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Author Topic: What age do you wean your piglets please?  (Read 17738 times)

Leri

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Trefriw, near Llanrwst, Conwy
What age do you wean your piglets please?
« on: September 27, 2011, 11:13:20 am »
What age do you wean your piglets generally? Or does it depend? Would you split up a large litter and wean the ones that have done well and leave the smaller ones on mum longer?
I have always thought 8-10 weeks, but pretty sure my first two sows were brought here at 5 or 6 weeks.
I have in the past aimed at 10 weeks but actually weaned at 8 weeks in a case of only three in the litter and them being huge, and then weaned in stages, from 8 weeks when we had a litter of 11.
This time I have 16(one litter on four, and one litter of 12) in together with two sows and they are cross suckling and am considering taking out the bigger ones this weekend when they will be six weeks - believe me some are huge (the litter of four), so that the others, some of which are quite skinny - not a good look on a pig! get a chance :-)
What do people think? Even if I leave these bigger ones in till 8 weeks, I will have to leave the others longer I think. Although my poor sow is looking thin on her back too.
I'm feeding 2 x 5 litre buckets full of nuts twice a day. Is this enough? I have apple pulp now too - and was going to replace a feed with it - should I just use it as a supplement?
Thanks for your advice everyone :-)

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: What age do you wean your piglets please?
« Reply #1 on: September 27, 2011, 11:28:04 am »
just feed the pulp as a supplement
8 weeks is normal 10 if you are wanting to delay going back to the boar
take the larger ones out at the weekend and see just how the others get on     this is the advantage of weighing them you know week on week just what they are putting on :farmer:

Berkshire Boy

  • Joined May 2011
  • Presteigne, Powys
Re: What age do you wean your piglets please?
« Reply #2 on: September 27, 2011, 11:40:24 am »
I usually wean at 6 or 7 weeks so they are ready to go at 8 weeks. It also depends on the sow, some have had enough at 6 weeks and want to get away from them. As Robert says give the apple pulp as a supplement. The sow will soon put weight back on when they are weaned. Feed, they should be on about 20kg a day.
Everyone makes mistakes as the Dalek said climbing off the dustbin.

JulieS

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • Devon - EX39 5RF
    • Ford Mill Farm
Re: What age do you wean your piglets please?
« Reply #3 on: September 27, 2011, 02:10:57 pm »
I wean when the sow and piglets are ready.  This varies from sow to sow.  Usually between 7 and 9 weeks.

Pedigree GOS Pigs and Butchery for Smallholders.

Leri

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Trefriw, near Llanrwst, Conwy
Re: What age do you wean your piglets please?
« Reply #4 on: September 27, 2011, 05:08:47 pm »
Thanks everyone :-)

HappyHippy

  • Guest
Re: What age do you wean your piglets please?
« Reply #5 on: September 27, 2011, 06:56:05 pm »
Feed, they should be on about 20kg a day.
This sounds a bit heavy on the feeding  :-\ Do you mean 20 pounds BB ?
You'd be looking at each sow getting 3Kg (or 6lbs) plus half a kilo (1lb) for each piglet (16piglets = 8Kg)
So, by my reckoning that's only 14Kg or 28lbs

For weaning, just as others have said anytime between 6 and 10 weeks depending on how they, and mum are doing.
Karen  :wave:

Tiva Diva

  • Joined Mar 2011
  • Scottish Borders
    • Thornielee Cottage
Re: What age do you wean your piglets please?
« Reply #6 on: September 27, 2011, 07:43:44 pm »
We usually wean about 7-8 weeks but have done it earlier with some of our sows when they have been milking off their backs and losing condition. We find it quite a struggle to get enough protein & calories into our lactating sows using ordinary sow & weaner feed - we usually supplement with some milk and sneak extra feeds in during the day. The apple pulp should just be fed as a supplement - don't give too much as it has no protein, but it does help stop them getting constipated!

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: What age do you wean your piglets please?
« Reply #7 on: September 27, 2011, 10:25:41 pm »
Feed, they should be on about 20kg a day.
This sounds a bit heavy on the feeding  :-\ Do you mean 20 pounds BB ?
You'd be looking at each sow getting 3Kg (or 6lbs) plus half a kilo (1lb) for each piglet (16piglets = 8Kg)
So, by my reckoning that's only 14Kg or 28lbs

There seems to be some rule about lactating sow rations, that they cannot ever be added up correctly!

Karen, I am pretty sure that 6 + 16 = 22 (lbs) and 3 + 8 = 11 (kg) ; where am I going wrong?

Meanwhile, I cannot seem to get the same answer in two places about how much for her for the piglets.  Before she was pregnant Meg was getting just under 4lb a day plus a bit of whey.  (And was frankly a bit fat carrying a bit too much condition.)  As per the Andy Case book I doubled her rations in the last three weeks before farrowing.  Back to 4lbs on farrowing and now with 5 piglets I had understood I would want to take her up to 6-and-a-half pounds a day plus some whey.  But a few places have said 1lb / piglet / day at three weeks...

She would certainly eat more than I am giving her and I can see her figure is returning, so I think she needs more than I'm giving her.

So, today was day 4; what would you be feeding her now and in 24 days time? 
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

Leri

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Trefriw, near Llanrwst, Conwy
Re: What age do you wean your piglets please?
« Reply #8 on: September 27, 2011, 10:33:24 pm »
I can see what happy hippy has done - and I think it's just a mix up of numbers - but that the 22lbs is right. And then after weaning - still a lb per piglet? Or more? Or would you then go onto finisher food? :-/

Fowgill Farm

  • Joined Feb 2009
Re: What age do you wean your piglets please?
« Reply #9 on: September 28, 2011, 09:57:09 am »
We wean at 7 weeks and then the piglets have a week to settle without mum before going off to new owners or into our own rearing paddocks. Tehy are also wormed & tagged at this time.
I think the confusion on feed is that some of us work in imperial and some work in metric, i'm old school so use imperial. A lactating sow needs her 6lb per day + 1lb per piglet as yours Leri are cross suckling its a bit difficult but i would say 12lb for two sows and 16lb for the 16 piglets so 28lbs for the day split into two feeds (3 would be better so they don't get constipated) Apple pulp as a supplement.
Sally the idea is to build up to this max gradually so for Meg i would start on her 6lb for her + 1/2lb each for piglets and then if they are appearing hungrier or Meg is,  up it to the max, you can start putting creep/grower out for piglets at ten days old, they generally start to pinch mums at this age.
HTH
Mandy  :pig:

HappyHippy

  • Guest
Re: What age do you wean your piglets please?
« Reply #10 on: September 28, 2011, 10:08:26 am »
Feed, they should be on about 20kg a day.
This sounds a bit heavy on the feeding  :-\ Do you mean 20 pounds BB ?
You'd be looking at each sow getting 3Kg (or 6lbs) plus half a kilo (1lb) for each piglet (16piglets = 8Kg)
So, by my reckoning that's only 14Kg or 28lbs

There seems to be some rule about lactating sow rations, that they cannot ever be added up correctly!

Karen, I am pretty sure that 6 + 16 = 22 (lbs) and 3 + 8 = 11 (kg) ; where am I going wrong?

So, today was day 4; what would you be feeding her now and in 24 days time?
You're right with your numbers Sally, it's 2 sows and 16 piglets though, hence the extra 3Kg  ;)

I think the rule is "everyone does it differently"  :D

My gilts & sows get 6lbs of feed per day plus a pound for each piglet (the Kunes get half this amount) I build them up to full rations over the course of the first 7-10 days or so. It varies depending on how mum's doing how quickly we increase it. I keep mummy pig on this amount until the piglets are weaned, but most piglets are starting to show an interest in food by around 2-3 weeks old, so I start to offer them food around this time. Not huge amounts - just a handful each - but it takes some of the pressure off mum. You'll know when they're ready cos they'll start pinching mum's  ;)
HTH
Karen x

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: What age do you wean your piglets please?
« Reply #11 on: September 28, 2011, 10:37:38 am »
Thanks all.  And a very big thank you from Meg  :pig:, who will be getting rather more sow rolls from now on!!
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

Berkshire Boy

  • Joined May 2011
  • Presteigne, Powys
Re: What age do you wean your piglets please?
« Reply #12 on: September 28, 2011, 10:42:42 am »
Hi Karen
I was working on 6lb each sow and 2lb a piglet as I thought they were 8 weeks that makes 44lb which is 20kg. :wave:
Everyone makes mistakes as the Dalek said climbing off the dustbin.

HappyHippy

  • Guest
Re: What age do you wean your piglets please?
« Reply #13 on: September 28, 2011, 01:02:54 pm »
Ah, that explains it  ;)
 :thumbsup:

Leri

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Trefriw, near Llanrwst, Conwy
Re: What age do you wean your piglets please?
« Reply #14 on: September 28, 2011, 04:03:41 pm »
No they're 5 and a half weeks - and that sum was in my head this morning when I was divvying out feed and realised what sally (and I had done) and that happy hippy was right! didn't realise I needed a Maths degree! Lol

 

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