The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: Clive on July 20, 2013, 10:40:48 pm

Title: Hair loss
Post by: Clive on July 20, 2013, 10:40:48 pm

Both of our sows have lost a great deal of their hair and I can't decide why.
Strudel had hair loss on one side while nursing her piglets (now eleven weeks old). The piglets were weaned and strudel went to stay with Tinkerbell (I know, but my neice named her!)
They are both now losing hair drastically. I though of mange but both were injected with ivomectin a couple of weeks prior to the birth of the piglets. There is also no more scratching than usual.
They dont seem particularly stressed. Obviously like the whole country it has been blistering hot. Both of them spend a lot of time wallowing and are mostly covered in mud.
Their skin is a bit dry but there are no sores or anything unusual that I can see.
Both seem healthy otherwise.
We feed commercial sow rolls so hopefully it is not a deficiency.

Any ideas?

Title: Re: Hair loss
Post by: ferretkeeper on July 20, 2013, 11:31:29 pm

Try some Camrosa ointment, it works wonders on every animal I've used it on! Just spent 20 minutes this afternoon with my new boar giving him a rub all over with it, soppy sod (him not me!) his skin was really dry looking and bald in places, I'm sure it'll do the trick, he certainly loved the attention.

I also used it on a couple of pigs with lice and it did a great job - they couldn't have ivermectin as they were due to go to slaughter inside the 28 day withdrawal, the bald patches started recovering and it made their coats all shiny, they looked amazing!!!

Title: Re: Hair loss
Post by: shygirl on July 20, 2013, 11:49:28 pm

its normal for this time of year, they are moulting, it can look horrendous but it will soon grow back

Title: Re: Hair loss
Post by: Tudful Tamworths on July 21, 2013, 12:14:22 am

I've dropped three of my Tamworths at the Royal Welsh Show today and they are almost naked! Exceptional year, heat-wise, but I wouldn't have expected a July 2012 to lose her coat so readily. They're normally okay until sows.
Every bloodline is different - one of the Lucky Lass senior sows (not showing till August) has a really thick coat and always manages to keep it.

Title: Re: Hair loss
Post by: Clive on July 21, 2013, 06:30:40 am

Thank you Shygirl. Somehow I missed the fact that pigs moult! I'm embarrassed but relieved.

Title: Re: Hair loss
Post by: shygirl on July 21, 2013, 07:59:26 am

Quote from: Clive on July 21, 2013, 06:30:40 am

Thank you Shygirl. Somehow I missed the fact that pigs moult! I'm embarrassed but relieved.

thats ok. i never realised first time either. when our sows first moulted (weaners dont tend to) i thought they were lice ridden etc and they looked mangy and really quite terrible. they were walking round covered in lice powder for a while  :roflanim:
as most people tend to keep weaners, not everyone realises adults moult.
 :thumbsup:

Title: Re: Hair loss
Post by: Ann and Rob on July 21, 2013, 07:35:24 pm

I didn't realise that adults moult either, I had a panic when Margot lost all her hair too :-[