The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: princesspiggy on January 10, 2012, 02:18:37 pm
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our dorothy is looking rather tubby at the moment so we are crossing our fingers she is preggers. i can feel her ribs and spine but she is looking very voluptuous.
she was ai-ed on 30 oct, then been with boar since dec 4th.
im guessing the ai worked tho i wasnt optimistic at the time as some went on the floor.
she wouldnt be showing after just 4 weeks surely?
very excited so just had to share that!!!
:wave: :wave: :wave:
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Oh, fingers crossed!
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Everything crossed for Dorothy, my Bob is in with 2 of my girls at the moment and they are in season, I assume Bob was covering 1 of them last night as I herd my OH shouting "Go on my son". Bob's first litter is due by the end of the week. Have had Bob and Porsche since they were 8 weeks and they are 16 & 17 months now and going to be parents, it is soooooo exciting. :thumbsup:
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it is exciting and soo worth it! :wave:
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How exciting! Let us know when you know for sure!
I can't wait to have a pregnant sow- have to pass my broodiness onto the animals now! ;)
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il know who the sire is by the date they are born as she was ai-ed 5 weeks before the boar arrived. when do they usually start showing? i hope shes not just fat....
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We AI'd one of ours at the weekend so just waiting to see if she comes back into season, but fingers crossed. All very exciting
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How quickly excitement can turn into heartache, I had my company go down in 2010 due to the re session and the repercussions of it means I have to sell my Barn and field which means I have to sell my pigs and chickens so my lovely babies that I am still waiting for have to go so does the mother (Porcsha) and my lovely Bob I am finding things very upsetting at the moment :'(
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that would heartbreaking :love: :wave:
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It is, I go and sit with Bob wondering what the hell I am going to do with him, if I sold him I would be worried that he wasn't being looked after properly, and my girls were going to be my next step with pigs breeding my own and having little Bob's running around the place, my eldest son is not able to go out there as he gets to upset. I have had to have horses put down before but this is far worse.
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Sorry for your sad situation, i would be heartbroken to. Wishing you good luck and hope you find good homes for your brood.
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:bouquet:
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20th of feb she should be due or 27th march to the boar if due to the first date she should be showing :farmer:
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So sorry to hear the sad predicament you are in. Just wishing you loads of luck and thinking of you. :bouquet:
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oohh she got big boobies now, i think shes due next weekend! how exciting! AI did work!
;D ;D ;D ;D :wave: :wave:
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Yay ! :thumbsup:
We've got a couple (or 5 :o) due in the next few weeks too ;)
Just getting a head start on spring :D
Keep us posted :wave:
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shes in the stable on maternity leave now - and will not be running off to the woods to give birth this time. not grumpy either this time ..yet...she looks glorious and voluptuous.
:D :D :D
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due date 19th feb :farmer:
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She was a day early last time. she was ai-ed 29 and 30 oct.
heat lamp or no heat lamp?
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How quickly excitement can turn into heartache, I had my company go down in 2010 due to the re session and the repercussions of it means I have to sell my Barn and field which means I have to sell my pigs and chickens so my lovely babies that I am still waiting for have to go so does the mother (Porcsha) and my lovely Bob I am finding things very upsetting at the moment :'(
I wish we were closer and you could put your animals here, we are not (can't justify it) breeding pigs any more and have to find homes for ours but I will really miss them! I also worry about what kind of home they go to, you do not just need to understand an animals needs but must have empathy.
So very sorry for you.
Good luck
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She was a day early last time. she was ai-ed 29 and 30 oct.
heat lamp or no heat lamp?
Heat lamp :thumbsup:
There's snow forecast for the weekend :-\
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patiently waiting for dorothy to give birth (presuming the dates are correct)
heatlamps, creep, towels ready...its snowing here!
now she is bleeding on her back teat, would she have stood on herself? shes been very good humoured but now a bit cranky.
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My wee Kune Kune sow always gets a bit cranky too pre-farrowing (breaking out of the shed and such like ::)) give Dorothy a can (or maybe two) of sweetheart stout, it'll chill her right out. Then you'll be able to get a look at her teat ;) She probably has stood on it or caught it on something, but once she's calm you'll be able to check her :thumbsup:
Good luck ! Paitiently waiting on news of tiny trotters ;D
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its quite a nasty cut on her teat, tho the inside part is still there. purple spray or wound powder?
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hmmm no sign of piglets, she bagged up 2 weeks ago so thought the AI on 29/30 oct had mayb worked( wasnt hopeful at the time) she should have been due yesterday.
she has a good handle of udder but not engorged - but they r hanging enough for her to stand on her teat - and hasnt made a proper nest. if shes not due this week, then shes not due til end march as she wasnt with boar until 7th dec.
our other sow who was covered 1st week dec has a belly but no udders, tho is alot slimmer than dorothy.
how soon can they bag up before farrowing - surely not 6 weeks? or how many days past her due date could she go?
i dont want to put her back in the woods incase she farrows, but dont want her in the stable for no reason.... ???
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PP don't panic i have known sows go upto 7 days over their due date average is 4 days so hang on in there. If her udder has dropped that much sh'e not far off, watch for her milk coming in and then she'll be about 6 - 12hrs away, she may make a nest some do some don't all mine do they paw at the straw first and once they start to take mouthfuls they're well on their way.
HTH
mandy :pig:
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According to your dates she should literally be due any day, and if her udders have gorged then it is most likely imminent ( next day or so.) Not sure if you have done this before, so sorry if I am teaching grandmothers to suck eggs, but it is worth having a creep area with heat lamps up and running in advance of the birth, especially in cold weather- trying to keep warm increases the propensity to squashing (well that's our experience!) Are you planning on being around for the birth to help out- is it her first litter? Oooh it's so exctiting!! We had 21 new arrivals last week!
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its her and my second litter, but last time is was summer and she farrowed outside. i want to be there this time cos its so cold and shes sooo much better tempered than last time. iv been checking her every 4 hrs 24/7 so being overdue is tiring, lol. heat lamps and creep all ready.....
i could feel them kicking today :D :D :D
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she went into labour last night about 7pm but didnt start to give birth til 1am.
8 little tamworths are now suckling away! she nearly crushed one but got him out from under her in time.
hats off to deerparks royal standard yet again! she let me assist her this time so im chuffed - just hoping they are all still ok in morning. :D :D :love: :D :D
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Congrats!!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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brill :pig: :love: :pig:
such a relief
Mx
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Well done that pig, I hope they go on and do well. :)
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Many congratulations. All good things come to those who wait!
Bestest Mandy :pig:
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Great news PP makes all the waiting and stress worth while :thumbsup:
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soo happy today, thanks everyone xx :love: :love: :wave: :wave: :wave: :wave:
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Brilliant news, well done both :thumbsup:
We await piggie piccies... :D
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Congrats to you both Julia :thumbsup:
Pics please, after you've got some kip ;)
:love: :pig: :love:
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:thumbsup:
Photo's please ;D
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iv lost the cable for my camera (grrr)so will post photos when iv bought a new one. they all great - no losses, yippee. 2 gilts and 6 boars.
they arent using the creep or the heat lamp, just snuggling up with their mum. and suckling alot! dorothy is soo happy and im sure shes smiling!
;D ;D ;D ;D
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sometimes it takes quite a few days for them to start using the creep- but they will eventually, and mum will be glad of the respite once the novelty wears off! Hope they are thriving. Out of interest have you injected them with iron- always a good idea, we were strongly recommend by Bob Stevenson (BPA's consultant vet) and always do.
Good luck x
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Out of interest have you injected them with iron- always a good idea, we were strongly recommend by Bob Stevenson (BPA's consultant vet) and always do.
To para phrase my friend Mr Waddell ;) you don't need iron injections if they're outside thats a townie vet talking about indoor pigs!
Mandy :pig:
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i havent injected with iron, they are in stable at the moment but i expect shel be out for a wander with them soon. its mild here just a bit windy. had to change the creep around and now they are using the lamps.
last litter were born outside and werent injected. this litter is more cooped up cos of weather. is iron necessary?
i could put them outside with their own sty and field, tho its a bit sludgy ::) :o. but its nice having them in so we can visit her and sit them them. :love: :love: :pig: :love: :love: lol
dorothy is so calm this year, last time, u cudnt pick em up without running...lol
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iron injections is just a matter of preference and the availability of iron from the soil mother pig does not pass enough iron in the milk to meet the needs of the piglets while suckling this can be augmented by either injecting them or rubbing mud on her teats if they do not get sufficeint iron they become anemic and kick the bucket or are slow to grow which is why the commercial pigs get injected :farmer:
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rubbing mud on her teats
il take her for a walk then cos stacks of mud here!
what age to inject? i may well do so.
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I think the guidance for injections is before the're a week old, coz once they start creep feeding they'll get it thro the feed.
IMHO I think turfts do the job - that's all I've ever used on my KKs if they're inside. Lots of lovely dints out of the grass running up the track here Julia ;)
:love: :pig: :love:
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piglets sould be injected in the first week of birth, then 3 weeks after that. :pig: :pig:
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Sorry to add to this thread but I could do with some advise about whether my sows are pregnant. She was covered by the boar and her due date will be @30 March. How soon will i be able to see that she is in pig? She appears to be getting slightly plump and her teats are slightly larger, but that could be wishful thinking. How long before her due date should i be able to know for sure.
Sorry for stupid question but pig books have not helped. Sarah
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Sarah, I always say the only way to be 100% sure is when the piglets are running around - pigs have a habbit of being, well, pigs and aim to surprise us :D :D :D
The udder will start to form around a month before farrowing, from 10 days to a week before farrowing her vulva will start to swell up and get redder. This is the time, if you hadn't done so already, to seperate her from the rest into her farrowing area and worm her (I try to get mine in and wormed 2 weeks before farrowing)
Milk will (sometimes) start to come in around 2-3 days before (if you give her teats a gentle squeeze you'll see droplets) and by the time the milk is really in (coming out without stimulation) you're about 12-24 hours away.
HTH
Karen :wave:
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Sorry to add to this thread but I could do with some advise about whether my sows are pregnant. She was covered by the boar and her due date will be @30 March. How soon will i be able to see that she is in pig? She appears to be getting slightly plump and her teats are slightly larger, but that could be wishful thinking. How long before her due date should i be able to know for sure.
Sorry for stupid question but pig books have not helped. Sarah
There are no stupid questions and it can be difficlut to tell but as she's around 4wks away i would get her laid down on her side with a belly rub and whn she's laid out watch her tummy you'll see little ripples where the piglets are moving and if you leave your hand in the same place for a little while you may even get a kick! As HH says about 10 days before she'll change in shape, look thro her back legs and you'll see her tummy has dropped but remember they can be upto 4 or 5 days late so don't be too hett up on exact dates. Just get prepared and be ready.
HTH
Mandy :pig:
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thank you both for your advise. I will wait for the sun to come out again to try having a feel when she is lying down and keep an close eye on her. I will start preparing now just in case. Thanks again Sarah x
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nessie has a litter due end of march too and she is clearly has a bump, its usually bulging out clearly after the ribs. get her to lie down and feel if she feels full.
dorothys udder started filling a good 2 weeks before her due date, then she was 3 or so days late. dorothy also didnt let down any milk for me before she went into labour, but she was down for a good 6 hrs before giving birth so maybe she she had milk then but i left her in peace so dont know.
dorothy is stockier than nessie so looked tubby for ages but the slimmer nessie has looked pregnant for ages.
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my teenager sheepishly returned my camera cable grrr
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and more (wer so proud - lol)
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:wave:Congratulations, what lovely photos, well done to Mumshe does look very proud!!
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Lovely piccies, thanks for posting. Lovely piglets and sow ! (And your own wee ones, too!)
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they were out getting dirty today! it was so mild.
;D ;D ;D
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That third one is just the perfect picture of piggy happiness :pig: :love: :pig:
But you can see the panic as they look for mum in the last one :D
Cracking photo's PP :thumbsup:
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i know! there is one who keeps getting left behind.
they are still in the stable with the heat lamp on but she could go out into her own paddock and own sty. is it too soon? i would hate to lose one. last year we had summer babies so wasnt an issue.
:wave: :wave: :wave:
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I'd see how they go, maybe let them out during the day and bring back in at night if they look like they need it. The weather is pretty mild so once they get to 5 days or so they should be fine to be out, but just keep an eye on them and see ;)
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If you put them out make sure your area is secure against Mr Fox! A friend had 4 piglets take by fox at 4 days old she found bits of them around the field very distressing!
Great pics by the way, congratulations.
Mandy :pig: