. Establishing a hierarchy works from the top down. If your dominant doesn’t accept her, then this may spell trouble and the end.

Do also ensure you remove all hideys from the bonding pen - there should not be any hideys in a bonding pen, only a pile of hay

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics