Keeping breeding stock and rearing litters of piglets can be costly, feed costs are high as is suitable housing. It takes several sows on one farm to justify the cost of keeping a boar so understandably a lot of people choose to hire a boar rather than keep one themselves.
We keep (at present) 6 breeding sows and hire out our boars for service. He can come to you or we can have her visit him here.
If you choose to bring her to us the visiting gilt or sow should be wormed and checked for any health issues before she visits us and will be housed with the boar in our purpose built quarantine facilities until served.
We advise that Oxford Sandy and Black breeding
gilts should be a minimum of one year old before they have their first litter, to ensure
that they are well grown, even though they can start coming into heat from five
months old. The heat period is approximately every 21 days and lasts for one to
three days and once in pig she will not cycle again until three to five days
after weaning her litter. A sow may be put back to the boar at this first
heat.
It is usually easier to see the sign of heat in gilts than older sows although in some it is really difficult so it is useful to watch her carefully and notice any change so you can keep a record of your pigs cycle. The sow will only stand for the boar for a limited time during the heat period and she should be served at least twice in a 12 hour period to enhance the chance of impregnation.
An alternative of
course is AI from deerpark-pigs.com
The gestation period for the pig is usually 115 days, (3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days) but it can be a few days either side of this.
Click on the boars name below and it will take you to further details and a full pedigree:
Herbert will come to you, he has a lovely temperament, with excellent conformation and markings. and is very good at his job! If Herbert can't get her pregnant then.....