Sow mounting other sows - how long?

[Lisajazz]

One of my youngest guineas has been going about trying to mount a couple of the others who aren't all that happy about it.

Is it because she would be ready to mate if she were with a boar and how long will it last? I don't want her to fall out with her buddies! She's decided her favourite is one of the biggest who keeps rumbling all the time at her.

Any advice on this appreciated.

 

[nutmeg]

Bumping this up as I am not really sure. Is she definitely a she? I know when girls are in season, they can get narky, could be something to do with this. Any one? xx

 

[Wiebke]

Your little sow is most probably in season; her mounting should stop within a day. Some sows do try and mount other girls when in season, if their urge can't be met by a boar. With others, it can be part of a struggle for dominance.

Only if this happens more often than every two weeks or so, would I get worried! (A sow comes into season aboout every 15-16 days; she can be quite grumpy or - depending on the hormones - sexually agressive).
(To make 100% sure of her sex and allay any panic: http://guinealynx.info/sexing.html)

The other girls are usually not too fussed by it.

 

[Lisajazz]

I check and double check the girls before they meet any of the others. I triple checked yesterday when i first noticed. Shes definitely a girl. Poor thing!

The 2 shes been doing it to have taken in okay(ish) theres been a bit of squeaking, maybe a nip and running off.

Not noticed anything this afternoon so could have passed. Fingers crossed, not ready to explain to my children whats happening!

 

[Wiebke]

Hmmmm! Yes, children... You'll probably have to stick with a "she just wants to play with the others..."

As she is safely a girl, you might expect this to happen only every now and then and never for more than a day; some girls seem to be more hormonal than others. It usually peters out when they are fully adult; I see it a bit like the hormonal swings in puberty.

The same happened with one of my first couple of sows. I was very worried that the smaller one might be a boy (and not even my vet being sure about her gender!). The explanation why the other never did it came when she promptly dropped a couple of babies on me! Bit of a steep learning curve...

I described my situation as having one girl that was a little bit to little female and one that was a bit too much female!

 

[Ryli]

Mine do this to every now and then, its when they are in heat, my girls take turns in the mounting

 

[Laura-CCC4]

It can also be noted that sows living together may find that their oestrus cycles occur at the same, or a similar, time - much the same as can happen sometimes with humans. So what would normally be 12-24 hours of rumbling and mounting could be multiplied by two or three and you'd have 2-3 days of hormonal behaviour.