Author Topic: Weaning piglets....stressed sow :( (Read 2498 times)

Porterlauren · « **on:** April 07, 2014, 11:21:39 am »

Hello everyone,

My partner and I have a saddleback sow and 7 piglets, they are now 10 weeks old and we managed to separate them yesterday to wean them off mum.....now, piglets seem happy enough, however the sow was a little down and when my partner went to feed them all this morning she had spent the night by the fence rather than in her arc

We are both quite new to this, and worried about the stress on the sow having separated them.....their paddocks are next to each other and she can still smell and hear them....
I was wondering if we should maybe fence off half of her new paddock and keep her at the far end for a while so she can't hear them maybe?
Any advice would be massively appreciated, the last thing I want is her to be anymore stressed than necessary

Thankyou in advance

Lauren

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #1 on:** April 07, 2014, 12:45:33 pm »

Has she got another pig for company? If they're used to company, then they will mope when they are on their own.

Ideation · « **Reply #2 on:** April 07, 2014, 12:51:14 pm »

No she came to us on her own with her seven piglets . . . . .

The only other pigs on the property at the moment are a couple of stores for the freezer and they are a bit frisky )one being male) so was reluctant to put her in with them.

Our biggest concern is that she spent last night sleeping in the rain and cold, up against the fence of the compund that the piglets are in (The piglets however, slept in their ark).

I was quite worried this morning that she will become ill.

P.S I'm the partner lol.

Berkshire Boy · « **Reply #3 on:** April 07, 2014, 02:48:53 pm »

She is too near the piglets. She needs to be moved away so that she can't hear or smell them.

Ideation · « **Reply #4 on:** April 07, 2014, 03:06:41 pm »

I guessed that may be the case.

Out of interest, how far, is far enough?

Surely folk are not always able to move them great distances away?

hughesy · « **Reply #5 on:** April 07, 2014, 03:48:44 pm »

Out of sight is out of mind.

Fowgill Farm · « **Reply #6 on:** April 07, 2014, 05:03:38 pm »

Hughsey is exactly right.
You need to move her away completely from the piglets for a good few days, have you a stable or building she can be moved into?
When you get her moved try calming her down with a couple of tins of beer or stout, her udder will be painful with being full of milk still so a couple of ibruprofen (200mg) hidden in a treat such as a banana will help.
make a big fuss of her and spend some time with her if you can, failing that try leaving the radio on got her so she's not alone, after a few days she'll come into season and be so desparate for a boyfriend

she'll forget all about the babies at that time you can either put her in with the boar, if you put her back to the pen she'll still march about but it'll becoz she's mad for IT! Once her season is over she'll be back to her old self (Bit like baby blues & PMT in us ladies

)
HTH
mandy

Ideation · « **Reply #7 on:** April 07, 2014, 06:48:31 pm »

Thanks for the replies!

Just been out and sectioned off a new pen for her . . . as far away as possible from her litter, and much smaller, so she would either be using the ark to sleep. . . . or sleeping right next to it. I hope with those two options. . . . she will pick the former.

Unfortunately no barn yet. . . . just an old railway carriage that the stores are using.

But that's the next plan, we're building a 30f by 20ft barn 'in the round'. . . . . and I can't wait until it's done.