Hi GuzziV8 and Keith59
If they happened to be males, it isn’t too early for hibernation for some of them. Males tend to hibernate earlier than females and hoglets and then return earlier in the Spring. They don’t have hoglet duties to worry about so can concentrate on putting on weight earlier. Then when they return earlier in the Spring, they have a bit of an opportunity to put on some weight after hibernation – before the females return and they start wasting a lot of time and energy finding them and circling them endlessly!
I would be inclined to keep offering food for a while. Apart from anything else hoglets sometimes materialise from somewhere at this time of year (and later – hoglets tend to be last to hibernate) and welcome some supplementary food. It’s a good idea to leave water available all day every day, even during winter. You never know when a hog might emerge during hiberenation desperate for a drink.
Hibernation is always a worry, but when the hogs, hopefully, return in the Spring it is such a delight!
