Smallholders Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Pregnant or not  (Read 6836 times)

harmony

  • Joined Feb 2012
Re: Pregnant or not
« Reply #15 on: May 16, 2019, 08:33:58 pm »

When you say she wouldn't feed them what do you mean exactly? You are unlikely to get them back on her now. What would have been good would to put the piglets in that creep area in the sty and board them in with Mum in sty too. Let them bond a bit, let one out to feed and then the others if that goes well.


How many have you got?


Haven't seen the multi feeder. What is suggested for orphan piglets is a shallow dish of milk. Hold the piglet upside down with it's nose in it and it should learn to drink quickly. I have also heard mixing in Weetabix can encourage them. Get them onto creep feed as soon as possible. Piglets are very hard work to hand rear. They need very small amounts very often. Other people use a syringe for the first few days.


Good luck  :fc:


Did the sow cleanse and is she ok?

SmallWelshBarn

  • Joined Sep 2014
Re: Pregnant or not
« Reply #16 on: May 16, 2019, 09:22:27 pm »
The sow would not go in to the sty she smashed her way out two days ago nearly did serious damage to her self. She has always lived out in the forest with the use of a sty should she choose to use it.
Th nest she built did not allow the piglets to feed properly also mum went for two as I tried to get them to feed. Had she nested in side probably would have gone better. It’s way to cold outside and her nesting spot was unsafe for the babies.
Multi feeder is for lambs basically two compartment box with 4 teats they ar already sucking on it so it’s a replacement mum seems to work.
These are hardy as half wild boar
Sadly one small one seems to have deformed front legs don’t seem to straighten
All th placenta came out I th n cleaned her up to stop th fly attraction

harmony

  • Joined Feb 2012
Re: Pregnant or not
« Reply #17 on: May 17, 2019, 09:05:35 am »

It's done now but I would have left her for a while and given them chance to suckle and bond. Gilts are often best given some space. Then I would have encouraged them all inside together. If you have got them going on the lamb feeder that's grand. I would get them creep feed pretty soon.


What colour are they?

SmallWelshBarn

  • Joined Sep 2014
Re: Pregnant or not
« Reply #18 on: May 17, 2019, 12:33:23 pm »
All pigs still alive and doing well. Two minuscule runts doing ok sadly one has leg issues knee joints seem fused together so can not straighten leg.
Going to try with mum one more time to see if she will be ok. This morning she seems better rolled showed me her belly.
They all have had colostrum and are on lambs milk now. I have rigged up a lamb feeder with four teats seems to be working.
I also placed two hot water bottles in side the feeder to keep the milk warm.
These little buggers have very sharp teeth and hurt !!

SmallWelshBarn

  • Joined Sep 2014
Re: Pregnant or not
« Reply #19 on: May 17, 2019, 12:38:05 pm »

harmony

  • Joined Feb 2012
Re: Pregnant or not
« Reply #20 on: May 18, 2019, 09:12:40 am »
As they get bigger they will probably wreck the teats on the milk hence creep feed when they get a bit stronger. And water. Fingers crossed the sow might take them but if she hasn't been looking for them unless you have a crate you will be lucky.

SmallWelshBarn

  • Joined Sep 2014
Re: Pregnant or not
« Reply #21 on: May 18, 2019, 09:57:38 pm »
I have given up on the sow as can’t risk her killing them.
She has been pining for her sister and her sister was off her feed.
They are back in their forest. I will need the vet out to giver her a jab to dry up her milk. I feel overwhelmed and sad. Never wanted to breed them for this exact reason.
One of the runts with the fused knee joints was put to sleep today I could not do it.
Only a £10 at the vets she also noticed it had a cleft pallet poor little mite.
Exhausted and it’s mot even begun.
They are already a handful and fights breaking out dominant one biting the other on the nose over feeding annoying as plenty of teats.

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Pregnant or not
« Reply #22 on: May 18, 2019, 11:02:14 pm »
Aww, you sound like you need a  :hug:
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

SmallWelshBarn

  • Joined Sep 2014
Re: Pregnant or not
« Reply #23 on: May 19, 2019, 01:38:08 pm »
Urgent advice needed please see video explanation. Vet will be attending in any case tomorrow
https://youtu.be/dTIPVlErAAw

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Pregnant or not
« Reply #24 on: May 19, 2019, 02:17:39 pm »
How is she in herself? 

I’m no expert with pigs, and you have the vet coming tomorrow anyway.  But if she’s hot or lethargic she probably needs antibiotics sooner rather than later.  But of course that will limit the options available to the vet tomorrow. Maybe phone the vet? S/he can advise what antibiotics to use? 
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

SmallWelshBarn

  • Joined Sep 2014
Re: Pregnant or not
« Reply #25 on: May 19, 2019, 05:30:04 pm »
Called vet been down to pic up antibiotics and anti inflammatory injections.
Will medicate my self hopefully that does the trick.
Injecting sow was not at all easy

harmony

  • Joined Feb 2012
Re: Pregnant or not
« Reply #26 on: May 20, 2019, 10:30:18 am »

Injecting pigs is never easy. I hope they gave you long acting antibiotics rather than a three day course. Sows dry up very quickly so she shouldn't have needed an injection to dry up. With a late piglet like you describe best to treat for retained placenta.


If the bigger piglets are bullying get the creep feed down. They should regulate the feeding as milk is there all the time. Obviously when they are with the sow she tells them when the milk bar is open and they all feed at once.




SmallWelshBarn

  • Joined Sep 2014
Re: Pregnant or not
« Reply #27 on: May 21, 2019, 08:44:31 am »
Yesterday I had the vet out to try and help with injecting her no luck. I don’t have a way to restrain her. I now have some powdered antibiotics that I can mix in with something tasty.
Most of the piglets were mildly scouring so we have treated them all with antibiotics and am mixing in a dextrose solution with the milk.
All doing well, I lost one yesterday due to an error on my part.
As for creep feed vet said to wait 7 days ?
https://youtu.be/h-mTvRMogb0

greenbeast

  • Joined Jul 2014
Re: Pregnant or not
« Reply #28 on: May 21, 2019, 09:36:05 am »
Shame your vet doesn't have a masterject (spring loaded injector), a god send with pigs.

Before that, if they were a restless pig (some of ours you can slowly put the needle through without disturbing them and then attach the syringe), my vet partner would hold the needle in thumb and forefinger, cup it with the other fingers (no syringe) and do a couple of dummy hits on the rump before jabbing on the third go, then if they've not run off you can reattach the syringe. That's still not guaranteed though

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Pregnant or not
« Reply #29 on: May 21, 2019, 10:35:57 am »
The two-thumps-then-jab technique is used in cattle too. I didn’t know it worked in pigs. It uses a prey animal physiological response, where the nerves to an area are deadened by physical shock. So the theory is that by the time you put the needle in, there is little or no pain sensation.
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

 

Forum sponsors

FibreHut Energy Helpline Thomson & Morgan Time for Paws Scottish Smallholder & Grower Festival Ark Farm Livestock Movement Service

© The Accidental Smallholder Ltd 2003-2024. All rights reserved.

Design by Furness Internet

Site developed by Champion IS