Selecting a breeding boar for your farm is one of the more important aspects to take into consideration for your herd development. There are several traits that you need to look for when selecting a boar. Be sure to thoroughly examine his feet. You want a boar that stands upright on strong pasterns with no overgrown hooves. If a boar has weak legs and broken down pasterns, he will have a harder time standing to breed and will most likely pass this trait on to his offspring. Similar to when selecting a gilt or sow, teat line and spacing should be taken into consideration when selecting a boar. Undesirable teat lines can be passed along to the female offspring. Your boar should move smoothly when walking, there shouldn’t be any stiffness or lameness. If you are selecting a boar over the internet, ask the breeder for videos of the boar moving around in an area where his legs and feet are visible. It is important to keep in mind your future boar’s temperament as well. You want a docile, easy to work with boar to make your job of moving him around for breeding easier. Make sure your boar has a straight topline and a high tail set. Make sure there are two visible testicles that they are even in size, with no hernias or deformities. A boar with a scrotal hernia should never be used for breeding because this trait can be passed to his offspring. If you are looking at getting a breeding age boar, be sure he is in good body condition, an overweight boar can injure a sow during breeding or he may not be able to stand long enough to complete his important task. If you are going to start with a boar piglet instead of a breeding age boar, you will want to take in to consideration most of what you would when looking for an adult. You want a strong, vibrant piglet. He should have a nice hair coat, look well fed, and have nice thick hams. He should have a straight top line, high tail set, and stands upright on strong pasterns. Make sure the piglet doesn’t have any hernias and has a nice teat line. As for the testes, that can be tricky because as kunekune piglets grow their testicles can drop and be drawn back up into the body several times. It can take a while for a boar piglet’s testicles to drop completely. Be sure you are working with a breeder who will replace a boar should he have any retained testicles.

One last thing to take into consideration when selecting a boar is to make sure you decide on one that compliments your sows and gilts. For example, if you have a sow with a longer snout, you would most likely want to breed her with a boar that has a shorter snout. Or if you have a sow with weaker pasterns, breeding her with a boar that has great pasterns, may result in offspring with stronger pasterns. While there is no perfect pig, these are all things that you should consider when shopping for your next herd sire. Your goal should be to improve your herd and offspring to continue the preservation of this amazing pig! Finding a great breeder and mentor will also help you in your search for a boar