[Helencus]

Well Boris went in months ago and the girls should be due 1st week in January but they're not looking pregnant. When can you tell? Also when should I increase the feed, I'm giving them more because it's cold but not sure what ratio they should have now and here in whilst feeding piglets. Any assistance welcomed. thanks

[Sylvia]

I would say, keep on as you are with a bit extra. It's when they're feeding young that they will need much more in my opinion (which doesn't count for much)
I'm sure someone with more experience will put you right.

[HappyHippy]

During the last 4 weeks the udder will start to develop and the belly will swell, but not always to the point when yo think "oh yes, she's definately pregnant" - it's sometimes really tricky to tell.
Keep the feeding as it is for the minute (what she can eat in 15 mins) you don't want her getting too fat before she farrows, slowly increase afterwards so that by the time the piglets are a fortnight old she's getting maximum rations for her and the piglets.
HTH
Karen x

[Helencus]

Thanks - right now the 3 of them are get g 16lbs of feed between them, they're all still in together so can't say what each have but they get their fill. what's maximum rations 6lb each? 

[oaklandspigs]

Yes around 6lbs each per day - but don't get too precious about this - you don't weigh your children's food!

Just watch their condition and attitude, they should be hungry and keen to see you, but not ravenous - watch how they eat, quickly and with no thought and they are hungry; come out of ark slowly and mooching round not really caring, cut down.

Cold doesn't necessarily mean give more food.  If they are in a warm ark in a sheltered area, then in this weather they will actually be moving less (probably only to eat and poo!), so may expend less energy. If ark is exposed they may need more.  No two set-ups are the same. Again feeding time will tell you.

Inside mum, the piglets put on most of their size in the last 10 days of her pregnancy, so we double rations for the last ten days only - as HH and Sylvia say they don't need extra now - the piglets are tea-spoon size at best now.

Hwever if you didn't see a mating you will not know the exact date, so may need to do some guess work on when the last ten days are.  If they are gilts, it can be hard to tell when the last few days are, if they are sows, they tend to drop and teats go triangular more noticibly. If you cannot judge from body shape, then use use best guess - if they end up getting double for three weeks it will not kill them - but again watch for moocing rather than hunger, and if leftover after 15 mins, then yes they are getting too much.

[Helencus]

Thanks oaklands. We saw Kim mated, boris was most vigorous just when we had visitors! So we know she is due 3rd Jan. Aggie is a bit more difficult, never saw a mating but had marks on her shoulders and looked a little got at shall we say a few days later. Have to say tho Kim looks a bit fatter but Aggie nothing. The Site is exposed and they're eating well not starving but keen to get fed. So think we're about right.
I'm planning on bringing them inside just after Xmas. I'm going to section the barn into 3 pens. Do I have to make sure the piglets are kept away from Boris? Would he hurt them?

[little blue]

He could.

our Murphy is still in the girls & piglets (*waits to be shot down in flames for doing all the wrong things and giving urban smallholding a bad name*)  and is brilliant with them, even lying nearest the door to keep the heat in!
but he is soft as a brush  & abit "hen-pecked"
As Boris is new-ish to you, maybe better not to risk it.  We've had Murph since he was weaned.  We had practical reason for not moving him & separating the girls, and the piglets are doing just fine 

[Helencus]

Thanks little blue. He seems to be a right softie but better safe than sorry I guess. I'll make sure that they're kept away from him but they'll all have to be in the same barn. Hopefully he'll be ok about being seperate as he'll be able to see them all.

[Hilarysmum]

We don't normally leave the boar in with the sow and babies because trying to feed extra rations to the sow would result in a mega fat George (unless he was in with Big H).  However when Edwina delivered her little surprise in October she was in with George as his companion.  We had to move him out as he was not allowed into the ark.

In our experience the piglets will visit Dad, so far we have never had any problems with the boar and babies.  Our friends on the other hand did.  I suppose it depends on your boar.

Good luck with the forthcoming births.  If they are in the barn you will have the advantage of being able to watch them all day without freezing to death.

[oaklandspigs]

Other pigs naturally move away when a sow is farrowing, and if the boar has been with them throughout the chances are that they will be fine.  But there is always a risk, and if you can easily move him away, might be the safer option.

Most people farrow each sow in their own pen (or if outside she will have an ark of her own).  You can loose litter all three pregnant mums together and let them farrow that way IF you indoor area is big enough that the one farrowing can easily bed away from the others. However you do create a small risk that one of the other sows will cuddle up to mum, particularly in this cold weather, squashing the piglets in the process.  Again this is a risk rather than a certainty.

Little Blue - don't worry about being shot down,  have always believed that pig keeping in not done on fixed formulas and methods, but rather by  meeting all the pigs needs, and whilst pigs have been domesticated for a while, they are still largely the wood living animal that forages.  In the wild,  boars are not seperated and mums find a sheltered area away from the group. Would be great to hear how your lot are housed, and what happened when they farrowed.

[little blue]

Cheers Oaklands 
Ours have a huge shed (Dutch Barn roof, so it looks like a traditional ark - especially from the road that runs behind and below our garden!)
and a fenced off run with a slope towards the bottom and some concreted areas where the water trough stands, near the shed.

Its not huge, but they are happy enough rooting round, they destroyed the grass almost immediately    so I know that even if they had a massive field, the idea that kune kunes graze not dig is abit of a myth!

We have to take all their food up to them, but of course it's not far, and they have hay in the shed all the time to munch on.

And today, its all snowy anyway (around 2 foot deep here - over my welly tops anyway!)

When the girls farrowed, we were not at all sure of the exact dates, as Murphy seemed to be "at it" for ages!!  They had separate nesting areas in the shed ,opposite ends with a fence between them (not all the way across).  when it came to, it seems that they both had piglets the same night, either side of the fence but right up to it.  We didnt want to spook them by us being too close, and Murphy was asleep at the other end of the shed!
Maud had quite a few "mummified" undeveloped piglets... she is quite boisterous but I dont know when they would have died.  We dont know for definite which piglets were really hers - they both fed them all (5) at one time or another!  Mildred the bigger pig is now feeding them all, Maud is dry.  Mil has lost abit of condition, but the piglets are getting huge!  they are nearly weanable, but I will leave it happen naturally.

Murphy has been fine, he is abit daft and might kick a piglet if he doesnt see it, but they soon learned to move quickly... neither of the girls are particularly miitant mothers, like if I pick up a piglet and it screams, they dont get too stressed or aggressive.
 The adults are really tame, they know their names and love a cuddle! some of the piglets will be dinner, so I tried really hard not to make them too soft (it'll still be hard to part with them though!)


Photo taken Sunday afternoon.  Pigs are staying in!  Its even deeper snow now...

[Hilarysmum]

My God little Blue that looks posher than most of the houses around here. 

[HappyHippy]

LittleBlue, is Maud from the Jenny bloodline perchance ? I've heard of fertility problems and things like this and it seems to be the Jenny bloodline in particular that is more prone to it. Of course, it could just be 'one of those things'
Karen x

[little blue]

I couldnt tell you  .... all three are pure bred kunes (obviously Murphy is unrelated!) but we dont have pedigree papers fpr them.
But seeing as the original kks in Britain came from such a small number, its perfectly possible 

[Helencus]

Hi another question for you. What do you do with the bodies if she does deliver dead piglets or one dies?