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Author Topic: HELP possible pregnant sow !!!!!  (Read 4722 times)

welshlass181

  • Joined Jan 2011
HELP possible pregnant sow !!!!!
« on: June 17, 2011, 03:59:25 pm »
Hola fellow TAS followers  ;D

As most of you know i am new to pig keeping.  We got a Kune/GOS a few weeks ago (she is one of the largest ones we have) and her belly is really distended  ??? none of the others are like this and they were wormed before we had them.  I know that the gestation is 3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days but is there any tell tale signs that a gilt is due to drop?  Only had horse and dog breeding exp and i am flapping a bit. 

Will she bag up? 

Does she need to be seperated from the others? (they're free range with 6 arks between them)

Does she need her own ark and pen?

Any/all advise is greatly appreciated lol major flap going on here now  :'(

Cobra

  • Joined Jun 2010
  • Somerset
    • Millers Of Sedgemoor
    • Facebook
Re: HELP possible pregnant sow !!!!!
« Reply #1 on: June 17, 2011, 04:34:18 pm »
If she starts showing milk at her teats shes 24 to 48 hrs away from dropping  ;D If you know when shes due in season, then if shes pregnant she wont swell up and redden around her lady bits  :) Other than that a scan?

If she is. then she will want her own space to farrow and make her own nest her own way; saying that if you have pens then a pig in a neighbouring pen can be quite a relaxant for her, but not the same pen, she will be protective.

Thats my limit I'm afraid, I have two her that I suspect are pregnant, some loving person let me boars in with them  ::) So I'm going along with they are and prepairing for it, if when the time comes they arnt, well hay-ho and move on. Better to prepare and watch than guess not ad get caught out.

welshlass181

  • Joined Jan 2011
Re: HELP possible pregnant sow !!!!!
« Reply #2 on: June 17, 2011, 06:02:17 pm »
No idea re season lol i asked the breeder.  I have 2 pens in the field that the rest are in (if that makes sense) so they can always see eachother.  I'll have to play it by ear i think and if she gets bigger or she bags up i'll put her in her own pen.  Kinda bricking it as i am totally unaware of what i am meant to do and when.

Thanks for the reply i do appreciate it  ;)

HappyHippy

  • Guest
Re: HELP possible pregnant sow !!!!!
« Reply #3 on: June 17, 2011, 06:43:35 pm »
You'll need to watch her closely for signs of season Welshlass and her udder will start to bag up anything up to a month before (though with gilts it's not always very noticable) I'd advise learning what you need to know and doing it fast ! It's always a good idea to be with them when they farrow - otherwise you do run the risk of losing piglets, more so when you don't have a heat source as they'll snuggle into mum for heat and run the risk of being flattened.
There's loads of advice on the GOS website and most good pig books will cover farrowing too - time to start reading  ;) But if there's anything you want to ask just post on here  :)
Karen x

Cluckinggoodpoultry

  • Joined Mar 2009
Re: HELP possible pregnant sow !!!!!
« Reply #4 on: June 17, 2011, 09:39:28 pm »
Hi, don't panic the majority of them go on fine by themselves, you do need to seperate her though,

Just to assist you  the signs of season are the vulva becomes pink and swollen, the pig can be restless and not always want to eat (only one of mine does that!) If you put your hands on both sides of her back then she will stand still which is her ready to accept the boar. She comes into heat every 3 weeks if she has not been mated.

Farrowing - The Sow becomes restless 24 hours before giving birth and starts to make a nest (all mine do this) and the teat will produce milk when gently squeezed. Blood stained fluid will be passed 1-2 hours before the birth, and once you see small greenish pellets the first piglet will appear within an hour. Most pigs tend to give birth pretty easily and sort themselves out, if this is a sow she has been there and done it before. You can rub the udder if you like and this will make the sow relax and lie on her side in the position to give birth.

If you want me to go into  when you need to intervene with the farrowing and what you need to do then msg me or I can write it on here.

I have mine in a seperate pig sty, with straw and have never had any problems, the last pig (kune kune) decided she was going to go into the hay shed and have her piglets whilst I rubbed her udder and talked to her. Lovely to watch and it amazes me everytime with all of them.


Hope this helps  :)

welshlass181

  • Joined Jan 2011
Re: HELP possible pregnant sow !!!!!
« Reply #5 on: June 18, 2011, 01:21:18 pm »
Thank you so much.  We're in the process of making some plans for 2 block pens with an outdoor bit if that makes sense.  We're building a 12ftx10ft (or might be 12ft sq) and splitting it down the middle to make 2 pens and then building individual mini stables so they'll both have a seperate stable and forecourt outside.  Phoning up builders merchants monday for prices.  Am i right in assuming that i don't need planning as these small outbuildings will be for pigs?  The wall will be 3.3ft tall (only small pigs) with elec fence around the top to discourage jumping up lol so they won't be very tall.  The roof will be removable to make it easier to clean them out.

Will keep you updated with the progress and if we do manage to get these built in time.  We've already got a seperate pen and ark thats there ready for her all we have to do is put loads of bedding in and put the gate/elec fence back up.

I'll try to get some pics of her so i can get some better info up

Cobra

  • Joined Jun 2010
  • Somerset
    • Millers Of Sedgemoor
    • Facebook
Re: HELP possible pregnant sow !!!!!
« Reply #6 on: June 18, 2011, 10:47:33 pm »
You'll be fine as said they generally do this well.

Lambs etc You need to separate cords, place or introduce to mum, Ensure they get that first colostrum, blady blaa.

Pigs are awesome. Once they are born they will make there own way to the milk, not only that, but they will each have their own teat and stick to religiously. They find their way by following the direction of the hair, which in its self always amazes me.
As mentioned be there for farrowing, not only because of the roll over issue, so very common to loose piglets by crushing, it happens I'm afraid: But simply because the process and the way the piglets find there way to the milk source is quite frankly astonishing and not to be missed.

I Haven't dealt with farrowing for 20 years plus and I'm really looking forward to mine around August if Ive worked it out right, I thought two were pregnant, but I have a real hunch that its just one, time will tell. lol

welshlass181

  • Joined Jan 2011
Re: HELP possible pregnant sow !!!!!
« Reply #7 on: June 18, 2011, 11:39:42 pm »
Thank you  ;D

 

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