Kunekune Articles

Summer Care – Pigs are very prone to heat stress, and need a way to cool themselves down when the weather is very hot… <MORE>

Origin Theories – Where did kunes originally come from? The question of where kune kunes originally came from is still under debate. There are several theories… <MORE>

Kunekune Management – Pigs are bossy when it comes to socialising with other pigs, so try to avoid mixing strange pigs together unnecessarily. <MORE>

Buying a Kunekune – Where possible, buy registered stock from a respected breeder. Kunekunes vary in size, shape and colouring, so there is always a matter of personal preference as to what looks a desirable pig. <MORE>

Kunekune Breeding – Boars usually start to become fertile at about 8 months of age, although they don’t become fully fertile until about 12 months of age, and don’t develop the full secondary boar characteristics… <MORE>

Farrowing (Babies) – The gestation period for Kunekunes is 116 days, 2 days longer than most other pig breeds. The first indication that a sow is ‘in pig’ is failing to come back in season after being mated. <MORE>

Breeding Boars – Kunekune boars are relatively late maturing compared to most pig breeds. They will try and mate sometimes at a relatively young age but don’t start to sexually mature until at least 8 months of age. <MORE>

Hand Rearing Piglets – The reasons for hand rearing a piglet may be varied – too many piglets for a sow to rear, poor mothering by the sow, or even death of a sow. The time and commitment involved in hand rearing can be considerable, so it is not something that should be taken lightly! <MORE>

Kunekune Diet – Kunekunes are a grass grazing pig and can cope with a high fibre diet, with adult Kunekunes being able to maintain body condition on good quality pasture alone. As pasture quality varies, however, it is normal to supplement their diet when pasture is in short supply. <MORE>

Disease Problems – Where there is a large number of pigs present on a property or a high risk of outbreaks, vaccinations should routinely be given. <MORE>

First time Kune owners – Pigs have always intrigued me, a combination of being as ugly as sin but having a relaxed and friendly nature makes them strangely appealing. Having grown up on a farm where pigs didn’t live past Xmas, it’s great to finally have the confidence to form a long-term attachment with them. <MORE>

ASD – There have been changes to the requirements for Animal Status Declarations (ASD’s). At one time Animal Status Declarations for pigs were only required when pigs were sent to a slaughter premises or sold through a saleyard. <MORE>

Exporting Kunekunes – From time to time breeders may be contacted by people from overseas interested in buying Kunekunes. Unfortunately the export of pigs from NZ is rather complicated by the limited options for shipping pigs overseas. <MORE>

Coat Colour Genetics – There seem to be 5 main genes in Kunekunes that interact to produce a variety of coat colours and patterns. But some of the difficulty in understanding the genetics is due to the fact that an animal may have two sets of each gene. <MORE>

Scrotal Hernia in Pigs  – https://kunekune.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Scrotal-hernia-in-pigs.pdf

Kunekune Jaw Lesions – RM Archer, JF Weston, CL Herdan & MC Owen (2012): Facial swelling and discharging lesions associated with abnormalities of the mandible in kunekune pigs, New Zealand Veterinary Journal, 60:5, 305-309