how long till domestic hogs go feral?

[Georgia-Hawgs]

Well we've got some escapees on the run around here. I had 3 little piglets get loose and 3 about 50 pounders. these are a mix of old spot and mulefoot pigs. The guy we got them from said they were used to an electric fence. BULL CHIT !! we didn't even have these suckers 24 hours. I looked all over the place for a couple day's but there nowhere to be found. Anyway I got to thinking about how they'll go feral and also breed with the wild hogs that are already in the area. What's yalls thoughts on this? Ive got some traps set because I still want them back. But its not working so far.

[halfbreed]

  shoot I don't know  , I can't get mine to leave after I've had them in a pen for awhile . all I gotta do is rattle the corn bucket and they come running home wanting to be fed . . I've got one potbelly feral cross running loose now and she's got the 3 acres torn plum up   lol 

[Georgia-Hawgs]

I heard that halfbreed. Thats the way mine that I've raised are. These new ones just cut a trail soon as they got out.  I have found a few tracks. But not much of anything. 

[charles]

I know its a day late and a dollar short, but if u find them or u get anymore and u have a cattle trailer, keep them penned up for 1-2 wks, when u got feed them, socialize with them too, even if they let u pet them, talk to them while they eat and let them get used to a strict feeding schedule and as mr whitten said, they'll come running at feed time. Hell my ferals stand at the feed barrel squeeling till i feed them. Do u have any hogs in ur pen/s now? Once they get hungry enough, they may show back up wanting to get in with the others.
But to answer ur main ?, it varies by breed and how far away from the feral line they are, but around 6-12 months, they will be feral. I think tx law says loose hogs are considered feral and free game at i THINK 2wks. But to go from domestic per say to acting and growing features of wild, again, 6-12 months, possibly sooner or longer. Im not sure bout all my hogs, but i know at least bacon and a young boar will stick around, possibly a young sow put of bacon, but my stud boar, he may stick around for a lil bit, but may decide to pop smoke as soon as he is free. Bacon was house raised and her young ones were born in captivity, so im sure they would stay.

[Georgia-Hawgs]

I've got several in the pen that will come running during feed time and will let me pet them  these hogs are on pasture with an electric fence. the fence I have is real strong. it powers 100 miles of fence and is only on about two acres. I thought I was going to throw a pig over the fence one day and  the pig's front feet Touched it and it knocked the crap out of me to the point It was scary  lol. so if these pigs come back wanting to get in I'm not sure if they will be able to or not. If I happen to see one in my pasture I'll catch him with a dog but if not I guess we got good breeding stock around here lol... the only thing that bothers me about it is the fact that we have lost money. we bought these pigs and paid for them to be delivered. oh well you win some , you lose some I guess

[charles]

I've got several in the pen that will come running during feed time and will let me pet them  these hogs are on pasture with an electric fence. the fence I have is real strong. it powers 100 miles of fence and is only on about two acres. I thought I was going to throw a pig over the fence one day and  the pig's front feet Touched it and it knocked the crap out of me to the point It was scary  lol. so if these pigs come back wanting to get in I'm not sure if they will be able to or not. If I happen to see one in my pasture I'll catch him with a dog but if not I guess we got good breeding stock around here lol... the only thing that bothers me about it is the fact that we have lost money. we bought these pigs and paid for them to be delivered. oh well you win some , you lose some I guess

Exactly why I put my pig wagon in the pen with the other hogs until I get a small round pen built or buy a cattle trailer and park the trailer in with the other hogs and possibly put bacon in the trailer too and let the new hog see how bacon and I interact. I don't know if I'll be able to convince the wife to let me bring another pig in the house. She says 1 (me) is enough and we r not sure how spook, our catdo house dog will react, but when I had hammy (caught his mom and 5-6 of his siblings. The umbilical cord was still hanging.) she didn't harm him, but played gently with him. He went outside really fast when he got to squealing as soon as we walked in the door wanting to be fed and let out of the small dog crate. Even after he went outside, he wouldn't shut up and I ended up eating him. He was a good lil whole fryer size and tasted good.

[Georgia-Hawgs]

Lol, we had the wild idea back before I hog hunted to have a little pig in the house. I would watch tv and kick at him and get him wrestling around with my boots. That was until he got a little stupid and decided to hump my leg. I didn't like that one bit.  And to make it worse I didn't know a pig pecker was like a cork screw. That sucker got punted through the screen door and lived outside until he disappeared one day.  But I am building another pen out of hog wire panels that will have one strand of electric wire at the bottom of it as a "training pen" type deal. The ones we bought out of an electrically fenced pasture have never gotten out. They know better. I can lay a damn  peanut butter and jelly sandwich outside of the pen and it will be there until the ants eat it up or something else gets it all the pigs will do is sit there and wine for it lol