The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: mowhaugh on December 13, 2014, 08:57:25 am
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Deiliah's piglets are 11 days old now, and I don't think the smallest one has grown at all since they were born. He did look wee to star with, but the others have doubled in size, and he now looks absolutely minute. He does seem healthy, no signs of any illness, but is not quite as lively as the others. He seems to be feeding fine, and Delilah adores him, he tends to stay closer to her more of the time than any of the others. He gives the general impression of something premature. I have a feeling he might not make it, but obviously want to do everything I can to give him every chance - any advice?
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Sometimes this happens. Not your fault and if there's something wrong on the outside there's often something wrong on the inside too. All you can do is resign yourself to the fact that however short his life is it will have been a very good one. Often they appear absolutely fine in the morning and you just find them dead in the sty a couple of hours later - no sign of illness, inuury or distress. They just stop.
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I've always noticed with ours that the mums tend to reject any which aren't quite right - it's almost as if they know there's something wrong with the piglet and focus on the well ones, so if she's taken to it that's a good sign in my book :thumbsup:
The best thing is to leave well alone - mum knows best ;) If you were to start feeding the little one it may start to smell of you and get bullied by it's siblings. If it's eating, sleeping, pooing & peeing there's no need to intervene. Are they in? If so, a clod of earth or an iron injection wouldn't hurt and you do get a 'kick start' stuff for piglets- quick squirt of liquid down the throat and it's done. I can't remember what it's called now, but I'm sure the vets will have some.
Good luck and keep us posted xx
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I'm not advising it necessarily but it is possible to bottle / pan feed a piglet, and give them a top up.
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We had one like that from our last litter - just didn't grow. Every day we expected to find her dead, but she hung on. We started the piglets early on some high protein weaner pellets soaked in goats milk. I think all you can do is give some extra feeding and hope! :fc:
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Thanks everyone. Tonight when Delilah was eating her tea, the piglets decided they were hungry, they were all feeding whilst she was standing up, but tiny piglet couldn't reach. It was very sad, but he was stretching to try.
They are inside and had an iron jab on day 3, do you think I should give him another one?
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Hi all, greeting from Denmark(in Australia). :sunshine:
Once you given a piglet a single shot of iron its normally a waste if given more as a general rule.
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Hi Stevie :wave: Long time!
No need for a second jab if he's already had one.
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He still seems perky enough tonight, although not quite as bouncy as the others, so we'll keep going as we are with fingers crossed, thanks for the support and advice everyone, much appreciated.
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Try to get some food introduced asap, they can take it pretty young, especially if its ground up and mixed with a little milk to get them into it.
Our bottle fed piglet took to the bottle very easily, and after a few days had enough strength back to fight for her place amongst the others. She is now well integrated with her 10 siblings, but will be staying here I think.
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We top up wreckilings with baby milk from a large syringe, we normally do it whilst mum is eating so it doesn't miss a feed from her, a 60ml syringe of SMA or cow & gate growing up milk is what we use 3x day if poss.
Also get some creep(grower) pellets as they're small, at 11 days they'll be ready to go onto some hard food, ours are usually by now diving in mums trug to pinch hers! She usually flings them out at a huge rate of velocity and i fear for their lives but they always seem to bounce!
Mandy :pig:
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Mum used to unravel dads beyond repair pullovers and knit several differing sized small pig body suits that could be buttoned on over a small piglet or lamb .
Yes you guessed it the local farmers & small holders used to give us paupers the runts & weeds of the litters , we bottle fed them with my old banana shaped feeding bottles .
I seem to recall only one piglet not making it , sometimes mum if they were from our sows would take the worst piglets to the sow for a feed still in their body warmers , bring it back indoors & put it in a big cardboard box in the living room six or so feet from the coal fire to keep them warm .
A friend of ours raised a couple of runt lambs earlier on this year in a similar manner.
The runt eventually out grew the normal ones and were so tame from being botte fed that they came to greet you even after they reached maturity .." Dead cute " , according to Alison & our Munchkin.
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He took the the creep feed straight away! I think he is warm enough as they are indoors and they have a creep with a heat lamp which they all use, still perky, just tiny!
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At that age might be better with porridge other than creep. All.our runts are on porridge in morning then ad lib on creep. We use bocm Paul's, bang on.
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How's Tiny Pig, Mowhaugh?
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Bad news, Tiny Pig has vanished. He seemed to be doing well, still not getting any bigger, but perkier with the feeding and rushing with the others when the feed arrived, and then this morning completely gone. They are still indoors, so not really anywhere for him to go missing/escape, but searched and searched, I think he must have died and Delilah has eaten him. Poor Tiny Pig. The children are going to be gutted, too.
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Oh dear. Poor Tiny Pig, and poor you's all. :hug:
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Rats?
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Rats?
It is possible, although I think we've got the rats pretty much under control at the moment.
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Oh no poor tiny pig, it's gutting when they and you fight so hard and then lose them :bouquet:
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Bad news, Tiny Pig has vanished. He seemed to be doing well, still not getting any bigger, but perkier with the feeding and rushing with the others when the feed arrived, and then this morning completely gone. They are still indoors, so not really anywhere for him to go missing/escape, but searched and searched, I think he must have died and Delilah has eaten him. Poor Tiny Pig. The children are going to be gutted, too.
Most likely explanation - a dead piglet would be a source of infection for the others so the sow's action is a practical one. Tiny ones often have an internal problem you can do nothing about. A very short life but a secure and comfortable one.
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Poor wee thing :hug: