[3acres]

They have a little more white on their faces than I normally like, but I guess you don't eat the face color.... I'm having a hard time finding exactly what I'm looking for in a boar. I am going to see how these guys do while kinda shopping around for another.

One has 14 nipples....the other 13. Would it be unwise to consider the 13 one? My gilts I will be breeding have 14 and 16.

 

[gerold]

I would not go under 14.

 

[Lazy J]

They are too small to consider either one of them as a breeding boar prospect, but I'd keep an eye on the one with 14 teats.

 

[3acres]

Thanks guys! I appreciate the input!

It's nice to have a place to ask such things, confirm things, share, think outloud, learn from! I'm very surprised at what some of these long time hog breeders have been saying to me in person as I'm traveling around and talking on the phone...
....not caring about teat count,
....never had a hog butchered
....don't know how the mom is to be around
just all kinds of things. I realize some things I've asked they probably don't want to share and keep it a secret to their operation, like maybe feeding and such, but the general things??? I don't mean to bad mouth...just a little confused.

I appreciate being able to pick up things on here!

 

[gerold]

3 years ago when i first started shopping for Gilts you should of seem some of the old Sows some of the big time hog farms tried to sell me.

 

[3acres]

I bet I can imagine.....

I left one of the biggest breeders I have been to without anything the other day.

I like the feeling of having one bought that could work for what I'm doing, but am going to still shop around.

These 2 are half brothers...out of different moms....born a day apart...just weaned the night before I got them. Having spent quite a bit of time with them now, the one that happens to have 14, gives off a lot bigger boar vibe, is longer and taller, and I have him almost tame already. The one with 13 is naturally thicker and solid as heck...a little tank....a little spookier...I can make him my butcher pig for this next go-round.


The one I'll leave a boar for now play breeds the heck out of his half bro...

 

[3acres]

Comparison shot of 2 of mine on the right and these 2 new ones on the left. I put them together for a brief moment to see how mine compared. Mine were born on the same day as one and one of the new ones is a day older. Mine are 6 weeks today.

 

[Pig in a poke]

What and how much are you feeding yours? They look great!

 

[pig1]

Would you be willing to sell the boar you don't keep? I'm in need of a young boar.

 

[3acres]

What and how much are you feeding yours? They look great!

Thanks! Basically just mommas milk. They are still drinking from momma. Honestly, at the moment, I think I just got lucky and have a sow that really milks well. She always looks like they have never drank off of her....big full teats 24/7.

Since they are so big, I have them on just an 18% pellet feed for a creep also...free choice. They are starting to hit it now. I haven't gone through hardly any, but like I said, I think they're going to start hitting it more. The last few days is really the first I have ever felt like I could wean them and they would still take off great.

I was going to try and hit 8 weeks to wean, but will probably start getting things ready to wean them....maybe hit the 7 weeks mark.

 

[3acres]

Would you be willing to sell the boar you don't keep? I'm in need of a young boar.

I would feel more comfortable selling you a different boar than one I don't choose out of these particular two. I seen you post that you were looking for one. I would love to hook you up with one and I have more. I'll message you.

 

[gerold]

Very nice looking pigs.
My new Herefords are 5 weeks old now. I was going to wean at 4 weeks but the Sow was doing so good i have decided to just let her wean them herself. I have been feeding her 16% feed since she had the piglets. The piglets have been eating pig feed along with her since they were 2 weeks old. They are very health and i don't think they take as much milk from her as most piglets do because of the pellets they have been eating.

 

[3acres]

Very nice looking pigs.
My new Herefords are 5 weeks old now. I was going to wean at 4 weeks but the Sow was doing so good i have decided to just let her wean them herself. I have been feeding her 16% feed since she had the piglets. The piglets have been eating pig feed along with her since they were 2 weeks old. They are very health and i don't think they take as much milk from her as most piglets do because of the pellets they have been eating.

Thanks! I bet your pigs look great! I'm very anxious to get more litters of different crosses under my belt to see how they act. My first litter ate a lot more creep feed by this time than these I have now. Like I wish they hadn't found the creep feeder more...haha. I think it is weather related...just theory though...:happy2:. With my first litter it was cold or chilly the whole time they were on momma. With this litter it has been hot. There was one cool spell there that lasted a few days and they started mousin' in the creep feeder a lot more and then it got hot again and they didn't even want anything to do with it. It was around the 3 to 4 week mark. I kinda got worried there for awhile. I also had the creep area in the same spot as the last litter that is a good spot for cool weather. I have 2 creep areas now...this second one where they hang out in hot weather more...it's helping I've noticed, but that is to be expected of course...:happy2:. I practically live with my pigs everyday. With my particular cross here anyway, from what I observe and me not wanting an ounce of stress to be put on any of my pigs in any situation, I think I'm going to leave them on momma towards the longer time period of when people usually wean. Like I said though, I'm anxious to study more litters. I don't think mine would die, but like weaning at 14, 19 to 21 days like some do, I just can't imagine that. With that said though, 2 of the gilts I bought that were the same age as others I had this last spring and a fraction of the size, they pretty much caught up and are right were I think they should be now....so who knows....lol....I have a lot to learn!...:happy2: I just don't like anything looking like something could happen or worry at all that there might be a chance they could have something happen....I like - always strong like bull...lol.