[lill]

piglets sould be injected in the first week of birth, then 3 weeks after that. 

[ramblerskitchen]

Sorry to add to this thread but I could do with some advise about whether my sows are pregnant.  She was covered by the boar and her due date will be @30 March.     How soon will i be able to see that she is in pig?  She appears to be getting slightly plump and her teats are slightly larger, but that could be wishful thinking.   How long before her due date should i be able to know for sure.   

Sorry for stupid question but pig books have not helped.  Sarah

[HappyHippy]

Sarah, I always say the only way to be 100% sure is when the piglets are running around - pigs have a habbit of being, well, pigs and aim to surprise us 

The udder will start to form around a month before farrowing, from 10 days to a week before farrowing her vulva will start to swell up and get redder. This is the time, if you hadn't done so already, to seperate her from the rest into her farrowing area and worm her (I try to get mine in and wormed 2 weeks before farrowing)
Milk will (sometimes) start to come in around 2-3 days before (if you give her teats a gentle squeeze you'll see droplets) and by the time the milk is really in (coming out without stimulation) you're about 12-24 hours away.
HTH
Karen 

[Fowgill Farm]

Sorry to add to this thread but I could do with some advise about whether my sows are pregnant.  She was covered by the boar and her due date will be @30 March.     How soon will i be able to see that she is in pig?  She appears to be getting slightly plump and her teats are slightly larger, but that could be wishful thinking.   How long before her due date should i be able to know for sure.   

Sorry for stupid question but pig books have not helped.  Sarah

There are no stupid questions and it can be difficlut to tell but as she's around 4wks away i would get her laid down on her side with a belly rub and whn she's laid out watch her tummy you'll see little ripples where the piglets are moving and if you leave your hand in the same place for a little while you may even get a kick! As HH says about 10 days before she'll change in shape, look thro her back legs and you'll see her tummy has dropped but remember they can be upto 4 or 5 days late so don't be too hett up on exact dates. Just get prepared and be ready.
HTH
Mandy 

[ramblerskitchen]

thank you both for your advise.  I will wait for the sun to come out again to try having a feel when she is lying down and keep an close eye on her.    I will start preparing now just in case.  Thanks again   Sarah x

[princesspiggy]

nessie has a litter due end of march too and she is clearly has a bump, its usually bulging out clearly after the ribs. get her to lie down and feel if she feels full.
dorothys udder started filling a good 2 weeks before her due date, then she was 3 or so days late. dorothy also didnt let down any milk for me before she went into labour, but she was down for a good 6 hrs before giving birth so maybe she she had milk then but i left her in peace so dont know.
dorothy is stockier than nessie so looked tubby for ages but the slimmer nessie has looked pregnant for ages.

[princesspiggy]

my teenager sheepishly returned my camera cable grrr

[princesspiggy]

and more (wer so proud - lol)

[stitch366]

 :wave:Congratulations, what lovely photos, well done to Mumshe does look very proud!!

[SallyintNorth]

Lovely piccies, thanks for posting.  Lovely piglets and sow !  (And your own wee ones, too!)

[princesspiggy]

they were out getting dirty today!  it was so mild.
 

[HappyHippy]

That third one is just the perfect picture of piggy happiness 
But you can see the panic as they look for mum in the last one 
Cracking photo's PP 

[princesspiggy]

i know! there is one who keeps getting left behind.
they are still in the stable with the heat lamp on but she could go out into her own paddock and own sty. is it too soon? i would hate to lose one. last year we had summer babies so wasnt an issue.
 

[HappyHippy]

I'd see how they go, maybe let them out during the day and bring back in at night if they look like they need it. The weather is pretty mild so once they get to 5 days or so they should be fine to be out, but just keep an eye on them and see 

[Fowgill Farm]

If you put them out make sure your area is secure against Mr Fox! A friend had 4 piglets take by fox at 4 days old she found bits of them around the field very distressing!
Great pics by the way, congratulations.
Mandy