# Boar's and baby pigs.



## gwis (Nov 1, 2013)

I have my first two litters of pigs now. Almost 2 weeks old duroc crosses. All the old timers around here ( east tn) tell me that Boar's will kill and eat piglets. Has anyone experienced this?

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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

We've had a lot of boars and a lot of piglets all together and have never, ever had a boar kill or even hurt piglets. By lots I'm talking thousands of animals over more than a decade out on pasture and together. If you have a boar, or a sow, that kills piglets then eat the animal - don't breed it. It is either bad learning or bad genetics. Good adult pigs should not kill piglets.

Cheers,

-Walter Jeffries
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs, Sheep & Kids
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/


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## gwis (Nov 1, 2013)

Mine run on about 60 acres usually but I got nervous and penned the gilts in stalls in the barn. The pigs are about 2 weeks old now and would rather them be running around instead of been locked up. I think I may try turning them out this weekend so I can hang around and watch to be sure.

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## amylou62 (Jul 14, 2008)

Nope. No problems here. The little ones will snuggle up to the boar and he won't mind.


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## ErikaMay (Feb 28, 2013)

My boar isn't paying them any attention...though one of the gilts did snap at them a few times. They figured out to stay away from her pretty quickly (gonna keep an eye on her, I don't like that behavior. shes gonna go to freezer land if shes not bred).


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## lonelytree (Feb 28, 2008)

Gilts will eat their own, any other gilts will eat another gilts babies. Boars will eat their off spring just to start another mating cycle. Just like bears.


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## gerold (Jul 18, 2011)

lonelytree said:


> Gilts will eat their own, any other gilts will eat another gilts babies. Boars will eat their off spring just to start another mating cycle. Just like bears.


I have only had one Yorkshire Sow eat a piglet that was born dead. Others she did not bother. I have never had a boar eat any young piglet. 
Never had any Sow eat a live piglet be it their's or another Sows. I do keep my new piglets and Sow in a pen by themselves until they are 3plus weeks old. Sometimes a Sow will surprise me and build a nest in the woods and have piglets before i think she may have them. In that case i don't move them. So far the ones that have done that have taken care of the little ones.


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

lonelytree said:


> Gilts will eat their own, any other gilts will eat another gilts babies. Boars will eat their off spring just to start another mating cycle. Just like bears.


If you are having that problem then you may need to increase the protein in your feed or something else like that. Either that or you may just have bad genetics. Good breeders don't eat piglets. If yours do something needs to be adjusted or they need to be culled.


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## gwis (Nov 1, 2013)

Update::: I went to feed this evening and one litter of pigs was running around having a blast. The boar didn't give them a second thought. I turned the moms out and he did vet excited seeing the girls again but they put him in his place and he calmed down. So glad I asked and then found out by accident. The moms are happy to be out of jail.

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## speakmanfamily (Aug 12, 2011)

We never had any problems with our boar (He was a real sweetie though) or any other mothers eating the piglets. 

If we didn't take out stillborn piglets fast enough sometimes the mothers would eat them.

What my biggest concern was, was the big pigs getting a bit rowdy around the piglets. We lost a few piglets because of mothers fighting each other and running them over. 

But as far as eating live piglets? No, never!

I only ever once saw a sow bite a little piglet:
The piglet was standing on her face and jumping around, so the sow opened her mouth and lightly grabbed a leg. It was really neat to watch actually. She had the leg on her gums where there were no teeth, and she was just holding the leg as a warning.


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

Mothers eating stillborn piglets is normal. They're recycling. That's fine.

Love the story of the sow holding the piglet.


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