Advice please! Proven Rex boar who isn't working!

My lovely Rex boar Buster, from Mary Jaffa breeding, who has fathered healthy babies in the past, seems to not be working.

He is now in with his fourth sow, and so far all four have failed to get pregnant. This fourth sow should be around 65 days now and shes empty.

Buster has just turned 2 years old, makes all the right noises and chases the sows as he should.

One of the sows I gave up and put her in with my boar Garvey and he caught her straight away and she is due soon, have now put one of the other sows with Garvey also.

He is fit and healthy and in good condition.

Has anyone got any ideas as I am stumped.

I have none of his offspring (as i bought him in) and will be quite sad if I have to let him go to a pet home, as obviously I have limited room for boars and can't keep one that won't work.

This is the boy: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

HELP!

Have you tried the suggestions on here Gemma [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] ?

Could it be a STI of some sort considering he has sired in the past but isn't now?? Seems a bit odd.

Yeah I read that thread but its not the same as Buster IS interested and isnt lazy, like I say, he chases them around and makes the right noises, just no babies appeared!

I dont know about an STI, how would you find that out? lol

Has he damaged his winky maybe?

Gemma - I've had this happen with a couple of my Rex boars - not really sure what causes it but have put it down to just getting too fat to do the deed!- he looks a nice fit pig. I now try to keep my boars active and working to prolong their breeding life by running them with a sow as often as I can. At the mo it seems to be working - although I do have one boar who seems to be ok even after a long rest - there's always one

It may well be the std thing and I have heard, in the past, of people giving their pigs a course of antibiotics (sows and boars) and that has cured the problem.

Sometimes a change of scenery works. Have you got a friend who could use him in her caviary. I don't know why it works, but I have had several friends who have done this and it does. We once had a sheltie who was a brilliant show boar, had him with loads of sows and ziltch. Sold him on to another breeder who bought him originally as a pet, but then decided to have a go breeding from him, and guess what - he has sired 2 litters there. Was pig sick aaaagh.

Thanks everyone for your replies.

He is in tip top condition, has no fat on him at all. He looks all in one piece as far as I can see.

I really dont understand it!

He came from my friends shed where she used him, I put him straight in with a sow and zilch! Have tried him with single sows, two sows, moved hutches, put him on the lawn in the summer with them, still nothing! I am baffled!

Thats very interesting Sally, I wonder if its just a Rex thing?

Liz wrote:Has he damaged his winky maybe?

haha an amusing phrase at least I found it amusing - chances are that you don't have a sexually transmitted disease - generally you will find that the sows he has been put to in the past would have it and you would be having trouble all around the shed.

For a boar - that needs a bit of help with his swimmers - go to the health food store - pick up some powdered zinc - or you can buy it in caplets - about 1/8 tsp sprinkled on his dry food - if he is with sows it won't do them any harm - and it will perk up a boar.

Ok thanks for that, though I'm not sure it is an STI because one sow got pregnant straight away to another boar, if Buster had passed it on, surely she wouldnt have got pregnant?

I will get some of the Zinc, Thanks!

Then it probably isnt' due to an STI - generally you find higher than average rates of absorbed pregnancies and the sows just dont get pregnant. So it sounds like he just needs a "blue pill" pigs respond well to zinc and it does them no harm - just use it for a week - let him go for a couple of sow cycles and if nothing give him another week -

Ok thanks so much. He's different bloodlines to everything else in my shed and a brilliant fella, so I dont really want to part with him if I can get him working again!

Wheat germ is good for breeding dogs, wonder if you can give it to pigs?

Fab thanks Stella sounds great.