Raising boars is a major investment. Like anything that takes so much time and money, it’s important to get a positive return on the investment. It is critical to keep the boars healthy to maximize the return on your investment.

Daniel Hendrickson is the lead veterinarian and owner at Four-Star Veterinary Service, Farmland, Indiana. He says the proper protocols can help a breeder be successful with the health and profitability of a boar stud. There are multiple details that can make or break this kind of operation, and Hendrickson shares his top tips on making a boar stud work.

1. Keep boars in proper body condition. Getting a boar too fat can affect his libido and cause a decrease in semen production.
2. When a new a boar is purchased, it is imperative to put him in isolation for two weeks. Upon arrival, immediately have him tested for PRRS- ELISA and PCR. Test again for PRRS two weeks later because it can take up to two weeks for the virus to show up in the bloodstream.
3. Also during the boar’s time in isolation, vaccinate it with a Parvo/Lepto/Erysipelas product. It’s also advisable to vaccinate for Circovirus and Mycoplasma right away and be sure to deworm a new boar after it arrives to the stud location. Giving the boar Ivomec will eliminate intestinal worms, parasites and mange. “Once these tests have been conducted and passed the boar can be moved into the main facility and collection can begin,” Hendrickson says.
4. Gather proper supplies for collection including nitral gloves, cheesecloth, a thermometer, a microscope, thermos and plastic bags. Do not use latex gloves for sperm collection because latex is known to kill sperm cells. The cheesecloth can serve as a filter and will clean out any junk or dirt that the boar might pass during collection.
5. Prepare for collection by placing the cheesecloth over the top of an open thermos and securing it with a rubber band. Be careful to hold the penis in a direction that allows for any urine to not go into the thermos with the semen.  A small amount of blood in with the semen is not a concern majority of the time.
6. Be sure the ratio of the semen extender is right. During collection the extender has to be mixed with the semen to keep it alive. The extender is an important tool as it contains nutrition to help sperm live. If the semen is too concentrated the extender will not last very long and the semen will have a very short shelf life.
7. Temperature is an important part of keeping semen viable. The semen and the extender should be within two to three degrees of each other. Temperatures that are too hot or cold will shock the semen. Pour the extender very, very slowly into the same bag as the semen.
8. Once the semen has been collected, place a drop of semen on a slide and look under a microscope to check for motility and viability. Hendrickson says there are plenty of videos available online to help identify good semen but basically, he says, a breeder should see lots of sperm cells moving on the slide. “A person can tell if they’re looking into the microscope to see if the semen is diluted or if there are plenty of sperm cells,” Hendrickson says. “If it’s diluted to far that is a red flag. Conception rate goes down dramatically with decreased concentration.”
9. Semen bottles should be allowed to cool. After it leaves the boar’s body it is roughly 100-degrees so he says to carefully put bottles on a tray with a towel over the top and allow the semen to cool down to room temperature. Once cool, semen should be stored long term at 17-degrees Celsius. Hendrickson says to have a semen refrigerator or a wine fridge in the breeding facility that can be adjusted.
10. Be sure to label each bottle and keep track of the boar it’s from.
11. Clean the equipment using a mild soap. No strong detergents or harsh soaps like Joy should be used because they don’t rinse off easily. Rinsing all equipment with water is best.
12. Keep boars healthy throughout the year by vaccinating for Parvo/Lepto/Erysipelas and Circo and Mycoplasma twice a year, six months apart.

Boars should only be collected twice a week. More frequent collections can be stressful on the animal and semen quality. Each time a boar is collected the breeder should monitor semen quality and concentration.