[Pigglewiggle]

 

  I know this isn't a nice topic, but had to tell someone, after the success of our Pietrian cross having 9 healthy piglets. We have today had a horrible time, our Middle White has also had 9, but only 5 are alive and 1 of those doesn't look too strong.

 Feel so bad, was thinking this piglet lark was easy after the first lot.... don't know what happened to them. Maybe they were stillborn, or maybe she laid on them. Feel awful leaving them to come home, but don't know what else to do. Have buried the dead ones in the garden, don't know if you are allowed to do this or not.

Will just go back first thing and check on them, can you do anything to help piglets that don't look too strong ??

 Debbie

 

[bamford6]

you have to say its only farming .....iff you are 100 percent that you cared for these animals you have nothink to feal bad about . i decided to lamb late the forcast was good for a week and a half after easter thats when we started all well lost none had 40 left came out the house at 5.30 very cold looked up at the hill covering off snow every lamb was dead felt very dawn 12 deaths .next day we had 6 lots off triplets and all lived as i said its only farming .the next lot might be fine have a nice day

[VSS]

The best thing you can do is to make sure they are warm but putting up a heat lamp in a creep area. This will also draw them away from the sow when they are not feeding so they are less likely to get squashed. If they are cold they will huddle up to her to keep warm and the smaller ones are most likely to get flattened.

Having said that, I would say it is probably quite unusual not to loose any piglets from a litter - our two sows have had varying numbers in their litters, from 12 all the way up to 17, but the normaly seem to end up rearing 11.

[HappyHippy]

It is hard and loses are never easy   
I'm maybe a bit OTT when it comes to farrowing, but I tend to bring the sow in a couple of days before, make sure there is a heat lamp and creep area set up and once I know labour is immenent I check on them every hour. Once they start farrowing I'm there from 1st piglet until an hour after the last one. Anything can go wrong (as you've sadly discovered) but I feel by being there I can see if something's wrong and take steps to fix it. It's a long, cold and sometimes boring process - I was more worn out by farrowing than I was having my own babies ! but it's the way I do it, like I say, maybe I'm OTT but I couldn't have it any other way 

I'm not sure about the laws regarding disposal of dead piglets (haven't lost any) but I doubt that burrying them in the garden is allowed 

Did your sow farrow outside ? If not, give an iron injection to the piglets. I use Baytril for piglets too - just one squirt is usually enough to perk up any weaker ones and ward off any nasties. Make sure they're all getting a teat - you might have to help the little one and if you can set up a heat lamp that would help too. Don't be tempted to take the little one away from mum unless there's absolutely nothing else for it. I'd be tempted to check on them again before morning, it's a long cold night if one of them's poorly.

I have to say though that 'this piglet lark' isn't a lark you are responsible for the health and wellbeing of your animals and it's up to you to make sure you can take steps to avoid the same thing happening next time. I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, I know you'll be feeling really shitty and I don't want to add to that, but if you'd been around this might not have happened.

I hope your little piglet makes it, good luck with them and get yourself some Baytril asap
Karen x

[Pigglewiggle]

 
  Bad choice of words by me before, 'lark' was not at all what i meant. I know this is a serious thing, we would of been around, but had to go to collect the butchered pigs this morning.

 How long do you recommend to use a heat lamp for ? How long before they are big enough to get out of the way of mum ?  The first piglets were out eating the food and veg with the big ones after a week.

 Debbie

[oaklandspigs]

P,

Not an unusual tale - nature doesn't design animals to have muiltple births and all to survive every time.

Four likely causes

1. the pig uterous has two horns, joined to the central way out like this |^-|^-|with the central leg being the way out, and the legs either side being the horns. The piglets have to travel up a horn, (eg say from the bottom left vertical stroke of the M, and when they reach the junction they can go two ways they could go - either out into the wide world or into the other horn. If they go the wrong way (into the other horn) they generally reverse out (whe you see ones born backwards that is generally what has happened).  However the cord breaks long before this, and after the cord breaks they have 5 minutes to get out or they die of oxygen starvation.  It is likely that some of your ones died of this.
2. Once born they need to find the nipple, - if they go the wroing way (eg round her back) then they wander off and just die of cold and lack of milk
3. Mucous around the mouth or in the lungs prevent them breathing properly, and they die of oxygen starvation
4. Mum steps or lies on them - more often with new mums, but you can get dense sows that do this every time.

on 1. there is no cure, you cannot intervene as you don't know what's happening inside, and only when they are born fully formed but dead do you know
on 2 and 3 being there for the birth will help tremendously.
on 4. For a new mum, being there for the first few hours can help, but it generally takes the piglets 24 hours to learn to get out of the way, and by that time if you have a careless/thick mum it is too late.  Heat lamp may help, but generally by the time they have found this, they have alreday learn't to get out of the way.

Finally, on burial, no you cannot bury them in the garden, this is illegal.  You should contact fallen stock and arrange for them to be taken away, or take them to your local hunt, who will incinerate for a donation, or take to local incinerator who will charge.  If you are going to breed regularly you need be able to show that you are correctly disposing of deadstock, as the authorites are rightly suspicious of breeders who never have any dead piglets.

[HappyHippy]

Hi Debbie,
How's the wee one this morning ?
I'd use the heatlight day and night for the first week, then at night (depending on how cold/wet it is) for another week afterwards.
HTH
Karen x

[Pigglewiggle]

Hi,

 The little one didn't make it i am afraid. The other 4 seem well though, which is good.
 Got soaked to the skin checking on them this morning, its wonderful weather for pig keepers, I will take some pics when the rain stops.

 Debbie

[HappyHippy]

So sad 
The remaining 4 should all do really well though, not having to fight off any competition.
I know what you mean about the rain ! Almost looks like mine have their very own moat round their ark (I'm sooo glad I put a floor in it  )
Look forward to seeing your pics
Karen x