[Tricky Trev]

 Hi our OSB will be farrowing next Tuesday do i need to stock up on anything ? We moved her last week to a new paddock and separated her from her sister  shes settled in and everything calm at mo

[NicAlford1234]

The others will be along with more help I'm sure but a few pointers:
Is she farrowing in a farrowing ark?
If not, if you could get some way of there being an area where the piglets can get away from the mum, that will definitely remove some of the dangers of squashing.
Also, they need to be kept warm, so put in some straw (or more ideally wood chippings), but not too much, as the piglets will burrow under, and too much will make it hard for them to get out, and the mum will lie on them.
Has she been wormed? You can inject her with an Avermectin which worms her and kills off lice and mange, however I have only done this for one of my litters, and there hasn't been a problem.
You can give them iron injections, however a lump of earth will suffice, then again, they are outside so they will be fine.
Anything else and i'm here to help. Farrowing is probably one the best things to witness when keeping pigs, and I always start to panic, but as I am often reminded, 'Mum knows best!'

HTH
Nic 

[Tricky Trev]

Got her in a stable about 10ft x12ft beded on straw she was wormed end july will this be ok?
thank you

[Beewyched]

Hiya Trev 
IMLE with OSB mums I have found them to be exceptionally good with not squishing their babies - but don't tempt fate & don't let her pile-up her bedding too deep.
Preparation -
Make sure you're vet knows when she is due - just in case, make sure he/she is familiar with pigs, as not all of them are & make sure you can get hold of him/her 24 hours on-call.  You probably won't need vetinary assistance, but it's better to be prepared.  Don't let her go for more than an hour between piglets & remember she will have 2 afterbirths - one from each horn of the womb.  I keep Oxytocin for emergencies & antibiotics, but if you're not familiar in using them, it's better to call the vet.
- Make sure you've got a spare bulb for your heat lamp - they always seem to blow when there's a new litter 
- Have plenty of old towels ready to rub dry newborns & get the mucus out of their mouths.  A lined box (under the heat-lamp) just in-case mum gets a bit iffy with the babies (I had a gilt who wouldn't let hers anywhere near her until she'd finished farrowing & she was quite nippy with them).
- Iodeine for the cords.  Unless they are very long, leave them, if you have to seperate them do it well away from the tummy & tear or rip against yourself - not the naval or you may cause a hernia.
- Cotton for tying off any bleeding cords - I've had an odd 1 or 2 thay have needed tying-off.
- Sweetheart stout - just in case - a good relaxant for mum - I've given unsettled KK mums up to 2 cans, so I guess OSBs could take an extra can or 2.
- For yourself - a flask of coffee, comfortable chair & a blanket - you'd be surprised how cold it can get waiting about.
If you are keeping the litter indoors for the first week or 2, they will need either Iron jabs or sods of earth, as sow's milk is iron deficient.
Just remember - thousands of pigs have had thousands of babies over thousands of years without our intervention, so don't panic if you miss her starting - a good sign is being able to squeeze milk from her, this usually means she'll start in the next 12 hours.  At that stage I check every 2 hours & stay until the afterbirths are expelled - they don't usually eat it, so it's better to dispose of it for them.
   let us know how it goes & lots of photos 
 

[Sylvia]

Hope all goes well

[Fowgill Farm]

Ditto what bewtyched wrote.
Hope all goes well.
Have a look at GOS website getting started section farrowing, http://www.oldspots.org.uk/getting_started6.asp  my experiences farrowing in stable.
All the best, hope all goes well, if tues is her first due date uts likely she'll make you wait until the end of the week, just keep checking for milk.
HTH
mandy 

[Tricky Trev]

Thanks for info only problem i have is that thers no power so heat lamp is a no  working on some heat with gas also what stage do you give them the stout ?

[HappyHippy]

I give it when they start to seem a bit restless/stressy, once the vulva is swollen and the milk is in.
Good luck 

[Fowgill Farm]

Thanks for info only problem i have is that thers no power so heat lamp is a no  working on some heat with gas also what stage do you give them the stout ?

trev you probably realise but beware gas+flame+straw could equal danger so just be aware, is there no way you can rig an extension lead or rig up a generator, at this time of year you might get away with just a heat lamp at night, its fairly mild thro the day, leave the top door of stable open to let air circulate, stale air causes all sorts of coughs sneezes & wheezes
hth good luck mandy

[HappyHippy]

Thanks for info only problem i have is that thers no power so heat lamp is a no  working on some heat with gas also what stage do you give them the stout ?

trev you probably realise but beware gas+flame+straw could equal danger so just be aware, is there no way you can rig an extension lead or rig up a generator, at this time of year you might get away with just a heat lamp at night, its fairly mild thro the day, leave the top door of stable open to let air circulate, stale air causes all sorts of coughs sneezes & wheezes
hth good luck mandy

Or maybe some of the microwave heat packs you get ?
You could make a low frame with a cover to stop them (or mum) trying to eat them 

[Tricky Trev]

I was thinking of generally keeping the stable warm with the gas heaters mounted on the wall, is it necessary to use a heat lamp directly over the piglets??

[HappyHippy]

It's not essential, many people don't use heat lights.
But having a heatlamp hung down low, in a creep area will encourage the piglets to seek warmth there, instead of cuddling up to mum where there is a higher chance of them getting rolled on and squashed. The real danger time for squashes is the first few days and there can be a higher risk if your sow is heavy/clumsy/has a lot of piglets, the lamp and creep area is just one way to try and prevent unneccessary losses.
HTH
Karen

[chickenfeed]

we always put a lamp up ....................and two weeks later take it down because the little blighters decide mum is better thean a lamp    our last litter was 15 live piglets in the first 3 days she squished 2 i sometimes think its natures way of getting the litter down to a more managable size the remaining 13 survived and thrived well even the runt perfectly formed just smaller than the rest.
 
they will use the creep to keep mum out of their feed though so it has it use

[Tricky Trev]

Thank you all for info, everything should be in place by tomorrow will keep you all posted of any progress