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Post by ohiogoatgirl on Nov 13, 2012 23:55:42 GMT
so... obi (the boar) is walking back and forth (rather looks like frustrated pacing to me) and he is doing this grunty-purr sort of noise.... mayra (the sow) is hiding in her lil house but will come out when he starts makin noise again, and she will walk back and forth with him only she puts her butt up to the grid-wall seperating them and makes what seems to be happy wheeking noises...
i might be a guinea pig newbie but i'm a farm girl and i've pretty much seen any animal breed before... so to me this raises red flags as a sort of show of them wanting to breed. am i correct?
i am hoping to at least get my other guinea pigs (on thursday, today is tuesday) because i want to make two breeding pens. because i want her bred with the peruvian boar i am gettin thursday. once i introduce the females i want to have together will it incite fighting to add the boar in? i havent read of this, its just something i randomly wondered.
thanks (:
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Post by Kayleigh on Nov 14, 2012 7:17:54 GMT
Yes it sounds like the sow is in season. The boar will rumble and do his dance around sows until she lets him know she is or isnt ready.
A boar in with a group of sowe wont usually cause trouble.
Are you breeding all the sows to s single boar?
Ensure all the sows are of the advised weight/age before breeding. And of course healthy and fit
I wouldnt advise more than 2 sows to 1 boar, although he can cope it can be harsh on him as he will more than likely be chasing them most of the time.
Any questions regarding breeding please do ask.
Kayleigh
Sent from my GT-I9300 using proboards
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Post by ohiogoatgirl on Nov 14, 2012 17:33:32 GMT
thanks!
yes i am going to be making sure all sows are old enough and healthy enough first.
my herd will be 2 boars and 6 sows. i know that one boar is an american shorthair and the other is peruvian. i know that one sow is american shorthair and one sow is peruvian. so these will go with their matching breed boars. the other 4 sows i wont know particulars until i pick them up tomorrow. but i was planning on splitting them up between the boars. so would be 3 sows with each boar.
another idea as far as breeding is to have a sort of rotating pens... pen 1- american boar, 2 american sows pen 2- peruvian boar, 2 peruvian sows pen 3- 2 sows pen 4- 2 sows this way i keep the boars with the sows until they start to show, i then put the boars into the other sow pens..so... pen 1- *preg* 2 american sows pen 2- *preg* 2 peruvian sows pen 3- american boar, 2 sows pen 4- peruvian boar, 2 sows
then have the "bachelor pens" for when the boars arent needed for breeding.
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Post by ohiogoatgirl on Nov 14, 2012 20:34:32 GMT
just found out the 4 i was getting is actually 2 and they arent likely gonna be big enough to breed quite yet.... so new rotation plan...
pen 1- american boar, 2 american sows pen 2- peruvian boar, 2 peruvian sows pen 3- 2 sows pen 4- empty
this way i keep the boars with the sows until they start to show (and *if* the other 2 sows are old/big enough by then), i then put the boars into the other sow pens..so... pen 1- *preg* 2 american sows pen 2- *preg* 2 peruvian sows pen 3- american boar, 2 sows pen 4- peruvian boar
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Post by Kayleigh on Nov 14, 2012 21:03:41 GMT
I wouldnt suggest breeding the boars for that long, if that makes sense, give them a rest to recondition and reboot! Im sure they wont mind, but i dont like the idea of using them as breeding machines!
Also try to space the litters out, you could go from 6 pigs to 30plus in a matter of months.
Are you breeding for yourself to increase your numbers, to show/exhibit etc. I only ask as you say your new to guinea pig breeding, theres alot to research and learn prior to breeding. Of course mother nature will "breed" and fingers crossed in most cases everythign goes really well.
BUT
If the sow goes toxic, aborts the young or has a troubled labour, can you get them to a vet, can you help out (would you know how to help) Do you know the signs of tox in a sow (pear drop scent, drooling, lack of appetite are a few)
Im not saying dont breed, as i myself breed, but i cant see how breeding 4 sows, then a further two in the space of a few months will benefit anything. I dislike the idea of breeding for breeding sake, there are alot of people who breed for all the wrong reasons.
I noticed on facebook you mentioned the free pigs your getting are resuces, I always suggest never to breed from pet shop pigs or rescues as you never know their history, hidden health concerns or if they have littered before and if so, how did the pregnancy go, was the sow a good mum, how did she cope/condition up.
Remember the breeding "spec" is different for every sow, its not about her age, its a combination of age, size, weight, breed, condition and the sow herself. There is no set limit in which they must be bred by.
Enjoy the experience, learn as you go along. (i am still learning) But most of all dont rush things, you could end up loosing the sow and her pups (worst case)
Best of luck and please dont take offence to anything i have said.
Ask lots of questions, post pictures and do keep us updated with the breeding(s)
Kayleigh
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Post by ohiogoatgirl on Nov 15, 2012 1:48:29 GMT
i have added my reply in with kayleigh's post. my reply parts are in green so easier to see whom is saying which (:I wouldnt suggest breeding the boars for that long, if that makes sense, give them a rest to recondition and reboot! Im sure they wont mind, but i dont like the idea of using them as breeding machines! i have been doing ALOT of reading about them before i actually got them. i'm the sort of person who when something catches my eye i read all there is to read about it, talk to everyone i can about it, and then decide if its something i want to/could do or not. alot of times i ask questions that i am pretty sure i know the answer just to hear what other people reply. i wasnt thinking that this set up (as i explained in the rotating idea bit) would be overbreeding the males... from what i am reading they can be put with up to 5 sows. and since i doubt all the sows will be in season at the exact same time its not like he will run himself to death or something... and if i seperate when the sows are starting to show (i'm guessin about half through or a few wks before birthing? i havent found any sort of estimate on this at all) so there the boars already have about a month of loungin about with the "girlfriends".Also try to space the litters out, you could go from 6 pigs to 30plus in a matter of months. yes i am well aware of gpig math lol. i have rabbits as well and when 1+1= 7 to 10 and you have 11 females.... its easy to have alot of rabbits. i am aware that each sow can have from 1 to 7 babies. so with 4 sows in my set up i explained i will have from 2 to 14 babies and then about a month/month and a half later i could have 2 to 14 more. if i were to have all 4 sows with boars at the same time i could have from 4 to 28 babies. Are you breeding for yourself to increase your numbers, to show/exhibit etc. I only ask as you say your new to guinea pig breeding, theres alot to research and learn prior to breeding. Of course mother nature will "breed" and fingers crossed in most cases everythign goes really well. i am breeding for myself and to sell some as pets (i am lookin up info as well for a little informational paper i could send home with new gpig owners. i refuse to sell any animal to someone whom i do not think will take care of it. i prefer to keep in touch with people who buy from me.) as i said as well i am a farm girl. i'm the type who wears shoes only to keep from gettin frostbite in winter and thats about it. i walk through goat and cow and horse pastures and through miles of woods barefoot. i have goats and rabbits. have had a cow, chickens, turkeys, hogs. and of course cats and dogs. i'm a fast learner. when i dont know something i ask and look around to find out the answer.BUT If the sow goes toxic, aborts the young or has a troubled labour, can you get them to a vet, can you help out (would you know how to help) Do you know the signs of tox in a sow (pear drop scent, drooling, lack of appetite are a few) i have yet to find that information. if you would like to share (or share links, that works as well since i save helpful sites and pages) i would definitely listen in.Im not saying dont breed, as i myself breed, but i cant see how breeding 4 sows, then a further two in the space of a few months will benefit anything. I dislike the idea of breeding for breeding sake, there are alot of people who breed for all the wrong reasons. I noticed on facebook you mentioned the free pigs your getting are resuces, I always suggest never to breed from pet shop pigs or rescues as you never know their history, hidden health concerns or if they have littered before and if so, how did the pregnancy go, was the sow a good mum, how did she cope/condition up. well maybe not perhaps rescued from bad conditions.. i am taking a sow and a boar from a lady who's daughter got 2 pet female guinea pigs. turned out both were pregnant. they werent keeping all and these two were last to go. i got her number from a friend of mine who knew i said i was lookin for gpigs (her and her husband know the lady). the sow is one of the original two sows, yes she had a litter and everything was fine. i did forget to ask how many were in her litter and am going to ask when i pick them up.ReMember the breeding "spec" is different for every sow, its not about her age, its a combination of age, size, weight, breed, condition and the sow herself. There is no set limit in which they must be bred by. yupyup. i was already planning on posting pics of all and askin if she seemed in good body condition and all. i am going to weigh them, etc. Enjoy the experience, learn as you go along. (i am still learning) But most of all dont rush things, you could end up loosing the sow and her pups (worst case) Best of luck and please dont take offence to anything i have said. no offense taken in the least. i would probably offer similar advice to someone about rabbits or goats if they said they were new into the animal.Ask lots of questions, post pictures and do keep us updated with the breeding(s) Kayleigh
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Post by Kayleigh on Nov 15, 2012 7:17:56 GMT
The post shows in all grey to me.
Remember online, books etc information can be conflicting. I personally wouldnt breed the boars to 2 sows then again once they are inpig. The boars will still chase the sows, they are boars afterall. And although they will breed and probably be ok, its alot of work for them.
Do make sure they get along ok first, iv had a couple of sows who attscked their proposed breeding boar.
All of the above taken, breeding any animal has risks as im sure your aware.
There are posts about tox in the breeding section. Im on my phone so cant post links.
Aslong as the general things are followed, ie ensuring the sows/boars are healthy, fit and happy, (sows old enough) seperating boars between 3/4 weeks, not rehoming until 6 weeks minimum and of course feeding a good diet, im sure everything will be ok.
Kayleigh Sent from my GT-I9300 using proboards
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Post by Orlaith on Nov 16, 2012 8:24:52 GMT
One thing I would add as well is that if/when the sows have baby boys they'll have to be separated from their mums by about three weeks old, but they won't be ready to go to a new home for almost a month after that, so you'll need space to house them too. Ideally they would live with an adult boar for a while because this helps to settle them, but they'll manage on their own too. And you'll also need space in case there are pigs you can't sell. Sometimes there's a lull in demand and there's no guarantee you'll have a home lined up for them all, so you need to make sure you can cope with this.
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