Author Topic: sunburn (Read 3642 times)

holz306 · « **on:** May 05, 2012, 10:05:56 pm »

My pigs have access to plenty shade, they have their house which is nice a cool during the day, and i made them a wallow area - but they've still managed to get sunburnt ears. What do you do to prevent it?

Castle Farm · « **Reply #1 on:** May 05, 2012, 11:30:02 pm »

Move to Wales.

Eve · « **Reply #2 on:** May 05, 2012, 11:35:52 pm »

A bit of ordinary sun screen (for humans, such as L'Oreal and all that). Gets costly, though, try sticking some mud on their ears if you can instead - the top of their ears is the one bit the mud of the wallow can't seem to reach, isn't it?

Did you get sunshine today then? Lucky you!

Hannes · « **Reply #3 on:** May 06, 2012, 12:05:03 am »

I never understood where the problem in a pigs sunburn is..... I mean, if we had one, then its gone after three days and hurts a bit when moving around, but a pig should cope with that or not? Tough animals they are.
Or a i totally wrong?

Eve · « **Reply #4 on:** May 06, 2012, 12:40:53 am »

Depends on how bad the sunburn gets.

Pigs don't get a tan afterwards.

holz306 · « **Reply #5 on:** May 06, 2012, 09:27:53 am »

- if it hurts them and theres a way of preventing it - why would you not do it Hannes?

Berkshire Boy · « **Reply #6 on:** May 06, 2012, 10:30:37 am »

Hannes, sunburn can be very nasty and happen very quickly. Found a gilt last summer on the ground in her pen couldn't get up and had a large red patch on her side. I found her on the morning feed round so you wouldn't expect the sun to be that hot not in Wales anyway. It turned into a nasty abscess and she was very poorly for a while but eventually got better. Ended up with a big dip in her side where the abscess had been.

holz306 · « **Reply #7 on:** May 06, 2012, 10:56:01 am »

We don't normally suffer so much sun

up here in the Highlands, but its been glorious for weeks now, the driest april for i while i think. I'll try suncream on their ears and when its really hot in the summer, i hope they will have learnt to actually use their wallow to give them protection over their backs.....and next time i will get pigs that aren't so pink!!

Hannes · « **Reply #8 on:** May 06, 2012, 10:55:41 pm »

I see.

THnak You all for helping me with that information, I think I have never been aware of that problem since sunburn is generally not a great problem here in SW Scotland, missing sun and plenty of mud seem to help :-)
YOu'll never stop learning

littlelugs · « **Reply #9 on:** May 06, 2012, 11:53:57 pm »

i use factor 50 on my GOS pigs mainly behind their ears are where they get burnt despite having plenty of shade when the sun is out they prefer to sun bathe and although they wallow they never manage to get behind the ears its fun applying it at 4:30am before work i can tell you... although being in wales it isnt needed all that often.