Author Topic: How to get a new mother into stable from outside ark (Read 6484 times)

old bird · « **on:** November 23, 2011, 09:33:02 pm »

My farm help wasn't able to bring my pregnant gilt in today so I went when I came home to bring her in and oops, she's just farrowed a few days early. Healthy suckling piglets but one dead - cannot tell if she laid on it. How do I get her to come in with them?!

I collected the piglets and put them in a straw-filled wheelbarrow to lead her in but she showed no interest. I guess her instinct is to stay at the ark she farrowed in. I've put them back as she obviously hasn't bonded with them long enough and they need their colostrum. However, it's a cold night, no farrowing rails and used ground so staying otu is not an option.

Any ideas?

Old Bird

JulieS · « **Reply #1 on:** November 24, 2011, 05:04:04 am »

Did you manage to get her in?

Shake a bucket of food - she'll probably follow that.

old bird · « **Reply #2 on:** November 24, 2011, 05:52:08 am »

Nope. She'll come out but will return to the ark. I'm up early to try again!!

jaykay · « **Reply #3 on:** November 24, 2011, 07:24:10 am »

Good luck

Can you shut her in, with the piglets wheelbarrowed in to join her, until she settles in the new spot?

HappyHippy · « **Reply #4 on:** November 24, 2011, 09:18:39 am »

If she's not moving when you move the piglets and rattle a bucket of food, she's probably being maternal to the point of stubborness

Not wanting to move the piglets til they are big enough.
If you're happy that she's well and they are all doing well I'd be tempted to leave her where she is for a couple of days til she comes round.
Hope all goes well

Barrett · « **Reply #5 on:** November 24, 2011, 11:45:43 am »

Hi Old Bird, I fear I could be for the same fate as you, my sow is still a few weeks away yet but my cow shed still has pigs in that are going off on Monday but my Boar is there as well so will have to play musical pigs before I can get her in there, and clean and bedding etc.. she has a 2 arks to choose from at the moment where she is but her grunts and the way she looks at me tells me she has had enough and wants the comfort of the cow shed, I will really have to get cracking next week once the finishers have left for the abattoir, as soon as your sow is ready I would move her, if her bond to good with the piglets I would leave her be until she is ready.

pinkpiggies! · « **Reply #6 on:** November 24, 2011, 02:10:14 pm »

i would get all the piglets to where you want them. THen pick one up, it will probably scream like mad but this should make mum come running!!! Make sure you are ready to run like the wind as she will be on you in seconds!!!!

welshlass181 · « **Reply #7 on:** November 24, 2011, 04:04:05 pm »

My KK did this and farrowed outside right down the bottom of the field over a ditch. She wasn't interested in following either so we put the babies in a cat carrier (all we had and it was getting dark) and took them up to the pen she was meant to be in .... she stayed by her nest. We ended up picking up one of the babies so it squeeled and she in turn bolted up the field to protect her babies and we got her inside the pen. Prob not the best way to do things but by the time we got her in it was pitch black and we were using the flash from our phone to see hehe

old bird · « **Reply #8 on:** November 24, 2011, 08:39:26 pm »

Thanks all - I picked the babies up to get them to scream - amazingly they didn't let rip like piglets normally do - only a few hours old I guess. However this morning food won over family and Gloucester Old Spot trailed the plastic trough up to the barn, bless her, babies as good as fogotten all for a few apples. I then collected them and all are happily reunited and settled. By the way I crossed her with a Saddleback and all 7 of the piglets are Saddleback markings, not a spotty pig in sight.

Yes, it has been muscial stables - and now to buy another ark! Gee I can't wait til lambing!!!

jaykay · « **Reply #9 on:** November 24, 2011, 10:09:24 pm »

Excellent

Yes, Sally's Meg is an OSB but she was crossed with a saddleback (in his absence

) and the piglets are saddlebacked not spotty.

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #10 on:** November 25, 2011, 01:23:39 am »

I was told (probably by someone on here

) that the colour coding in the Saddleback is dominant, and that if you had a litter of first cross Saddlebacks that had colouring and marking other than Saddleback then the Saddleback wasn't purebred.

As jaykay says, all Meg's, to Deerpark's Saddleback, are peas-in-a-pod Saddleback.

Blewett Prefect 86!

princesspiggy · « **Reply #11 on:** November 25, 2011, 07:49:19 pm »

Quote from: pinkpiggies! on November 24, 2011, 02:10:14 pm

i would get all the piglets to where you want them. THen pick one up, it will probably scream like mad but this should make mum come running!!! Make sure you are ready to run like the wind as she will be on you in seconds!!!!

lol ... very true...and even the dogs hide behind u...

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #12 on:** November 25, 2011, 10:45:05 pm »

Quote from: princesspiggy on November 25, 2011, 07:49:19 pm

Quote from: pinkpiggies! on November 24, 2011, 02:10:14 pm
i would get all the piglets to where you want them. THen pick one up, it will probably scream like mad but this should make mum come running!!! Make sure you are ready to run like the wind as she will be on you in seconds!!!!

lol ... very true...and even the dogs hide behind u...

Wanna see something funny?
https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=252559798123195&saved#!/video/video.php?v=252559798123195
Stoopid man!