Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Mystified by sows behaviour  (Read 3613 times)

Tamsaddle

  • Joined May 2011
  • Hampshire, near Portsmouth
Mystified by sows behaviour
« on: June 12, 2012, 11:52:07 am »
Our two first time sows, Daisy (Saddleback) and Mango (Tamworth), who both have litters approx 1 week old, are currently in our two grassy farrowing paddocks, separated by stock fencing.  Both have lived together since birth and have never shown the slightest aggression to each other, any other pig, or to any of us.  Two mornings ago I got up to find Daisy had got into Mango's paddock and they were fighting furiously, with lots of cuts and bloodied ears.   Since then we have fortified the top and bottom of the dividing fence with barbed wire so neither can get across, but the hostility and aggression continues, with furious marching up and down the fence line, nose to nose, lots of frothing and fierce noises and barking.    The piglets on either side have shown quite a lot of  benign interest in each other, but are thankfully not able to get through, so there have been no incursions by piglet "foreigners" into the wrong plot.   I wish they could explain in plain English what their argument is about, but we are completely baffled.   This is the first time in three sets of litters, with always one sow on each side of the dividing fence, that any sort of hostility has happened.   Does anyone have any ideas what the problem could be?   They each have their own ark, at least 2 metres away from the fence line, and most of the time their respective piglets are inside under the creep lamp.    The only thing in particular I noticed is that one of the 13 saddleback piglets squeaks a lot at feeding time, which seems to infuriate Mango who comes storming out of her ark barking loudly to look for the source of the noise.   We will probably now have to add a line of electric to keep the two sows properly apart, which will undoubtedly pose further problems when the piglets get under it, or accidentally get shocked as they are still far too young for electric in my opinion.  Has anyone ever experience anything like this?   Tamsaddle 

Fowgill Farm

  • Joined Feb 2009
Re: Mystified by sows behaviour
« Reply #1 on: June 12, 2012, 12:04:07 pm »
Sounds like each being protective of their own litters, the squealing one probably upsets both of them and sets them off thinking the other is torturing one of their babies. Earmuffs for both of them. :-J
Will probably all settle down in a few days, i would leave the electric fence for a little while and reinforce the fence with hurdles or pallets. Though a determined sow will plough thro anything!
Anyway you can move one litter away from the other?
We sometimes have show gilts or our boar next door to the farrowing house yard and if any of them go near the piglets the respective sow comes marching out all guns blazing so i do think it is a protective thing.
Sorry not to be much help
Mandy :pig:
 

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Mystified by sows behaviour
« Reply #2 on: June 12, 2012, 01:13:51 pm »
yes defiantly a protective thing     it is even worse with iron age pigs if a piglet squeals  it will charge anything to protect that piglet even if it is not its own    Hampshire's can be quite snorty as well  whereas the lop just does not bother  :farmer:

HappyHippy

  • Guest
Re: Mystified by sows behaviour
« Reply #3 on: June 12, 2012, 01:25:25 pm »
Yup, I agree - protectiveness  ;)
Being that they are first time mum's it'll seem worse too, they should settle down by the next litter (I remember what I was like after my first baby and how uptight I was about everything - mum's soon learn to be a bit more laid back  ;) ;D )
HTH
Karen x

Tamsaddle

  • Joined May 2011
  • Hampshire, near Portsmouth
Re: Mystified by sows behaviour
« Reply #4 on: June 12, 2012, 02:33:31 pm »
How fascinating - I wondered whether it could be protectiveness, but dismissed it as illogical as neither litter/sow is in the slightest danger or a threat to the other.  But I suppose pigs despite their intelligence have no logic at all, and a squealing piglet just sets something off that is completely instinctive over which they have no control.   How nice it would to get them to sit down together over a cup of tea and discuss this calmly, as humans do (sometimes), remembering what good friends they have been in the past.   I do hope it settles down eventually, although I imagine the squealing won't as it is all to do with which feeding position each of the 13 piglets occupies, something that haven't quite sorted yet - still lots of sideways scrambling over and under each other to get to their preferred place, by which time the wanted teat is in use by another.    And off we go again!     Unfortunately I have nowhere else I can put them where they would be completely out of earshot of the other family.

deepinthewoods

  • Guest
Re: Mystified by sows behaviour
« Reply #5 on: June 12, 2012, 05:45:51 pm »
ive no knowledge of this situation, obviously, but if not out of earshot, could you maybe make it out of eyesight. maybe that would placate the situation a bit, if theres no 'visible' threat?

arl

  • Joined Mar 2011
Re: Mystified by sows behaviour
« Reply #6 on: June 13, 2012, 01:09:53 am »
Definateley protectiveness iv had sows with first and even second litters if the piglets are noisy scrabbling little devils they think something is threatening them and will even get up and trample them theirselves looking for the culprit that made tem squeal give them time and stagger the birthing next time just in case you gat noisy babies. sometimes if the milk hasnt dropped fully they scrabble more but it will settle if alls well.
Arl

Tamsaddle

  • Joined May 2011
  • Hampshire, near Portsmouth
Re: Mystified by sows behaviour
« Reply #7 on: June 13, 2012, 06:15:49 pm »
It's definitely an aural thing, not visual, as it is the sound of squealing from within the other ark 4 metres away which sets Mango off and has her charging out of her own ark to investigate, even though her own 7 babies were quietly asleep beside her seconds earlier.  Quite bonkers.   As everyone has suggested, I very much hope it will settle down soon;  I am really surprised it has happened with these two pigs in particular, who were so incredibly docile and laid back before.  Another thing, when the saddleback piglets are right up against the fence line, inches away from her nose, Mango is completely unbothered by them being there - it is only when there is invisible squealing that she gets so agitated.

Polished Arrow

  • Joined Mar 2012
  • Forest of Dean
  • www.cinderhilllfarm.com
    • www.cinderhillfarm.com
Re: Mystified by sows behaviour
« Reply #8 on: June 16, 2012, 02:53:12 pm »
Mmm.  We just built our farrowing units & paddocks next to each other so they had company - may live to regret that, eh?!  ;D



www.cinderhillfarm.com

We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are.
Anais Nin

Tiva Diva

  • Joined Mar 2011
  • Scottish Borders
    • Thornielee Cottage
Re: Mystified by sows behaviour
« Reply #9 on: June 17, 2012, 05:30:01 pm »
Our OSBs were far twitchier about piglets squealing with their first litters; now they look to see what's causing the fuss before they get aerated. All our farrowing pens are in a row next t each other, separated by electric fencing, and we only ever had one pitch invasion which was by Lucy the Mad Mangalitza, who was a total psychopath and got sent for sausages after her second litter. The mum's generally like to have a gossip with each other across the fence. We put 10" high fenders round the entrance to each farrowing ark to keep the piglets in: by the time they're big enough to get out over them they're old enough to learn about the electric fence and their mums are usually a bit more relaxed too.
Hope they settle down

 

Forum sponsors

FibreHut Energy Helpline Thomson & Morgan Time for Paws Scottish Smallholder & Grower Festival Ark Farm Livestock Movement Service

© The Accidental Smallholder Ltd 2003-2024. All rights reserved.

Design by Furness Internet

Site developed by Champion IS