Red Wattle Project Forum

We are looking for some advice form those with more knowledge and experience than ourselves.

About a year and a half ago we purchased 3 breeders, a boar and 2 sows. We let the happy threesome live on pasture together, no seperation. When the sows reached about 9 months old each gave birth to their first liter. One had 12 piglet and the other 6. Everyone grew up healthy and happy, we sold all but one ofhte first litter. That one then was bred back to the original boar (inadvertently) and had a litter of 3 at about 8 months old. Today all 3 original breeders and the one young mom are doing fine.. except...

the 2 older sows never got pregnant again. It has now been a year since their first litter, and no piglets. I have seen each of them in heat multiple times over hte last year, and noticed the boar mounting one of them at one point. Otherwise he doesnt seem interested in them. He of course did mate with the smaller younger sow as soon as she went into heat. The boar will sniff around the sows from time to time but we dont notice him trying to do anything more.

There are no signs of disease or stress, so we are perplexed about how to get them breeding. Is it necessary to separate the boar and put the sow in with him for breeding? This doesnt seem like natural behavior.. as they wouldn't do this in the wild, right? Why would e breed with the young sow at first heat but not he older sows?

Any advice is appreciated. We truly want to raise these guys in as natural an environment as possible with behaviors as in the wild. All else is working except the breeding.

I do not know where you are located, therefore, I will suggest you contact your vet or the landgrant college in your state to see if your hogs should be vaccinated for anything.

If sows have a reproductive infection they may rebreed then abort or reabsorb fetuses. You may or may not find any evidence of this.

Are your hogs too fat? Maybe the boar has a back injury and it hurts to mount the larger sows. Or even week hocks or something. Maybe try sending them to another boar.

Do you see the boar breed them? I had this same thing happen and to my sows and they were eating to good. I cut back on their feed and both bred back . This time around I had them on a diet and these same sows bred back the first time and are due in June. Worth a try.