Hi Chris
That’s really good news. They do tend to put on weight fairly quickly when they’re small. And the others, outside, are over the recommended minimum weight, so you won’t have to intervene with them because they’re too light.
Normally if an adult hog is a decent size and nicely rounded at the back, I wouldn’t even weigh it. It’s mostly the smaller ones when it isn’t easy so judge whether they are heavy enough. But once you’ve weighed one, if another one looks twice the size, you will have a pretty good idea that it will be an ok weight – again, if it looks nicely rounded. It just saves them that little bit of stress of being caught, even if hogs appear to be pretty stoical and carry on where they left off when released again.
Weight, though, isn’t a guarantee that any given hog will survive hibernation. It’s a dangerous time for them and not all will survive, for various reasons. Even amongst those taken in for over-wintering, not all will survive. It’s sad, but it’s life. With that knowledge, it’s such a joy in the Spring to see old friends returning and then hopefully, later on, the patter of little hoglet feet.
Well done, keep up the good work! I hope the little one continues to thrive. Good luck.
