The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: valmet10 on January 22, 2018, 04:57:52 pm
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hi ive a gilt that's due early march , she is not eat her sow nut , just tips them on the floor she as been getting fresh veg n bread , we tried stopping veg etc so she only has sow nuts ,but she still left them
any idea !!
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Was the bread bakery waste? It's illegal to feed anything that's been through a domestic or commercial kitchen. How old is she? A pregnant gilt may still be growing herself and vegetables won't provide all the nutrients she needs, let alone growing piglets. Can you chop the vegetables into sow nut size pieces and mix them in well? Or mash up something sweet like windfall apples and mix them in too? Normally I'd suggest just letting her go hungry until she ate the sow nuts voluntarily but in Winter and pregnant that's not a good solution.
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Occasionally on the piggery a nice warm bit of "Porridge* " would encourage them .
*just rolled oats and water slightly over cooked.
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How long has she not been eating the nuts? Veg and bread would be an added extra and you would have to feed her an awful lot to make her not eat her ration.
Do the nuts smell ok?
Does her jaw look swollen at all - wondering if she can't eat them because of some problem with her mouth/teeth?
Is the water supply OK. Water shortage - won't eat as much dry food.
What are her droppings like?
What is she like in herself?
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bread in date , from supermarket {20p per loaf } , nut are the same shes always been on ,don't smell odd or anything ,plenty of water ,she not ill , not eaten her nut for a couple of days haven't given her veg n bread today she hadn't eaten nut by teatime so
she got some porridage today ,like to eat owt but her nuts ,
wondered about trying her on some meal n mix it and feed her it wet just don't want to starve her to make her eat
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Does she eat any of the nuts or just not them all? Do you only have one bag open at a time? Perhaps try a different bag. May seem fine to you but not to her.
You could try soaking the nuts before you try the wet mash method.
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Only time mine went of pig nuts they were constipated.....
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Open a fresh sack of nuts and immediately stick your nose on top of them. If they smell at all musty they could be the problem. If they have a whitish or greenish "bloom" (a bit like when chocolate has got too warm then cooled) then ditto. Otherwise I'd consult your vet - there could be a number of problems but with a pregnant gilt vets are better consulted sooner than later.