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Author Topic: Hand rearing any tips appreciated  (Read 5362 times)

LouiseG

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • Appleby-in-Westmorland
Hand rearing any tips appreciated
« on: April 06, 2014, 10:07:03 pm »
Good evening.
A work colleague of OH turned up this afternoon with a very small piglet. He found it in a country lane contacted the nearest pig farmers (both of whom were at least 2 miles from where Percy was found) and both of whom said no it wasn't there's but if he wanted they would take it and kill it for him, the RSPCA said they weren't interested so hence he came to us. Have been giving it goat milk and keeping it very warm in front of the aga. He has poo'd some black poo and done a wee but would appreciate any tips or advice that any piggy people may have. Have googled piglet rearing and have a fair amount if experience with bottle fed lambs and goat kids but only ever had weaners.
Thank you
So many ideas, not enough hours

Sbom

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • Staffordshire
Re: Hand rearing any tips appreciated
« Reply #1 on: April 06, 2014, 10:39:21 pm »
I bottle fed two last year from two days old. I kept them in a wooden box with an electric hen type brooder for them to snuggle under. They were fed on goats milk and after about three weeks they started taking weaner pellets. I just kept moving them to bigger boxes and eventually a stable as they grew. They thrived and were just fab x

Fowgill Farm

  • Joined Feb 2009
Re: Hand rearing any tips appreciated
« Reply #2 on: April 07, 2014, 09:47:25 am »
Although its a nice idea to raise percy he really needs other piggy company, it would be a better idea to try and foster him into a litter, whereabouts are you in the country, if you post whereyou are somebody may be able to help you. Chances are hes an alledgedly micro pig thats been dumped ::)
all the best
mandy :pig:

Roxy

  • Joined May 2009
  • Peak District
    • festivalcarriages.co.uk
Re: Hand rearing any tips appreciated
« Reply #3 on: April 10, 2014, 12:37:57 pm »
Little Blue bottle fed two piglets - who are now here with me. I am sure she could offer advice on how she managed it.  She did a good job - although one is still small compared to Kune Kunes adult size.

Ladygrey

  • Joined Jun 2012
  • Basingstoke
Re: Hand rearing any tips appreciated
« Reply #4 on: April 10, 2014, 04:05:58 pm »
We hand reared a piglet 2 years ago, kept it in the kitchen infront of the aga, I think the number 1 tip that we werent told is to wean it onto a bowl or plate as soon as you can.

Our piglet got addicted to the bottle and we couldnt get it to drink out of bowls till it was maybe 8 weeks old!!!

Also I wouldnt have one in the house again, I would put it in a stable with a lamp

Ours got very pushy and slightly aggressive, also when it was coming up to bottle time would start screaming its head off at the loudest pitch I have ever ever heard in my life!!! This would just get louder and louder until the bottle was given to it, between the ages of 5-8 weeks it was a nightmare but my mum was attached to it, when it started biting feet to get food I chucked it out in the stable to spend the night with its litter mates and it never came indoors again!! it also was a bit large to be indoors at 8 weeks old!!!!!

You can get piglet replacement milk, and after a week turn it into a very runny porridge and put it on a plate for the piglet to suck off, he will learn quickly to eat from a plate, and the porridge can be thickened until its quite thick then weaner pellets can be added (in porrdige form)

We fed piggie from the bottle every 3 hours for the first week and then 4 and the 6 etc, however I realllllyyy wouldnt use a bottle for that long again!!!!

Good luck with your piggie  :pig: :pig: :pig: :fc: :fc: :fc:

LouiseG

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • Appleby-in-Westmorland
Re: Hand rearing any tips appreciated
« Reply #5 on: April 16, 2014, 06:42:35 pm »
Thank you for all your help  :thumbsup:
I am pleased to report that Percy is doing really well  :pig: . We started him with a shallow dish of milk from the beginning so he never had a bottle. He is now 10 days old and we have started to introduce runny porridge instead of one or two feeds a day, he goes through the night quite happily from about 4 days old and the weather has been lovely the last couple of days so he has been out in the fresh air for part of the day. He still sleeps in a dog cage in front of the aga and plays very happily with our 6 month old puppy. I am very aware he will grow up to be an unpleasant bolshy pig with no fear of humans etc. so will be going to the butchers as soon as he is ready, but am pleased with the progress so far. :fc:
So many ideas, not enough hours

Fowgill Farm

  • Joined Feb 2009
Re: Hand rearing any tips appreciated
« Reply #6 on: April 16, 2014, 08:46:40 pm »
Lovely news Louise, well done  :thumbsup:
Glad you have a sensible attitude as to where he'll end up, it will stand you in good stead as he gets bigger.
All the best
mandy :pig:

LouiseG

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • Appleby-in-Westmorland
Re: Hand rearing any tips appreciated
« Reply #7 on: May 12, 2014, 10:13:26 pm »
Just a very quick update, piglet is now 5 weeks old and growing fast.
 He still has 3 milk feeds a day about 500ml each time from a bowl. weaners nuts are available during the day when he is put out in the pony's stable while he is out in the field.
He does not seem to eat any of them or indeed to even like them. We started with baby porridge which went down well but when I tried to feed him weaner nuts made into a porridge he flatly refuses to eat it. He will eat stewed apple if given it and pinches dog biscuits out of her bowl and crunches them so it is not that he can't cope with the texture of nuts, he's just plain fussy. He spends as much time in the field/garden as we can let him and he snuffles around quite happily. I feel mean about the nuts but that's his choice eat them or go hungry over the day. He sleeps out in the garage in a dog cage at night still as the lambs are still sleeping in the pig pen until the weather warms up a bit and I can make the fencing Percy proof.
He still desperately seeks out our company but we are trying to cut the apron strings and not let him inside although he does sneak in if he can  :innocent: . Every one who hears about him seems surprised that I intend to cull him but we have no doubts within the family that 120kg of hand reared boar will not be pleasant  :pig: .
We are making it up as we go along but he is growing and content so it's going ok. :fc:
 
So many ideas, not enough hours

Button End Beasts

  • Joined Jan 2012
  • Harston, Cambridgeshire
Re: Hand rearing any tips appreciated
« Reply #8 on: May 13, 2014, 07:21:18 am »
I just read this post. How strange to have another story of a lone pig found wandering around a lane in Suffolk that is also called Percy. (See posts last year from Mrs B or Beckett). I guess the fencing isn't too good on these pig farms.


Can you not get another weaner to keep him company? Pigs really need the company of other pigs to be truely happy.


I guess you've also somehow managed to get all the "paperwork"sorted that you need to keep a pig (CPH number), sorted out eAML, and then take him to an abattoir (herd mark).


Good luck.

LouiseG

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • Appleby-in-Westmorland
Re: Hand rearing any tips appreciated
« Reply #9 on: May 14, 2014, 11:45:56 am »
Yes here in Suffolk we have a lot of free range pig farms kept in one or two strands of electric wire, it is very common for the sows to break out and go and find somewhere better to farrow.
We raise a couple of weaners each year so the paperwork is all set up, we are looking to find him a weaner companion, but am a little worried that as a commercial breed will he mature a lot earlier than a slow growing traditional breed, we particularly like large blacks and saddlebacks, then we'll be left with one again if he goes off first.
thanks for all help and advice.
Louise and Percy
So many ideas, not enough hours

Button End Beasts

  • Joined Jan 2012
  • Harston, Cambridgeshire
Re: Hand rearing any tips appreciated
« Reply #10 on: May 15, 2014, 11:27:25 am »
Yes he probably will mature faster than the others but it's fine to keep pigs of mixed ages together. There may be a bit of argy bargy to start with but they sort themselves out. You may have to feed him separately. Just fence off a small area and put his food in it. We've done this before ( so big sow didn't steal all the weaners food). Where food is concerned pigs soon learn the routine!  Get 2 weaners, then when the Percy goes, the 2 weaners have each other.


Just saw in Farming ads some GOS for sale in the Eastern area....

 

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