[alang]

As some of you may know on here i work on a pig farm. 90% of the time the pigs are totally fine and are a joy to work with. Like humans they also have bad days/weeks/streaks.

Yesterday i went to check on a sow and she had farrowed during the night. All was well and she had 11 lovely cute piglets. She was fine with me looking into the hut and showed no attitude problems.

Walking back to her feeding barrel she walked along side of me and tried to nudge the bucket containing the feed. Now they do this occasionally and normally stop once you put the food in the barrel.
But this time once the food went into the barrel she attacked me. She bit my hand and once i got that free she then bit my leg, picked me up and threw me to the ground. I was lucky i still had the bucket to fend her off me so she didn't get on top of me.

I got away from her with mostly bruising and one cut to the leg. I was lucky the attack stopped. But i have to admit i am still shook up. It has really heightened my awareness around the pigs. Even today  she was still very aggressive and if it continues this week i will have her culled once she is weaned.  There is no place on the farm for a dangerous pig.

My point in this rambling is always be aware and don't get complacent. In the past this pig has been friendly and ok to be around. But you just never know when they can change.

As the title says. A lesson learned the hard way.

[DavidandCollette]

Ouch! Sounds painful. We only have a couple of weakness but j am ways wary of them. Don't know why, happy with sheep and goats

[Fleecewife]

Those big jaws and sturdy teeth are made for crunching humans, so do be careful.


I was nearly eaten by a herd of hungry sows when I was four and had wandered dozily into their field just before feeding time.  You'd be amazed how fast a wee girl in wellies can run, and how fast she can climb with that lot snapping behind.  Although I love pigs, I've never trusted them since then.

[Rupert the bear]

Ouch, been there. was it her first litter?  give her a couple of days .  I used to wear welders gloves near the grumpy sows on the piggery  usually when they've pigged and again at weaning ! Keep us posted.

[pharnorth]

I help out in a small unit with around a dozen sows. We would always avoid going into the enclosure for a day or so after farrowing as some sows can be aggressive in those first 48 hours.  It may be over protective or it may just be post-partition pain. A sow that is still showing a hint of aggression after the first week would be on the cull list.

[alang]

was it her first litter?

No she is sixth parity. So she's an experienced sow.

I help out in a small unit with around a dozen sows. We would always avoid going into the enclosure for a day or so after farrowing as some sows can be aggressive in those first 48 hours.  It may be over protective or it may just be post-partition pain. A sow that is still showing a hint of aggression after the first week would be on the cull list.

We have over 1300 sows and boars on the farm. We always go into the pads when they've farrowed to check the piglets for injuries and to retrieve the dead ones.  We also need to know numbers so we can make up or remove piglets from the sows so we can try to ensure they get the best start in life.

On a side note she has attacked another person this weekend and was aggressive to another today. I am not having her on the farm so she is on the cull list after she is weaned.

[Rupert the bear]

In view of her history thats the right decision

[SallyintNorth]

So she’s had five litters before and not shown aggression before?  Is it possible she’s got some mastitis, or hasn’t cleansed, or something that’s making her so uncharacteristically moody? 

If nothing found then of course cull.  But with a history of five trouble free litters, I’d be wondering what’s different

[alang]

Aggressive sows don't last long on the farm. If they are a danger to workers then no matter how good they are, they must go. Health & Safety and all that.

She is showing no visible signs of mastitis. Her afterbirth was present when i checked so she had totally finished farrowing (something i really check for), she has no signs of other injuries.

To be honest it could be just one of those things. Sometimes animals 'snap' for no reason. Even humans do. Like i said we are going to monitor her for a week. In that time she'll have her piglets checked, be fed, hut bedded and just general observations. If the aggression keeps up then it's cull. Whilst i understand that agriculture is the most dangerous occupation in the UK (H&S stats) i am not in the job to be another statistic. I have an obligation to myself,my family and co-workers.

[pharnorth]

Seems she has earned her place on the cull list then as you say aggressive pigs are a danger. With 6 litters she has had a decent run.

[davaopete]

Thank you for sharing your experience, I'm a couple of weeks away from receiving my first sows , I have a lot to learn and information like this us most welcome

[alang]

Davaopete. Please don't think all pigs are like this. For the most part they are a joy to be around. Being allowed to interact with the piglets and even the sows and boars is SO rewarding. It is the best part of my job. But i will definitely say that never let your guard down. Every day is a learning day. Learn lessons from your and everyone elses mistakes.

[davaopete]

Thanks for the reply alang
I have an experienced pig keeper helping me , i have been told tgat pigs are intelligent creatures with their own characters and they can be a joy

In line with local tradition,after the house and the pens were built , i had to throw a hog roast party , the local guys did it all their way , they built a pit and with two if the largest bags of charcoal ive seen proceeded to roast the pig over an open fire 

This is in the Philippines and a different set of rules apply

My 1 hectare farm has mango , coconut , rizhomes , durian and cacao and a couple of others  type's of fruit , the pigs will dine well on windfalls

[harmony]

Can she see ok? Just a thought.


Obviously, you have high expectations within your unit about sow behaviour at farrowing and are very experienced. I am not being critical but I would suggest that anyone who has a pig farrowing, looking after a litter, especially in the first week should always be extra vigilant and make use of a pig board

[alang]

Hi Harmony

Yes she can see fine. Believe me there is nothing wrong with her eyesight. She doesn't miss a thing.

Pig boards are great in certain situations. Have you tried using them in open fields in anything above a gentle breeze? They can turn out to be far more dangerous than safe. Many a time i've nearly taken-off because of holding onto one lol. We had one boar on the farm who used to go mad once you brought a board near him. Without it, fine. Not saying to not use them. Far from it. But there are times when they are a hindrance. But yes i completely agree about people having access to one. Especially a person who doesn't deal with pigs all the time. Even now i still use the boards especially when moving sows into trailers.

On the vigilant aspect. I am probably one of the more vigilant on the farm. Maybe it's the joy of getting older and having more life experience (and a family and commitments) than the young 'loons' we have. But to be honest she went for someone else today and the co-worker wasn't even dealing with her. This sow has had her chances now and as soon as she's weaned it's off to cull. I tried to bed her hut today and i couldn't get near it. Don't get me wrong. She's being an excellent mother as all her 11 piglets are still alive and in good condition. But i am not willing to have someone injured or worse because of a good mother. There is no place on a busy farm for a sow like that.

On a positive note though. Today i had a sow who was more than happy for me to cuddle her piglets (my fave part) and also to rub her belly and all in the beautiful sunshine. This is the high points of working with pigs. Long may it continue.