The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: TheCaptain on March 25, 2011, 11:02:07 pm

Title: 'Aunty' has delivered
Post by: TheCaptain on March 25, 2011, 11:02:07 pm: And to think she was going to be bacon!!! 'aunty' petal popped out nine beautiful piglets in just under two hours tonight! Slow to get going but had a very small, mummified piglet in the way to get out first (which she ate half way through- not something I expected!!!) she then fire the rest out in quick succession.

Thanks to Glenside Farm for her lodging over Xmas in some awful weather - your boar has saved her (from being) bacon.
Title: Re: 'Aunty' has delivered
Post by: Beewyched on March 25, 2011, 11:13:29 pm: Congratulations - well done Petal :)

Piccys soon please :love: :pig: :love:
Title: Re: 'Aunty' has delivered
Post by: Hilarysmum on March 26, 2011, 09:47:45 am: Oh thats such a lovely story pictures please
Title: Re: 'Aunty' has delivered
Post by: Blonde on March 26, 2011, 10:24:27 am: Quote from: TheCaptain on March 25, 2011, 11:02:07 pm
And to think she was going to be bacon!!! 'aunty' petal popped out nine beautiful piglets in just under two hours tonight! Slow to get going but had a very small, mummified piglet in the way to get out first (which she ate half way through- not something I expected!!!) she then fire the rest out in quick succession.

Thanks to Glenside Farm for her lodging over Xmas in some awful weather - your boar has saved her (from being) bacon.
We had a thread on this subject of sows eating piglets early on and this was supposed to be against the pig production rules in the UK.... so how come you have mentioned it here.
Title: Re: 'Aunty' has delivered
Post by: TheCaptain on March 26, 2011, 10:33:05 am: I weigh 13 stone, she weighs about 30. She has sharp teeth. I like my fingers. She was grumpy. I didn't particularly want to get in wth her. It was on the floor. She got up. She ate it. I wasn't going to stop her.

Next time she's farrowing feel free to come down and get in the pen with her to stop such an occurence.

Thanks for adding so much to the thread.
Title: Re: 'Aunty' has delivered
Post by: Sudanpan on March 26, 2011, 08:48:43 pm: Quote from: TheCaptain on March 26, 2011, 10:33:05 am
I weigh 13 stone, she weighs about 30. She has sharp teeth. I like my fingers. She was grumpy. I didn't particularly want to get in wth her. It was on the floor. She got up. She ate it. I wasn't going to stop her.

Very descriptive!! ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: 'Aunty' has delivered
Post by: HappyHippy on March 26, 2011, 09:04:47 pm: Congratulations Captain :wave: And Aunty too ;) :pig: :love: :pig:
Photo's please ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: 'Aunty' has delivered
Post by: little blue on March 26, 2011, 09:41:19 pm: well done Aunty pig!
Title: Re: 'Aunty' has delivered
Post by: TheCaptain on March 27, 2011, 11:48:26 am: Some pics of the new arrivals! We lost the runt this morning- he hadn't been doing too well so we'd been topping him up but he was just too weak. Still, 8 beautiful strong piglets to keep Aunty busy!
Title: Re: 'Aunty' has delivered
Post by: bloomer on March 27, 2011, 11:51:25 am: :love: :pig: :love:
Title: Re: 'Aunty' has delivered
Post by: Sylvia on March 27, 2011, 12:30:31 pm: Well done that pig! And had she read the pig production rules or was she just doing what instinct demanded?? :pig:
Title: Re: 'Aunty' has delivered
Post by: TheCaptain on March 27, 2011, 12:39:34 pm: Quote from: Sylvia on March 27, 2011, 12:30:31 pm
Well done that pig! And had she read the pig production rules or was she just doing what instinct demanded?? :pig:

I had left her a copy, fully fabloned up, in her pen prior to her giving birth so I'm really confused why she ate it.

;D ;D
Title: Re: 'Aunty' has delivered
Post by: doganjo on March 27, 2011, 12:45:18 pm: I've heard of bitches doing that too - it is instinct and they are so quick you are rarely able to get there first! Funnily enough my dogs don't want to read the KC rules either ;) ;) ;)
Title: Re: 'Aunty' has delivered
Post by: loosey on March 28, 2011, 09:09:51 am: Awwwww!!! They are super cute! :love: :pig: :love: :pig:

Bleurgh ... I have tried so hard to make Daisy a discerning, lady like pig ... lord knows what my reaction will be like when she starts eating her own children, nature can be pretty gross! ;) ;D
Title: Re: 'Aunty' has delivered
Post by: Liquidator on March 28, 2011, 10:33:41 am: Great looking piglets, love some of the markings. Well done 'Aunty'

I'm interested in your use of the heat lamp. Do you always use this with your new borns?

Our recent litter of 11 from 'Lady' had a runt which didn't look like it would last the night and my 'Trouble & Strife' (TAS) decided she would bottle feed it. She set up in a box in our dining room with a heat lamp and proceeded to feed the runt every 3 hours. Within 2 days it was walking by itself and at 5 days we put it back with the sow and the rest of the litter. One of the little gilts got squashed by the sow on day 7, so we're down to 10 and they all seem to be thriving, although the runt still gets a bottle 3 times a day!!!

I released them to a nursery pen at the weekend and they loved getting out to the grass. The runt is very vocal and quite tame compared to the others. I can see me having problems getting the TAS to agree to sell her on to someone else!!
Title: Re: 'Aunty' has delivered
Post by: TheCaptain on March 28, 2011, 03:26:59 pm: We set the heat lamp up for our last litter (this is only our second litter!) and they didn't go anywhere near it, but there was only three and it was August last year. I did the same again this year and, actually, they've used it loads, only going back to mum for feeding it seems! We were hoping the same for our runt but he snuffed it - I doubt we would have been able to get rid of him when 'the time' came so we would have had a boar to keep too probably!
Title: Re: 'Aunty' has delivered
Post by: TheCaptain on March 29, 2011, 10:54:48 am: Some very spotty Old Spots (although not pedigree, so I'd better not call them Old Spots in case the Old Spot Police come knocking!)
Title: Re: 'Aunty' has delivered
Post by: Fowgill Farm on March 29, 2011, 12:57:09 pm: They look gorgeous! well done Petal!
Mandy :pig:
Title: Re: 'Aunty' has delivered
Post by: little blue on March 29, 2011, 08:12:41 pm: aww, they are just lovely! :D
Title: Re: 'Aunty' has delivered
Post by: Eve on March 29, 2011, 08:43:18 pm: :love: :pig: :love: :pig: :love: :pig: :love: :pig: :love: :pig: :love: :pig: :love: :pig: :love: :pig: :love: :pig:
Title: Re: 'Aunty' has delivered
Post by: ambriel on March 29, 2011, 08:54:30 pm: Awww! They're gorgeous! I'm very jealous. Mum looks contented, too.