[redborneschoolfarm]

We've had saddlebacks with litters of 15+ and have been on teh best part of 10kg of feed. They always cope with it some of them prefer two seperate feeds but we have some older more experienced sows that like it all at once.

[sabrina]

That is a lot of piglets 

[princesspiggy]

great fotos, lovely looking saddlebacks 

[oaklandspigs]

Tamsadlle,
 
Great to hear, and a fanstastic first litter !
 
Our record is 19, and she rasied 16 to weaning, 17n is our record for born and successfully weaned.
 
Mandy's suggestion of more frequent feeding is a good one, but don't panic if she doesn't feed normally for a couple of days, some mums just stay with their piglets.  Others eat you out of house and home, and everything in between !  Depending on where you have her, you may need to put her feed closer.  With a few mums, as we farrow on a concrete floor, we put food right next to mum in the first 24 hours, as otherwise they just ignore it.  But every pig is different, adn second time mums can be different from first time, so don't expect a repeat of how she is now.  If only it were all that esay.
 
The main thing is to enjoy !

[princesspiggy]

We've had saddlebacks with litters of 15+ and have been on teh best part of 10kg of feed.

10kg a day?

[Berkshire Boy]

Yes PP thats 6lb for the sow and 1lb per piglet she's feeding total of 21lb[10kg]

[robert waddell]

yes perky was on 10 kilos a day and still loosing condition Hampshire

[princesspiggy]

could u not put oil in the feed to keep weight on or would that not be good? we supplement slim ponies with soya oil and their alpha a is sprayed wi oil too.


feeding question, can u feed unsoaked sugar beet to pigs?
and does anyone add sugerbeet to their diet?

[HappyHippy]

We fed fresh/raw sugarbeet (didn't shred or soak, just cut it up a bit) they loved it 
We gave 3lbs of pig nuts and 10lbs (roughly) of sugarbeet per day while they were in pig and they were doing great on it (a little too great, we'll cut it back a bit next time ) Now they're nursing we've got them back on just pig nuts but once they're in-pig again we'll get some more beet    At around £30 a tonne it's great value 

[princesspiggy]

  At around £30 a tonne it's great value 

i was meaning dried pellets, mine just seem to waste it. do u they need soaking as pigs arent ruminants? ie like ponies need them soaked.
i didnt realise u could buy fresh sugarbeet, thats an idea, thanks 

[HappyHippy]

Yes I think dried pellets need soaking.
Ask about though - I'm sure someone up there will grow and sell it   

[robert waddell]

suger beet used to be grown in scotland when the sugar factory at cupar was running   not so sure it is grown as a feed crop    it has to be grown in very fertile areas
shreds pellets etc has to be soaked before feeding as it can go to double or three times the volume when wet