[SuzyJ]

Our 6 piglets are doing well and getting bigger every day, they're quite happy still with mum and have started on small amounts of solid food. They're now 16 days old.

Yesterday I noticed that 3 of them have blackened tails and one seems to have lost a small part of it's tail. After reading up on the internet I've come to the conclusion it could be frostbite as the weekend they were born was below -20 C. The temperatures are now milder.

What can I do to make sure they aren't in pain etc? We're currently snowed in again therefore the vet is unable to come see them and our neighbour who has bred lots of pigs says not to worry about it they'll be fine.

Any advice would be most appreciated

[Hilarysmum]

Its probably totally different however we had a saddleback sow who produced 12 babies, and most of their tails became shortened.  The temperate Brittany climate could not have caused frostbite.

She was sold on to another breeder, a couple of years down the line her Granddaughter produced piglets whose tails also became shortened (one looked as if it had been deliberately docked).  Her own daughter has also produced piglets with this problem.  In this case it was obviously genetic.  Anyway they never appeared to feel any discomfort either when their tails disappeared or after.

[SuzyJ]

Thank you for replying Hilarysmum. They don't seem to be bothered by it and are all suckling well and gaining weight. 5 out of 6 are eating small amounts of solid feed regularly with the other occasionally eating but more interested in rooting around.

Maybe I'm worrying a little too much but we're quite new to breeding pigs, our neighbour has been very helpful but as we aren't fluent in Bulgarian sometimes it's hard to understand exactly what is being said!

[Malc]

We had a litter of 13 Saddlebacks just before Christmas and three had what I thought were injured tails after about a week. They're a rowdy bunch and I put it down to a fight. I gave them all the purple spray and two healed fine, but about half of one lad's tail dropped off. He seems fine and is now called Stumpy.
We're in Orkney which isn't as cold as you'd think and we haven't had a proper frost this winter, so a genetic hiccup may explain it.

[ukag0972]

We've had one or two who have lost their tail tips. I have put it down to piglet fights.
Ive also had one or two with funky ears as they were bruised just after the birth scrapple, and the dead tissue just dropped off!!

[SuzyJ]

They all seem happy enough and are doing what pigs do lol

All eating today and running about like mad, also chewing my wellies. Will find some antiseptic and give them a quick spray although they don't look like they're bothered by it. The other 3 have normal looking tails.

Hoping the snow goes here soon as we're out of adult pig feed and having to boil up barley, rice, oats and allsorts to keep the older pigs fed. Still have quite a bit of starter feed so piglets get what they need.

[Hilarysmum]

Hoping the snow goes here soon as we're out of adult pig feed and having to boil up barley, rice, oats and allsorts to keep the older pigs fed. Still have quite a bit of starter feed so piglets get what they need.

We had the same problem in January, I almost kissed the feed man when he finally arrived.  (Not a bad idea actually he is quite a looker)

[SuzyJ]

Awful being stuck and running out of feed. We don't usually go out much to be honest but when the choice is taken away it kind of hits hard.

Hubby is at present trying to dig the car out as the human food is running low too!

[Hilarysmum]

Every sympathy - nothing worse than the idea of being snowed in without the necessary supplies.  They are threatening snow here this pm.

[SuzyJ]

Just been out to feed the piglets and 2 of them now have stumpy tails, the blackened part has fallen off. They seem happy enough though and have tucked into their tea.

Did manage to get out and restock on some essentials and the weather forecast is for rain which hopefully will get rid of some of the snow to make driving a bit easier so have a big shopping trip planned for monday 

shouldn't be winter here much longer - we're usually wearing shorts by the end of march