The British Kunekune Pig Society

Hi For practical information about housing , feeding etc: Read the articles here Buy a book(s) and pretty quickly you'll know all you need to get started. To help make the decision about whether its the right thing for you, which breed to get, how many etc there is no substitute for getting close to...

I think that even at a week old a piglet would make such a noise and wriggle so much that the fox would be scared off. I don't think you need to worry at all.

DNA testing does prove parentage. But it doesn't prove the breed of pig. I don't know many people prepared to breed 3, or the preferable 5, generations so that they could register offspring. But if you think its a good idea write an article for the newsletter, propose it at the AGM and persuade ever...

The BKKPS only allows registrations & birth notifications where both parents are pedigree registered.
Also at 4 years old its not always easy to get them in-pig if they have not been breeding regularly.

Sorry to hear your story. I think you need to immediately contact another vet, ring round until you find someone worthy of their profession. Whatever the problem is will certainly need medication that you would only be able to get through a vet; anti-inflammatory, pain killers and possibly antibioti...

Hair loss is common in kunekunes. Once you have ruled out mange and other skin conditions then the treatment is pig oil and patience - it grows back. You will see quite a bit of discussion about it on this site and elsewhere. My boar is bald at the moment, it can take time to grow back but will even...

The lump immediately sounds like a hernia. They happen, usually younger, but don't necessarily hurt. But if you've had a vet look he would have considered this and presumably decided that its not a hernia. So I would follow vets advice and leave it along unless it starts to cause pain.

I know this isn't what you want to hear, but the answer is 'it depends'. Rather than thinking of things that way round I would encourage you to think about how much they cost to you, and what price you need to sell them at for it to be sustainable. Many breeders have a price below which they will no...

The pig will continue to grow until it is about 3 years old. The fact that it was a runt at birth is no indication of its adult size - once it is removed from the litter and can get its full quota of food it will develop normally. At 7months I would not expect it to be as big as a full grown mastiff...

yes is the simple answer.
If they are particularly fat, then thats not ideal. Also the younger any animal is the more tender its meat will be. So older animals will tend to need slower cooking. For this reason a lot of people tend to butcher the younger stock and sausage the older ones.

It does sound like your boar might not be up to the job. The best thing I could suggest is to separate him from the girls for a few weeks. Then put them in an adjoining area to see if he (or the girls) show any interest when they come into heat. If there is renewed interest then immediately put them...

Make sure she has enough food. Not so much she gets fat, but she might be hungry. So hay, carrots, veg etc are good to nibble on. If you can roll the ground she is on to compact it down that will help, or put her somewhere where the ground is firmer. It definitely is a habit and can be learnt. Equal...

Only the best boars should be left intact. 99% should be castrated at a few weeks old. Whilst the sow and dam might be very good, theres no guarantee any of the boar piglets would be suitable for breeding. It may take a few litters before you can see the difference. Should you desperately feel you h...

I've never seen an inflamed pire due to the pig lying on it.

You should be able to squeeze it with a bit of force before the pig complains. If its obviously tender, then it may be infected if its been injured in the past.

The most common cause or pire problems are being bitten by other pigs.

This isn't something I have experienced, so I can only speculate. I have seen sows act like this when they are on heat. They get a hormone rush and 'hassle' poor castrates who are in no position to help out. We know from breeding records that 9years old is about the maximum age for a sow to conceive...