Birth Control For Wild Hogs Slows Herd Growth

Birth Control For Wild Hogs Slows Herd Growth HOG EQUIPMENT & IDEAS Wild hog feeders may accomplish what hunting and trapping can’t Animal nutritionists Dan Loper Sr and Dan Loper Jr have developed HogStop an all-natural bait that reduces fertility in males It also impacts the ability of eggs to implant on the uterine wall of females “We started hearing about the explosion in wild hog numbers with 2 6 million in Texas alone ” says Loper Jr “My dad knew of feed additives that affected cattle fertility and thought they might work on hogs ” Dan Loper Sr invented the concept of total mixed rations in the 1970’s The Ph D put his 50+ years in animal nutrition to work He and his son put together a formulation and tested it out on 400-lb boars They had a control group and three test groups The test groups were fed the special feed for 30 15 and 5 days respectively “We saw no difference in the three groups ” says Loper Jr “The boars in all three groups showed a 60 percent reduction in the morphology of sperm They were effectively rendered infertile for about eight weeks ” The Lopers were excited about the results but quickly discovered more work was needed “It took three years to get a formulation wild hogs would eat ” says Loper Jr “We were told it couldn’t be done but we did it ” The next step was to design a hog feeder that would limit feed availability to wild hogs “Dan Loper Jr asked us if we could build a feeder that hogs would use but make it extremely difficult for other species ” says Robert Barclay Barclay Welding “We built two or three before coming up with our final which then had to be approved by the EPA ” Barclay Feeders are available from the company The current price is $650 each or $575 each for five or more HogStop contraceptive bait feed is available from Hy-Pro Feeds dealers and Nelson Wholesale ph 800-592-1428; www nelsonwholesale com While prices may vary by dealership Loper Jr reports HogStop bait runs around $20 for a 50-lb bag “We’ve had good feedback that the wild hogs eat it and the feeders work ” he says “They tend to come back about once a month so if the feed is there they will stay infertile ” The Lopers recommend feed levels be checked every few days and replenished as needed Feeders should be placed in an area where wild hogs travel “We advise against hunting near the feeders ” says Loper Jr “Wild hogs are very intelligent and will teach other hogs to stay away if death is associated with a feeder ” Loper acknowledges that the feeding regimen requires an investment by the landowner and patience Unlike trapping or hunting elimination is not immediate However feeding HogStop will stop herd growth “In less than 6 mos you should be able to gauge effectiveness by the lack of piglets ” says Loper Jr Contact: FARM SHOW Followup HogStop 2441 NW Loop Stephenville Texas 76401 or Loper Systems P O Box 5100 Clovis New Mexico 88102 ph 866-850-4191; info@hogstop com; www hogstop com For feeders contact: Barclay Welding P O Box 244 Claude Texas 79019 ph 806-279-0458; barclayweldinghf58@gmail com

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