The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: Hilarysmum on February 15, 2011, 08:19:49 am

Title: Large black cross, v. slow growing
Post by: Hilarysmum on February 15, 2011, 08:19:49 am
Last May I bought in a sow and her piglets.  She is LB x GOS and piglets were by a LB boar.  Admittedly the sow was not in good condition, but good feeding soon had her milk supply up to par.  The piglets were 3 days old when they arrived.  Have been fed extremely well were not weaned until 10 weeks old. They have 3 kilos of pig nuts plus aprox 6 kilos veg each in 2 meals per day.  I would estimate the larger of the 2 weighs about 70 kg live weight and the smaller about 50.    Although they are 9 months old they are no where near as big as my pure GOS of the same age.  Digby (pure LB) was far larger at the same age.  I know LBs are slow growing but is this normal?
Title: Re: Large black cross, v. slow growing
Post by: HappyHippy on February 15, 2011, 08:50:51 am
Okay, just thinking out loud really cos my LB girlies are growing fine (and my LB x GOS that I had last year were all 85Kg @ 6 months - but I didn't weigh in between)
I think it's been their slow start that's affecting them, perhaps the sow was not given additional feeding in the latter stages of preganacy and it's had a knock on effect ? Also if they're gilts they're going to be a bit smaller than Digby anyway - but to me, it does sound like they're not as big as they should be.
HTH
Karen x
Title: Re: Large black cross, v. slow growing
Post by: Hilarysmum on February 15, 2011, 03:48:58 pm
My thoughts exactly thanks ....