The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: Marches Farmer on November 29, 2018, 09:07:54 am
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Awful weather here - gilt farrowed overnight and won't settle for them to suckle, despite a bottle of Guinness. Would like to give them away (pedigree GOS) and start again rather than raise by hand.
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Maybe give her a few more bottles of guinness till she's totally chilled out and legless?
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Maybe give her a few more bottles of guinness till she's totally chilled out and legless?
:innocent: not a bad idea or get vet to give a mild sedative, is she indoors or in an ark ? does she respond to your company ?
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Our sows and gilts get metacam oral when they farrow. They could be unsettled because the pain of giving birth (especially a gilt)
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This Mama just won't settle - it happened once before to another gilt many years ago. If two bottles of Hobgoblin doesn't work nothing will!
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Noted that afterbirth was considerably smaller than usual and placenta probably not up to the job, which would have triggered stress in the piglets and led to slightly premature birth, also mucking up the normal hormonal progression during birth. Ho, hum. At least the boar will be happy.
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Another thing to consider is that she just might not be a good mother. We get it occasionally. Maternal instinct just isn't as strong as it is with some other gilts/sows. She might be better after this parity but it is something to throw into the mix as it were