Do not breed! Simple unless you have a boar or a sow that is SIGNIFICANTLY better than their proposed partner and homes lined up, then don’t, DON’T BREED . Don’t breed unless you know about its genetics/history, 3 generations at least, more is better.

Do not breed if you will not be home 24/7 (except maybe 20-45 minutes to feed store or vet) once those piglets are born, this should not be a hobby, you are taking life into your hands.

Do not breed if you do not have the space! Piglets cannot stay in a small room or box until they are 8 weeks, they need to run to develop muscle and coordination, they need to root in the soil and learn to be a pig, before they go home!

Do NOT breed if you do not have what it takes to be prepared:

• A farrow box
• A way to keep your piglets at 90 degrees
• A safe, legal way to dispose of piglets and placenta, throwing in the trash is illegal.
• A fenced yard
• A vet (or two ) on hand 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• $2500 cash reserve minimum for c section emergencies
• A plentiful stock of fresh goats milk in case of an emergency
• Medications, gloves, lubricants, iron, syringes etc
• Do not think you will make money from breeding. After you pay for supplies, heat new shavings, your time, fixing the piglets, marketing and placing them in homes, there is no profit, most responsible breedings have a goal in mind and its not profit.

Do Not breed if you have NO knowledge of bonding “unfit” mother pigs with piglets, things happen, the best situation is to get that baby on mom, period. I would say 90% of babies pulled from mom early pass.

Do not breed if you are planning to bottle feed or pull babies off mom, they miss out on valuable antibodies, not just colostrum as well as learning to be a pig.

Do not breed if you don’t have some emergency training. Piglets scour choke, get  hurt and you need to not only have supplies on hand but you need to be able to know how to use them.

Know that if something happens with your sow and she cannot raise the piglets, you do not get to walk away you get to feed 24/7 every hour around the clock for several weeks then 3 hours until they are weaned onto pellets.  If you have a job, you cannot do this.

Don’t breed unless you can keep your breeding stock separate, nothing worse than seeing a sow rebred 5 days after she stops lactating, Their gestation is only 115 days, they start ovulating 5 days after weaning in which they can become pregnant again, doesn’t mean its right.

Just a few things to ponder BEFORE you start to breed, really tired of seeing people with no experience asking for help the day the sow is ready to birth, pulling babies early or waiting too long to get the vet to intervene.

Reprinted with permission. ©Anita Jacobson, Just Mini Pigs FB Group