[janeislay]

We had eight gorgeous piglets born last Saturday and are going to be away for Christmas for ten days, while my daughter gives birth !  That means the piglets will be three weeks old when we leave, and five weeks old before we get back - if all goes to plan.

They (Tamworth x Saddlebacks) are outside in quite a big pen, with an ark, with plenty of rough grass & rushes. 

At present the Tamworth mom is getting two feeds a day but I don't think we can manage to get a relief feeder to feed them more than once a day (he has to travel more than 30 miles each way).

What do you advise ?  Will they be needing some feed before we get back ?  Will feeding the mom Tamworth once a day be enough ?  Presumably they'll be running about all over the place; will they find their way back into the ark ?  What a worry !

[HappyHippy]

Errrrm, I don't think you're going to like what I'm going to say  (and I might get shot down by others) and I understand that obviously you're daughter having her own baby is a big event - BUT, you can't leave them to only be checked and fed once a day  (even adult pigs, in this weather need checking at least twice a day)
The piglets will start to show an intrest in solid food from around 2 weeks, pinching mum's initially but soon looking for rations of their own - certainly by 5 weeks they will be eating a fair bit of food. They will also need LOADS of water, mum too when she's nursing. They should find their way back to the arc and to mum - but it's not a certainty.
At the end of the day it's a decision only you can make, but personally, I wouldn't be going anywhere if I didn't know my animals were going to be getting checked twice daily as a minimum, especially with piglets on the go. You've not said where you are, but if you're getting snow what's to say the relief feeder will even be able to make it to you. Then you've got the worry of no food for them, no water (cos it's frozen) and no-one to check that they are all safely back in the arc with mum.
Sorry, Karen x

[little blue]

I'll second what Karen says.
Is there nobody nearer who can at least check them & do the minimum?
Our piglets were showing an interest in solid food before they were 2 weeks, and mum needs extra or can quickly lose condition.

Why do you ask about weaning? surely thats when they are totally off the milk and onto solids?  You worried me slightly with the title then aging them so young!

[Hilarysmum]

Sorry but it is vital for small piglets especially to have access to fresh water at all times .   Our recent piglets are fed 3 times a day, we are constantly having to remove ice from the water.  Please if you cant find someone to come in to check the pigs twice daily (ideally living on site) then consider your husband staying behind.  Checking once a day particularly in this weather is just not enough.  Imagine the scenario of your sow being fed and watered, then getting stuck somewhere, or just knocking over her water so that the piglets are unable to drink.  The sow and her piglets are dependent on you.  You do need to make good arrangements for both her security and her well being.  I do sympathise with your predicament.  Please though think very hard about your pigs' wellbeing.  Sorry if this sounds harsh.

[Hilarysmum]

Sorry in answer to your original question.  In this weather particularly I would leave the piglets for a minimum of 8 weeks maximum of 10 with mum, increasing the amount of feed each day.  I would always feed a minimum of 1 lb per piglet for the first 4 weeks, increasing it if the food appears to be going too fast.  I find it is often easier to leave the piglets in their birth paddock and to remove mum well away.  (Naturally as soon as I write this Hilary will rewrite the rules!!!!)

[janeislay]

First of all, my daughter's partner is a fireman and may be on duty when she goes into labour.  So my priority must be to take care of my wee grand-daughter at that time.

Secondly, I live on an island in the Inner Hebrides so need to take the ferry in good time.  There is no snow on the island however, and the relief feeder has to get to feed his own animals on the next croft to me - as well as feeding my pigs and chickens.

Third I am a disabled widow and need my foreman/assistant/carer to drive me to the mainland.

Fourthly, and I am chuckling  - don't worry, I'd already been working on finding someone else, since posting this thread this morning

I have a friend who'll be checking all the ponies and I've worked out how we can make it easy for her to feed and check the pigs before dark.

I really meant when and how to start them feeding, preparatory to weaning.  So when do I begin to put food out in a low trough for them ?  From what age do they need more than mum's milk ?  Can I put out the feed in a low trough so they can help themselves when they want to ?

 

[little blue]

hope you weren't offended!
and good luck to your daughter and imminent grandchild... whens the due date?

Do you have a farrowing rail?  So the piglets can get under but "mum" cant.   I feed on top of hay, on the floor.  then they all get a chance, and the smaller bits fall through the hay so only little snouts can get it! 

As your still with them, keep a close eye at feeding time to see when the piglets become interested.  As I say, ours were just over a week old when the biggest started nibbling, and the others soon caught up

[Hilarysmum]

They will start to nuzzle at mum's food from as young as a few days old up to 2 weeks when they will definitely be eating hard feed.  Yes you can put feed in a low trough for them to help themselves.  Make sure it is big enough to accommodate several of them climbing in to the trough.  Our smallest Kune x gos is a master at making himself huge when he is in the feeding trough and fighting off his brothers with gusto.  He should have been called Lancelot!!!!!

Also you need a creep area so mum doesnt eat it all.

[janeislay]

Thanks guys, that's really useful.

No, I wasn't offended in the slightest, little blue.  I hadn't been clear about the facts !

My daughter is due on 20th December - what timing !

I shall need to work out how to make a creep area - should I be feeding some hay INSIDE the ark ?

The trough I'd thought of using is at least 2m long, and we have several of them.  Need to make a creep area somehow.

 

[Hilarysmum]

I think a creep area would be vital to stop mum eating the babies food. 

[Fowgill Farm]

Jane
from your post i suspect you're on the Isle of Islay.
If you need advise re pigs up there i would suggest you try Chloe Randall on the Dunlossit Estate, i'm sorry i don't have any contact details but i'm sure you'd be able to look them up in the local directory.
Re your pigs welfare while you're away i echo what the others have posted especially with the weather as it is, it looks like the wind direction is going to change to ocme from the west so even if you get off to be with your daughter who knows when you might get back!
Take care and all the best.
Mandy

[janeislay]

Mandy - oh that I could !  Chloe left Dunlossit Estate and all the pigs had to be sold off in rather a hurry.  Hence how I came by this Tamworth sow in pig, with not as much knowledge as I would have liked.

Other breeders I know on Islay bring their pigs inside to farrow and I rather wish I had done so now - we had no idea when she was due.

I wouldn't want to breed from her again until next Spring, so I'd like to keep the piglets on her for as long as possible.  She has an adjoining pen with a pop hole through, that has woodland and a shallow pond. 

The pen she's in at the moment, has a stream (with very long, sloping sides) that runs right through in, into the pond next door - which is still running.  So although we'll continue to take water to her, I think our main priority is to supply her with plenty of good food, and construct a creep feeding area for the wee ones. 


Jane

[Fowgill Farm]

Jane
Sorry to hear Chloe has left, i thought it was a long while since i had seen any postings anywhere from her. Such a pity as she was really clued up about pigs.
Be careful the piglets can't fall in the stream as they might not be able to get back out and will die of hypothermia, your creep area will need to be sheltered and sow proof, we once tried to construct one with pallets and she just hoiked them up with her nose! Pig keeping - its a steep learning curve, theres loads of info on the GOS website if you need a bit of guidance and of course i'm sure everyone on here will help you as much as we/they can.
bestest
Mandy

[janeislay]

Thanks Mandy; I've joined the GOS forum and am also speaking to local people who used to keep pigs.
Must say they're looking very well and content.
Jane

[janeislay]

Just to update: we lost the smallest piglet last week but the other seven are out foraging with mum and growing amazingly.

Didn't realise they were coming outside (and I've had the webcam on their pen constantly) but today caught them all going into the ditch and out again, and running around mum as happy as larries !  They've been getting a slice or two of hay in their ark, which they've been polishing off - and mum getting extra feed.

We'll need to go to my daughter earlier than anticipated, but two relief feeders are ready to feed all pigs and check ponies.  Got loads of feeds in store too, in case there are delivery problems.  But I think we've been a lot better off here on the island than the mainland folk.