[reedos]

Well I wasn't expecting this when I woke up this morning!!


Less than 24 hours after collecting our next bunch of Berkshire weaners, I went to look in on Piggy (yes I know it's not original), the pot bellied pig we rescued from people who were feeding her dog biscuits, this morning who was still in the stable we'd moved her too to protect her from Thursday/Fridays flood waters.


She was making a strange noises - and there was an odd squeak coming out of the stable. At first I thought she was surrounded by some rats, then realised they were piglets!! Four live healthy one, (unfortunately three were dead).


We had wondered if one of our last lot of Berkshire boys had got at her, just before he went off to be sausages, but were just starting to think that he mustn't have done. How wrong we were!


Anyhow never had piglets before - I sense a steep learning curve to climb!

[mojocafa]

Enjoy the piglet experience

[HappyHippy]

That's the thing with pigs, they never fail to amaze you 
Congratulations on your new arrivals

If you can put up a heat lamp and reduce the amount of sraw around the piglets it might help prevent other squashes (it's the first 48 hrs which are critical until the little ones find their feet and can move quickly out of mum's way when she lies down)
Make sure mum's up and eating and drinking and showing no signs of really red, hot teats. Give her usual ration plus half a pound for each piglet but build it up gradually so's not to put her off her food or get her constipated. You might want to consider getting the vet out to castrate them (or take them in a dog cage to the vet) just in case of future "have they, haven't they?" situations 

The Gloucestershire Old Spot website has good info on farrowing or just ask away here.

Oh and photo's would be appreciated if you get a chance  I've no litters due 'til January and it's nice to go gooey over piglet photo's 

[reedos]

Thanks for the advice


I've put up a heat lamp and will take out some straw. Do you think that's what happened to the dead ones, they were squished? Hopefully there'll be no more deaths overnight.

[Beewyched]

They may have been squished - it's very hard to tell if there was a nice thick bed of straw (always seems a shame to take it away from the girls when they've made such a lovely nest) or it may be that they just crawled away from mum and couldn't find their way back.  It happens, it's always hard when you lose babies    - but think how you saved them by moving her away from the flooding - congratulations to you and Piggy    Looking forward to seeing the photos
 

[shygirl]

what a lovely suprise.
sometime the last ones to be born can be slow to breathe, a good swing usually helps. or maybe they were sat on. just one of those things unfortunately.

enjoy !