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Post by Otter on Aug 4, 2015 4:53:35 GMT
A farmer I know posted on Fb that she had a litter of potbellies ready to go. She's the one I got my original ones from, so I called her up to tell her I'd be out for a white marked male, asap.
Later that day while feeding, I saw that Daisy pig was coming into a strong heat, so I called her back and asked if Daisy could take a ride with us.
Today, little Daisy got bred and we picked up our new, teeny, tiny boar. We should have bacon seeds around Thanksgiving! And the boar that bred Daisy is an uncle of our new little guy, so not too close to keep a daughter.
Pictures in the morning!
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Post by Otter on Aug 4, 2015 18:13:09 GMT
Our new, still nameless, future potbelly sire and big pig heat detector;  |
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Post by copperkid3 on Aug 11, 2015 15:41:45 GMT
Makin' bacon....
Aren't you concerned that the double
entendre, could possibly get your thread deleted?
Lessor things have been known to happen around Mr. Rogers neighborhood....
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2015 15:44:30 GMT
Hmmmmmm. Bacon!
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Post by Otter on Aug 23, 2015 21:42:10 GMT
Well, 3 weeks later it looks as if Daisy was not bred.
Tiny little Sylvester is doing his very best to correct that problem, in spite of his tender age and 3 inch legs. And Daisy, that cougar, is letting him, which involves lots of lying down in spite of her not standing as tall as your average Cocker Spaniel.
I'm pretty sure that at his age he's shooting blanks, but I guess we'll see in another 3 weeks, as I can't drive her out to the stud today.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2015 2:43:28 GMT
Well, 3 weeks later it looks as if Daisy was not bred. Tiny little Sylvester is doing his very best to correct that problem, in spite of his tender age and 3 inch legs. And Daisy, that cougar, is letting him, which involves lots of lying down in spite of her not standing as tall as your average Cocker Spaniel. I'm pretty sure that at his age he's shooting blanks, but I guess we'll see in another 3 weeks, as I can't drive her out to the stud today. Did Sylvester and Daisy ever get it together? |
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Post by Otter on Oct 18, 2015 16:38:15 GMT
I'm not sure. I was thinking yes, because 3 weeks went by and then 3 more and I didn't see any action. But yesterday and today he is VERY interested in her again, but she is nowhere near as interested in him (when I posted last, she crouched low for him until she pulled a muscle)
So, did it not take, and I just haven't seen action?
Did it take and he is all excited because one of the big girls is in heat?
Did it take and then she lost the pregnancy?
Are pigs just weird?
I just don't know
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Post by manygoatsnmore on Oct 18, 2015 17:07:38 GMT
Well, the answer to "Are pigs just weird?", I think you know...  No help for you, other than that, I'm afraid. A few more months and you'll know for sure one way or the other. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2015 14:18:08 GMT
Did she go into heat again? If so, then she wasn't bred. We have learned to not expect the first rendezvous to be a successful one and to check our girls every day. It helps to be able to know their cycle. I hope that she will be bred soon  |
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Post by Otter on Oct 22, 2015 16:52:40 GMT
Well, the answer to "Are pigs just weird?", I think you know... LOL, well, yes, very true, they are definitely weird. Tirzah, don't be fooled! LOTS of animals (humans included) will have a sort-of cycle after they are bred. Mares - and humans, actually - are famous for it. Mares enough that any breeder will tell you "mare" is a 4 letter-word and humans so much that we even tell ourselves we're pregnant for 9 months (40 weeks is 10 months, we just rarely figure it out early enough to count the first one, rofl) Cows do it, goats do it, rabbits do it, don't even get me started on exotics. It happening now and again with pigs wouldn't surprise me at all! I haven't seen her vulva swell, so I guess we'll just see. She's been so weird about everything since her first visit to the boar I'm just going to go on piglet watch every 3 weeks going from her first service date. She was very regular about heats before, so I don't think she took the first time, but she is definitely a squirrelly pig. And Sylvester is bound and determined to breed not only her, but our 2 big gilts and Chex the dog, so there's no telling from his end. He's 12 pounds of pure testosterone trotting around the place hoping to score |
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Post by manygoatsnmore on Oct 22, 2015 23:05:48 GMT
Well, the answer to "Are pigs just weird?", I think you know... LOL, well, yes, very true, they are definitely weird. Tirzah, don't be fooled! LOTS of animals (humans included) will have a sort-of cycle after they are bred. Mares - and humans, actually - are famous for it. Mares enough that any breeder will tell you "mare" is a 4 letter-word and humans so much that we even tell ourselves we're pregnant for 9 months (40 weeks is 10 months, we just rarely figure it out early enough to count the first one, rofl) Cows do it, goats do it, rabbits do it, don't even get me started on exotics. It happening now and again with pigs wouldn't surprise me at all! I haven't seen her vulva swell, so I guess we'll just see. She's been so weird about everything since her first visit to the boar I'm just going to go on piglet watch every 3 weeks going from her first service date. She was very regular about heats before, so I don't think she took the first time, but she is definitely a squirrelly pig. And Sylvester is bound and determined to breed not only her, but our 2 big gilts and Chex the dog, so there's no telling from his end. He's 12 pounds of pure testosterone trotting around the place hoping to score.OMGoodness, this made me laugh. Reminded me of Hamilton, the pot bellied pig we had some 20 years ago....that boy would hump a stump if he thought it had a vagina! |
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Post by Otter on Nov 27, 2015 2:19:02 GMT
So yesterday we found out that yes, pigs are weird.  4 healthy little bacon seeds. One is extra small, but active and strong. I think it's 3 girls and a boy, but I haven't picked them up to be sure. Daisy is an excellent mother and totally enchanted with her little brood. |
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Post by manygoatsnmore on Nov 27, 2015 3:49:33 GMT
Otter, aw, congratulations! Are you naming the runt Wilbur?
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Post by motdaugrnds on Nov 27, 2015 13:01:09 GMT
Love this thread; and those piglets are adorable....sigh! Wishing I could deal with pigs....
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Post by motdaugrnds on Nov 27, 2015 13:02:12 GMT
Strange...a double post and I did NOT click the send button twice. The first click was slow to get the page to moving so I just went to other tabs and came back to this one later...finding a "double" post....?
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Post by Otter on Nov 27, 2015 15:01:32 GMT
Otter , aw, congratulations! Are you naming the runt Wilbur? LOL, I'm trying to keep anyone from naming any of them. They'll all be for sale and the kids never want to sell anything with a name! The littlest one I think is a girl so I'll have to make sure she goes to a non-breeding home. The plan is to include a framed picture and a stuffed toy piglet for people to unwrap at their holiday, and then they can come pick up their new little friend the 2nd week of January motdaugrnds I fail at the double quote thing, lol. These little guys get about as big as your average cocker spaniel, so are pretty easy to deal with if you wanted to give it a try. |
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Post by manygoatsnmore on Nov 27, 2015 16:58:00 GMT
Good idea on the framed pic for Christmas...I'm sure you and I agree on not giving a live animals for a Christmas gift on the actual day. Have you considered spaying being part of the sales agreement on the runt, "Wilbureen"? Don't tell your kids I named her, lol! |
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Post by motdaugrnds on Nov 27, 2015 19:26:02 GMT
Otter are you talking about "American Guinea Hogs"?
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Post by Otter on Nov 27, 2015 20:34:52 GMT
Oh, totally! Holidays are too hectic for pets, and I'm not weaning early for it, although I've already been asked. If someone isn't happy with a picture and a stuffy, they aren't the kind I'd sell a pet to. I'm not big on spay agreements as they're really not enforceable and it puts a lot of pressure on it. If she doesn't end up going to someone I know personally, I'll likely just hold on to her until I can get her spayed and sell her after it's done. motdaugrnds, No, I don't know anything about American Guinea Hogs. Daisy, her babies and Sylvester are all mini-potbellies. Most potbellies get to about 150 lbs, which is good and miniature when compared to your average farm pig, but here and there are lines that just stay tiny. Daisy's largest relative that I have seen was still only 55# full grown, and most of them are a bit smaller. Daisy was packing some pudge when I took her to be bred (all potbellies will get dangerously obese if allowed to) and I could still put her in a small dog crate and lift her myself, and then put crate and all into the back seat. She's heavier than a cocker spaniel, but she's not bigger than one. |
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Post by motdaugrnds on Nov 27, 2015 22:43:34 GMT
Oh so they're not actually for EATING! Not having ever owned pigs, please explain to me why they are good as pets....I mean what kind of job would they do on a small farm? (Everything on my place has to work!)
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Post by Otter on Nov 28, 2015 20:13:39 GMT
They are excellent little roto-tillers who eat next to nothing and regularly give me a cash crop to sell. If these 4 piglets do well that's $500 for me. Daisy is also the farm gossip and never fails to start singing if something is out of place. You certainly CAN eat them and that is the planned for fate of any piglets who look to go oversize (haven't had any yet) or who are just naturally really skittish (did have one of those). People eat chickens and rabbits which are far, far smaller.
They are very economical to keep. I don't actually feed them for most of the year except for some kitchen and garden scraps. They just wander around and rototill and clean up a bit where horses and poultry spill. In winter they get lots of hay, a bit more scraps and a handful of corn. They are the perfect size to clean up the garden without destroying raised beds.
They're probably the easiest animals I have and a big part of it is I do just enjoy keeping them!
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Post by motdaugrnds on Nov 28, 2015 22:39:09 GMT
WOW! They sound like the kind of animal that would do work around here no other animal is doing....even helping me in the garden. So where could I get a "pair" (that can actually breed each other without genetic problems) and what is the best time of year to introduce them to a new home? (Would they get along with my 2 large dogs? Would they eat my baby chickens? Would they chase my goats?) At one time I was seriously considering getting American Guinea pigs and decided against it, mostly because I would have had to create extra fencing/housing and at the time my life was in turmoil. However, with pigs that tiny, I could even make real pets out of them. Oh another question: If they easily get "dangerously obese" and you don't "actually feed them", how do you keep their weight in check? |
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Post by Otter on Nov 28, 2015 23:28:57 GMT
Well, they are reasonably cheap around here, I'd just start looking in your area and see what's available. Color also makes a large difference in price with black being the cheapest, the price goes up with black and white, white, gray and spotted being the most expensive. Older animals are MUCH cheaper than piglets. Somewhat shy ones who are washed out pets make wonderful homestead animals, and you have a better idea of their adult size. Potbellies have a wide range of size. For eating, we like best the ones who get to 100 pr 150 lbs as adults. Which is not as big as one might think, they are low-slung and surprisingly heavy, like little tanks.
To try to answer all your questions;
The best time of year is whenever you'd have the most time to spend with them, especially if you'd like them to be pets. Babies are small enough to need some special care in winter.
Mine get along just fine with my 2 big dogs - who were both carefully trained to not play rough with the pigs!
Mine have never shown any carnivorous ambitions, although they will eat eggs that pullets lay on the ground.
Sylvester does, in fact, get a kick out of chasing our old wether. But as his legs are all of 4 inches long, if Erik Wether didn't want to play, he could just walk away from him.
I keep their weight in check by scolding myself when I want to give them grain in spring/summer/fall and by penning them for part of the day at certain times of year when natural food is very abundant, like when the prickly pear flower in the summer or the acorns start falling in the fall. I just keep a really close eye on their weight, but it's mostly self discipline because it is so easy to just give them a handful of grain and they like it so very much. But really they are meant for a high-fiber, fruit and veggie diet and were bred specifically to get fat on that - that potbelly holds a lot of roughage! When they start to get pudgy, I just pen them longer and give them more roughage to fill up on until whatever is abundant is gone. They hold on to weight so well it would be cruel to put them on a diet and expect them to slim down, but just stopping them from getting fatter when I see it works, they'll level out over the course of a few months.
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Post by motdaugrnds on Nov 29, 2015 2:02:10 GMT
Otter, thanks for the information. I still have a couple of questions: What sort of pen could hold them, i.e. keep them from digging under? Do these types of pigs need a "wallow" to crawl around in?
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Post by Otter on Nov 29, 2015 15:36:08 GMT
Mine have been really easy to fence. They can walk right through a cattle panel for a very long time but pig panels work, as does 2x4 wire fence. Or putting chicken wire on the inside of an existing fence. I only ever had one that really challenged a fence, she was sold to me as a meat animal because of it so we just stalled, fattened and butchered. I've not had any dig - my 2 GOSx gilts will excavate! - but the potbellies will just fluff up the surface like little tillers rather than sit there and dig like the big pigs. If it ever stops raining I'll get a picture.
Like all pigs, they LOVE a pool when it's hot. A rubber feed tub works well for that.
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Post by motdaugrnds on Nov 30, 2015 9:57:26 GMT
Thanks Otter.
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