Author Topic: Just a couple of questions (Read 5353 times)

magpiefeather · « **on:** March 31, 2008, 10:33:22 am »

Hi

We got our pigs on Friday and they seem to have settled in well and are quite happy but I have a couple of questions.

1) they seem to scratch a lot is this normal, I have had a look at them and can't see any bugs, but thought I would see what the 'experts' thought.

2) I am still confused about worming, I have read some previous posts but am still unsure. I am thinking to give them a wormer just in case. Any recommendations as to what to use?

3) Feed, again seems a total minefield, have read and reread previous posts but still not sure. I person we bought our 3, 16 weekers from said half a bucket a day of sow nuts between them. Does this seem right to you ? And do you really have to weigh your veg and take away the equivalent in nuts to allow for the excess?

I don't want to go wrong at this early stage we are rearing for meat and one of the main things I get from previous posts is that this is an important time for laying down good meat.

Thanks for your help and time in replying

Heather

nellie · « **Reply #1 on:** March 31, 2008, 11:32:37 am »

hi re your questions

1 the scatching sounds like mites - our pigs have never had them but I believe Tamworths can be prone- Kate will probably answer this question better

2 worming

were the pigs wormed when you bought them - we worm our weaners when they leave to go onto new homes - so check if this has been done we use an wormer that we dispense via a jam butty

3 feed - half a bucket of pig nuts between 3 doesnt seem a lot - do you suplement their diet with any extra vegtables etc

my 18 weeks have 1.5 kilos of food each a day plus our vegetable scaps ( we feed them morning & evening)

if you pigs are underfed they will put on weight more slowly ....over feeding = fat pigs

we send our pigs at 30 weeks and they are aroud 70-80 kilo carcass weight - they have a nice layer of fat with out being too fatty

we start them on a piglet feed after 3 weeks and by 8 weeks they are on 1 kilo of feed a day

we gradually increase this until they are on 2 kilos a day for ' finishing'

hope this helps

just one opinion

- sure there will be others posting here

pigsatlesrues · « **Reply #2 on:** March 31, 2008, 12:22:29 pm »

Heather, feed wise as Nellie says really. Very important not to overfeed otherwise you run the risk of possible health problems with your pigs as well as being a total waste of money to put your euros into fat!

Lice are a Tammy problem - they are flat black little insects that bury their heads under the skin and cause terrible irratation to your pig. Pigs love to scratch anyway but a pig with lice will start to lose their hair and feel very uncomfortable. You can usually spot them aroung the neck area and ears. If a pig is too infested they will spread down the back and into the ears. We sent a young male out for stud to someone who we thought would look after him. He was returned to us lousy! Inside his ear were black with the lice and his body covered. A quick fix was a liquid coaltar which we got from the vet. You dilute per the instructions - using gloves - very important - sponge the liquid all over infected areas. You can be quite liberal over the body but it is very important to squeeze out the excess before going near the ears, then wipe around the ears, inside and out if necessary, sponging the area carefully, avoiding the eyes. It kills them within an hour - it works very fast. Thereafter just keep an eye open for any more signs. If they have already had them then another tale tale sign are eggs around the neck areas which are like tiny little white droplets.

Worming as Nellie describes also - can be bought in a powder form from the vet and give in a sandwhich or small amount of Farrine D'orge.

We personally inject an antiparasite injection which treats for all parasites internal and external which we administer every four months. Having said that this has been a bad year for mites so important to check regularly. The injection can be bought from the vet over the counter in single doses. It is important that there is a period of around 60 days after giving this treatment and before finishing.
On a small scale it is probably better to give the powder treatment and use coaltar if necessary. We have so many that the injections are more efficient for us.

Good luck and keep us posted. Any other queries just ask, there are lots of knowledgeable people on here.

Kate

Rosemary · « **Reply #3 on:** March 31, 2008, 09:08:12 pm »

We feed ours 1lb feed per day for every month of age up to 6 months, so our three 8 week old weaners are getting 3lb feed night and morning between them. Sorry I'm in old money, but I still can't get the hang of kilos and stuff. Unless we're feeding lodas of bread, pasta, veg, we don't adjust the feed, especially when they are young.

I'm all itchy now after reading about lice. Must get Dan to rub me down with the coaltar again...

pigsatlesrues · « **Reply #4 on:** March 31, 2008, 09:40:23 pm »

Make sure you moisterise afterwards Rosemary!

Kate

magpiefeather · « **Reply #5 on:** April 01, 2008, 09:58:44 am »

Thanks for the replies, I have had another good look at them and I can not see any signs of lice, could it be because they are so hairy !!

I was told they were wormed, so I guess in theory I wouldn't need to do them again.

I am looking forward to getting through my first batch of pigs, as I wont feel so inexperienced with hopefully the next lot. They are simple to look after except for the fact I am panicing that they will be fatting up not meating up.