Breeding Kunekunes

Coolbreeze89

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I recently purchased two kunekune boar piglets. They are feeding and growing well, and are about 4 months old now. My sows (all over 1yr of age) are kept separate, but when they are in heat, they go “checkout” the boars‘s area, and will lie down next to their pen. Occasionally, I’ll see some teeth-gnashing at the boars through the fence.

All my kunes are loved on and friendly (boys, too). When the boars are big enough to mount the sows, is it best to put the sow into the boar area (with just one boar)? Neutral territory? Do I leave them together just long enough to witness the breeding, or should I leave I’m for an extended period (I read somewhere here about putting together every 12 hours?). Do I need to worry about injury if the boar is significantly smaller? I plan to wait until they’re closer in size, but I’d expect they‘lll still be smaller (I‘m hoping for early summer delivery).

Thanks for any insight.
 

misfitmorgan

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Pigs are pretty tough so we have never worried about the boar getting beat up and never had an issue. When the girls are in heat they are pretty welcoming to the boar for a couple days. That said we breed full size meat pigs and if he boar was say 250lbs and the sow was say 450lbs we wouldnt put them together. Ideally for big meat pigs you dont want more then 100-150lbs weight difference either way. I know kunekune can get up to 400lbs but that takes several years and since yours are only around a year old I am assuming they probly only weigh about 175-200lbs so really depends how big your boars are, if over 6 months old they can breed.

We dont have a standard on adding the boar to the sow pen or the sow to the boar pen, we just move them however suits best depending on who is in a single stall or single pasture or if we want all the sows bred at once. If the gilts/sows really wanted to get to the boars to hurt them they would go thru the fence. We have had a gilt/sow climb a vertical stall wall 4ft high more then once to beat up another gilt/sow...luckily both those climbing girls are gone.
 

Coolbreeze89

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Pigs are pretty tough so we have never worried about the boar getting beat up and never had an issue. When the girls are in heat they are pretty welcoming to the boar for a couple days. That said we breed full size meat pigs and if he boar was say 250lbs and the sow was say 450lbs we wouldnt put them together. Ideally for big meat pigs you dont want more then 100-150lbs weight difference either way. I know kunekune can get up to 400lbs but that takes several years and since yours are only around a year old I am assuming they probly only weigh about 175-200lbs so really depends how big your boars are, if over 6 months old they can breed.

We dont have a standard on adding the boar to the sow pen or the sow to the boar pen, we just move them however suits best depending on who is in a single stall or single pasture or if we want all the sows bred at once. If the gilts/sows really wanted to get to the boars to hurt them they would go thru the fence. We have had a gilt/sow climb a vertical stall wall 4ft high more then once to beat up another gilt/sow...luckily both those climbing girls are gone.

Thanks for the insight. I definitely don‘t want to breed all my girls, so I’ll just pair them up however is convenient. I can’t imagine the havoc of pigs climbing walls like that! We only have BRIEF skirmishes, but those are loud enough to get everyone’s attention! The girls’ pen has 3ft walls, but the boys’ has 6 ft panels (it was my goat quarantine area prior), so I SHOULD be able to avoid accidental matings.

Thanks again. Have a nice Thanksgiving.
 

misfitmorgan

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Thanks for the insight. I definitely don‘t want to breed all my girls, so I’ll just pair them up however is convenient. I can’t imagine the havoc of pigs climbing walls like that! We only have BRIEF skirmishes, but those are loud enough to get everyone’s attention! The girls’ pen has 3ft walls, but the boys’ has 6 ft panels (it was my goat quarantine area prior), so I SHOULD be able to avoid accidental matings.

Thanks again. Have a nice Thanksgiving.

The freaky part was both the climbers were over 450lbs.... :ep animals do some crazy things sometimes.
 

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