Author Topic: Farrowing soon - I hope! (Read 2761 times)

debbigord · « **on:** March 26, 2015, 06:39:05 am »

We have 3 OSB gilts which we think (!) are due to start farrowing early next week. We have wormed them and moved a new shelter onto their patch so that we can separate them.
Any hints or advice about what to look for or what to do would be welcome as this is our, and their, first time!

SophieLeeds · « **Reply #1 on:** March 26, 2015, 07:59:17 am »

Good luck

Give them plenty of straw and watch for them making a nest and carrying it around/scratching. Be careful for not too much straw though - you don't want mum squashing any that have gotten buried by accident.

Also try getting some milk out of the teats - this is usually a sign they are due with 24hrs. Make sure you put plenty of food down and there's water readily available. If possible, we also dip the cords in iodine. If there's no outside access & you don't plan on injecting with iron then make sure you put a clod of earth in the shelter for the weaners within the first few days.

Some sows may get cross with you if you go into their bed when they're getting ready to farrow, so as always, be careful!

Pictures when they arrive please

harmony · « **Reply #2 on:** March 26, 2015, 09:32:26 am »

If you think they are due to farrow early next week they will be changing now at the back end with the vulva becoming larger. Are you farrowing outdoors or taking them into separate areas for farrowing? If you are planning to separate, which I would advise, then I would do that now. As they approach farrowing they are happy to move into their own space.

If you don't separate then they will look for somewhere quiet, which might well be out in the paddock not in a shelter.

As SophieLeeds said they will generally make a nest. Some of mine do that and get straight in and farrow. Others make nests for a couple of days. Some don't make a nest as such just move the straw around. Too much straw is not a good idea, especially if it is long. When they nest build they tend to add in anything to hand such as water troughs if they are moveable so they potentially end up with a wet bed.

A sow needs no more extra food until she progresses through lactation. Again leaving food in there it will probably get mixed into the bed and later the sow potentially will dig up nest and piglets to get to it. After farrowing, when the sow has fed the piglets I put in some food and water and she can please herself.

Often but not always, not eating their food is an indication farrowing is close. Some sows won't eat much for a couple of days either. Some are ravenous.

Very, very few farrowings are difficult but especially first time gilts can be upset by people going in and out and will get agitated, so watch from a distance. OSB are generally very good mums. Use your board. Close the door behind you but don't latch it then you can get out quickly if you need to.

The clod of earth is a good tip for iron as sow milk is deficient.

The easiest farrowing is when you go down in the morning and the piglets have arrived already!!!

P6te · « **Reply #3 on:** March 26, 2015, 01:09:15 pm »

We have recently had 2 OSB's farrow, one a gilt and the other a sow.

With the Sow it was like shelling peas ... she was really relaxed and no fuss at all. The gilt was far more stressed and on edge. As has already been said do not feed any extra before farrowing and do not give too much straw.

I assume you are farrowing outdoors in an ark? .... if at all possible install a farrowing bar either across the back, the side or generously across a rear corner of the ark allowing the piglets ample room to get out of the way. (2 scaffold poles are ideal for this). In the cordoned off area hang a heat lamp. The heat lamp will encourage the piglets into this area and significantly reduces the changes of getting squashed. (Needless to say, do not leave the wires unnecessarily exposed in the ark and certainly not on the ground in the run!)

Hope this helps.

Pete

harmony · « **Reply #4 on:** March 26, 2015, 02:07:53 pm »

Be careful overheating a small space though. It is amazing how warm the sow can make an ark.

MarthaR · « **Reply #5 on:** March 27, 2015, 08:49:31 pm »

My first piglets from a GOS maiden gilt are now 8 weeks old. I was of course more than a little anxious to get things right. I got some great encouragement and advice from Marches Farmer (I got my gilt from her)...Instead of a clod of earth I used fresh molehill soil which I topped up from day 2. I was also worried the piglets didn't seem to be noticing the heat lamp but was advised they would find it in first few days. And from end of day two they did and used it and the creep area from then on. If you can install refuge areas with a couple of bars - I would based on my limited experience. Learning their feeding habits from watching them was fascinating - the initial dashing and frenetic pushing and suckling and switching around and then the onset of 'piglet calm' as the sow lets down the milk, plus the sow 'talking' to the piglets and them starting to respond. Thought I would be anxious forever after losing one to squashing on night two, but it's reassuring how quickly the piglets get more robust and smart in getting out of the way and the sow gets used to checking before she lies down. Its been an amazing experience. If you're worried about anything, shout on here - there are so many experienced pig people who will help you out...
Good luck!

debbigord · « **Reply #6 on:** March 27, 2015, 10:16:49 pm »

Fantastic advice, Thankyou all. I can't believe we feel so unprepared after having nearly 4 months to get ready! The time has just slipped away! Have made the sorts of spaces that you describe in our shelter and will move one girl into there tomorrow and another into a spare arc. They've never been apart before so I'm not sure how that will go! Have creep bars and heat lamps and an outside area......I'm so excited and nervous.
No nest building yet so hopefully a few more days to get ready.....will update as we go!

MarthaR · « **Reply #7 on:** March 27, 2015, 10:29:23 pm »

Sounds great! I moved my gilt to a stable with outdoor patch a week ahead of when I thought she was due. Right smack on the due date, evening feed time she started to gently carry bits of straw around in her mouth and concern herself with the way the inside space was looking. By 10pm she had the first piglet. She is a gentle soul, but I was still wary of how she would behave. But she was entirely unfazed by me sitting with her - almost like she was in a trance. Stood up half way through and then lay down again and finished at 2.30am with afterbirth an hour later. I had a plastic 'maternity box' with everything from towels and disposable gloves to iodine to syringes, timer, book on pig breeding (to look up any issues) and a whole host of other things I didn't use thankfully! I did use the flask of tea and packet of biccies as I sat there and watched the little ones feeding afterwards