A question for breeders

[anissina]

How did you guys get started? The reason I ask is that I just found out that one of the only two breeders in my entire state has decided to quit breeding. She was the only one in the state who had texels and after she quits there really won't be a place any where near me to get any.

I have been toying with the idea off an on of breeding. I have the time an resources but I lack knowledge of breeding and I really want to make sure I do this right. My biggest question is how you decided to breed in the first place. What made you want to do it? How did you choose which pigs you wanted to breed and where did you get them from? Do the pigs have to have some sort of pedigree?

I know there are a lot of responsible breeders here. I'm going to talk to the breeder tomorrow evening and I am going to be asking plenty of questions and though this is something I really want to do I am prepared to give it plenty of time. Even if I do adopt a pair that I plan to eventually breed I won't actually breed them for some time yet while I gather more knowledge and make sure both have a vet check.

If nothing comes out of it I will give both the boar and sow a happy spoiled life here with us but I would really love any advice or stories that might help me with breeding if it happens now or several years in the future.

Also I want to say that this is not a spur of the moment thing. I have been thinking about it for several months now and the only reason I am even thinking of getting any pigs right now is because if I wait there won't be anywhere in a 500 mile radius that I could get them and I would worry too much about transporting a pig that far to really want to do that.

Also I don't plan on breeding a lot. I know that over breeding is a huge risk. I really don't want to have a ton of guinea pigs, I would rather provide a safe healthy environment for a smaller number of pigs. I plan to have rather strict policies on who can have any of the pigs. Please know that I fully intend to do this the right way and point out any harsh realities you feel the need to. I will do this the right way or not at all.

[Kayleigh]

Hiya

Breeding is a wonderful experience and something i am very glad i got into. Like all breeders i started off with a few pet pigs, from rescues and pet stores. I then began to search online for different breeds of pig, thats where i fell in love with the himalayan and decided i wanted at least 1 of these. It took me a good 3 years to find a good pedigree himi. I had adopted several himi look a likes. The person i got my himalayans from was a breeder of them, so when i went to visist we talked for ages. I then walked away with 2 boars & 2 sows to start my breeding if i chose too.

I studied animal care at college and breeding was an aspect of this, and something i wanted to experience so i chose to breed a pet sow i had. Her litter was very successsful and although she had 1 DOA pup the other 3 were perfect. I had a few pet litters over the years and then my himi breeding began. I had 1 litter of himis and it was wonderful. I had no idea how their points progressed.

Anyways after a year or so i wanted 1 other breed to keep me busy, so i went in search and went to a few shows, thats where i clocked the rex breed. Their size, coat and general look was just gorgeous. I got speaking to a very good breeder near me and she had said she would help me start out with the rex.

When starting out breeding make sure you do alot of research, and ask lots of questions, as there is alot of conflicting information out there. If you want to breed a specific breed then you will need a good breeder to help you get a trio or quad of pigs to start out. Ideally you need 2 boars and 2 unrelated sows.

Also ask yourself, do you want to breed to increase your numbers, improve the breed or to show. I also keep a strict record using Kintrax of all my pigs, their dobs, breeding pigs, litters ect so i have all the data to hand if i need it. It also helps create a pedigree of my own bred pigs.

With all breeding complications can and do come up, you will come across hurdles wether it be a sow passing away or loosing pups in a litter. But do remember with life their is death and although we do our best to breed and hope all goes well, sometimes things go wrong and mother nature takes control.

Breeding has taught me alot about myself and the guinea pigs, when i lost a very loved pet sow and her entire litter i was devastated, it made me think if i should be breeding or not. I then looked at all i have done, the breeding, the pigs and decided yes its a good thing overall, im improving the breeds and showing them, They are all happy healthy pigs and enjoy a long spoilt life.

You will also need to accept that all breeders do things differently. housing and feeding seem to be the hottest topic with breeders, pet owners and rescues. You will also need to be prepared for the "breeder bashers" i have come across many and its not nice. But aslong as you know your pigs are cared for, happy, healthy then dont let them get you down. Iv now found its easier to ignore them and move on. There are also good breeders, and the BYB breeders who give the good ones a bad name. The same with rescues and pet owners, Yet the breeders seem to get the brunt of things.

Best of luck and if you have any questions ask away.

Kayleigh

[madmommy]

Kayleigh,

Do you breed to sell or just show?
You have such beautiful pigs. Why oh why can't you live in Kansas! I'm so wary of breeders, so many terrible stories.

Of course, if we got anymore pigs, my husband would flip. It will be at least 10 years before I can have my "hobby farm", where I plan to raise rare livestock. We want some fainting goats, and some Dutch Belted or Belted Galloway cattle. There are a lot of cattle, sheep, pig, etc. breeds that are disappearing in America. And, of course, I'll have some piggies.

What is the breed of pig that looks like the wild cavies?

For those interested in rare stock in the US, this albc-usa.org/ is the website I found.

[Kayleigh]

Jul 29, 2012 15:21:49 GMT @madmommy said:

Kayleigh,

Do you breed to sell or just show?
You have such beautiful pigs. Why oh why can't you live in Kansas! I'm so wary of breeders, so many terrible stories.

Of course, if we got anymore pigs, my husband would flip. It will be at least 10 years before I can have my "hobby farm", where I plan to raise rare livestock. We want some fainting goats, and some Dutch Belted or Belted Galloway cattle. There are a lot of cattle, sheep, pig, etc. breeds that are disappearing in America. And, of course, I'll have some piggies.

What is the breed of pig that looks like the wild cavies?

For those interested in rare stock in the US, this albc-usa.org/ is the website I found.

Hi

I breed for myself, to improve my lines and to show them. I rarely have pedigree pigs for sale, and even if i do, i usually have a list of people after stock from myself.

Its good to be wary of everyone, breeders, rescues and pet stores. Always ask lots of questions, and if your not happy dont purchase from them. Im more than happy to show potential owners the pigs, their homes, talk about their health, history and of course what they are fed ect.

You get Cuy which is a guinea pig, larger than our domesticated pig, and usually grown on for human food. They are known to be skittish and not as "cuddly" as our pet pigs, You also get capybara which look like giant pigs, beautiful animals.

Kayleigh

[anissina]

Thanks for your response Kayleigh! I found a breeder in Texas that has Texels. It's like two days away from where I live but I've been talking to my boyfriend about this and he is really encouraging me to make a trip down there to get a foundation group. Would it be better to get all the pigs from different places so that they are unrelated? I heard something from a silkie breeder in my state about a texel breeder in Utah that I want to talk to. I may decide to get started just with pet pigs for the time being but I would love to move on to show quality texels once I know more about what I am doing. I'm about to call that silkie breeder now to see if she would be willing to meet with me and maybe chat about everything involved in being a breeder.

[Kayleigh]

Its good to get unrelated yes, but you must make sure you know where they are from, as you need to know what they carry in their genes. Also be wary, make sure you get good pigs. Theres a few breeders out there with low standard pigs and try to sell them off as good. Do your research on the breed, coat type, density, body shape, ears, eyes ect.

Its always diffcult starting out, but once you know what your after you can work towards it. Try not to get swamped down with lots of pigs at first.

Kayleigh

[anissina]

Thats kind of why I was thinking of starting with one breeding pair rather then a group. Where we live now we could never house more then one litter at a time anyway but we will be moving next year and then I could add more piggies. I for sure want to make sure that any pigs I breed for show or to improve the lines come from a great breeder and thats why I would want to travel, meet the breeder, and see the pigs myself before getting involved in that.

I am not sure whats going to happen today. To be honest this breeder I am going to has never struck me as the best. I kind of doubt I'll get a breeding pair today and if I did it would just be pet pigs, I highly doubt any of them would be show quality but she says she is selling even mothers with babies too young to be weaned and they are just tossing these poor pigs out the door so I might come home with a mother and some very young babies regardless. I don't know everything about guinea pigs but I know more then a lot of people who might end up taking them.


Honestly they breed dogs for show but as far as their guinea pigs and rabbits go they feel more like back yard breeders then anything. Especially if the way they are selling off their animals is anything to go on.

[Kayleigh]

A good breeder in my opinion, will not sell on pregnant sows, or sows with young pups. The same goes with selling pigs on under 6 weeks. Poor practice The animals welfare should be top at all times. Unless of course there are circumstances in which this cannot be avoided.

Start off with a breeding pair, and if all goes well you can see what the sow throws then you can determine what you need to improve what you have.

Im still learning myself, more so about the genetics (which is mind boggling) but im getting there.
Kayleigh