To Little Boar's Dismay, I Learned A New Skill

Sorry, there will be no photos of this.  

Our little boar almost got a reprieve from castration yesterday as I received an e-mail from a farm in search of a breeding pair of Idaho Pastured Pigs.  

But, after talking with the customer, we decided that it would best suit her if she was first on the waiting list for a breeding pair from our farm and the farm we're working with in New York.  This way she would get summer piglets of about the same age. 

Then I got another e-mail today from a customer looking for a breeding boar.  She is looking for a boar to breed with her gilt in March.  Our little guy was too young to have been ready for breeding at that time.  I thought maybe we could figure a way to have her gilt serviced by our mature boar, Tigger.  We're still talking. 

So yesterday, my husband and I caught our little piglet and took him to our local large animal veterinarian.  I wanted to be sure I was learning the proper way to do castrations for future operations and our vet is fantastic about helping the developing farmer learn new skills.       

We almost would have been unable to do the operation because it seemed as if the testicles had not descended.  But the vet was finally able to locate and isolate them.  She showed me how to do this.  Then the incision was made and the testicles were removed.  

Boar to barrow is a quick process.  

I learned that I will definitely do this on boars when they are younger and easier to hold.  Our seven week old boar was pretty big for this operation.  I would probably do this when the piglets are a week old. 

Little Barrow is home safe and sound and recuperating nicely.