Q&A- KuneKune Pigs
What do I Feed My KuneKunes?
Ninety percent of a Kunes diet is made up of grass (hay or pasture), but you will need to supplement the rest with grain. We do two cups a day for a full-grown boar or a sow that's not pregnant or feeding piglets, for sows with piglets we feed ten to twelve cups a day.
​
What do I Need to Get Started?
Here is a list of the basics for starting with Kunes:
rubber dishes for water
dishes for food
electric fencing or hog panels
wallows
Shelters
How Big do KuneKunes Get?
Boars average 350 to 450 and sows from 250 to 350 Ibs.
Do KuneKunes Root?
No, unlike most breeds of pig Kunes they are a grazing breed and tend to root very little.
Are KuneKunes Meat Pigs?
Yes, but they are a slower growing breed, taking about a year to a year and a half to be ready to butcher while commercial pigs only take about six months, but their meat is well worth the wait. they have red, marbled meat and the fat doesn't stay on the top like other breeds of pig instead its marbled into the meat.
What Colors Can KuneKunes be?
here is a list of the colors Kunes can be
ginger
ginger/black
black/ginger
black
brown
brown/white
white/brown
cream
tri color
black/white
white/black
they can also be banded of any of those colors
What Fencing Should I Use?
The only fencing that will keep a pig in is electric fencing or hog panels. We recommend electric fencing because you can rotate their pastures, and they don't just turn one place to dirt. We get our electric fencing from Premier one.
What Housing Do You Recommend?
We use and recommend a-frame shelters. We have a blog on the shelters if you want to learn more about them.
What Do You Use for Waterers?
We use standard size rubber dishes from tractor supply.
Do I Need to Trim My KuneKune's Hooves?
Yes, you do need to trim your Kunes hooves, about every six months is ideal. We use goat hoof trimmers but, you can also order special pig hoof trimmers.
 |  |
|---|
Can KuneKunes Live with Other Animals?
Yes, Kunes can live with other animals, you just need to be sure your Kune can't get to the other animals food. Also make sure to introduce the other animals carefully, because horses, goats, and donkeys sometimes don't get along with pigs.
How Many Piglets Can a KuneKune Have?
Kunes Usually have between three and fifteen piglets.
How Old do The Gilts Need to be Before They Have Piglets?
A year is the youngest you should have your gilt have piglets, any younger they will not be good mothers.
How Long are KuneKunes Pregnant?
Sows are pregnant for 116 days.
When do I Need to Separate The Gilts From the Boarlings?
Three months is when you separate the gilts from the boarlings.
How Many Should I Start With?
KuneKunes are herd animals so never just get one. Two gilts and a boar should be good start if you want to breed them, but you may want to get another boar eventually if you want to sell breeding pairs. If you just want a pet two gilts would be good.
When Do I wean the Piglets?
Six weeks is when you would wean them, but you usually don't need to do that most of the time the mothers will do that themselves.
Are KuneKunes Loud?
Most of the time no, but they can get very loud when you feed them.
What do You use for Wallows?
We use kids' sand boxes, from Little Tikes. They work really well and the pigs can't dump them out.
Do Domestic Pigs Attract Wild Hogs?
We often get asked if domestic pigs attract wild hogs, our neighbors trap wild hogs and have had problems with the hogs being destructive so they are definitely in the neighborhood, so far, we have not had any problems with the wild pigs on our property.
We tried to do research on wild hogs and domesticated pigs, and no one seemed to have that problem, at least no one has written about it that we could find.
So here is what we think as well as our personal experience...
It would seem that a wild hog would not want to be near the domestic pigs for several reasons.
First wild hogs are cautious and would be able to smell you on the domestic pigs and not want to approach them.
Second wild animals normally will not move in if the area already meets the land to animal ratio, they don't want to feel cramped.
Third, if your pigs are in electric fencing wild hogs respect electric fencing and will not cross it.
Lastly it makes more sense that if a wild hog smells pigs already in the area he will move on looking for greener pastures and not join a strange heard.
We personally have never had the problem of our pigs attracting wild ones and have never heard of an actual incident where this happened either.
If we ever run into this problem we will try and fix it and let people know when we find a solution.
If you have this problem (purchase domestic pigs and then have a wild hog problem) please let us know how you solved it!