[Buffy the eggs layer]

My gilt has spent this week enjoying sexual shenanigans with a borrowed boar so I am about 114 days fro farrowing.    About 30th April if all goes well.


I have decided to bring her into a lodden stable with access to outside when the time comes so I have been reading some previous topics for ideas on what to expect.


Can you tell me what I need to do when, in terms of increasing her ration, when to separate her, what meds I will need etc.


I planned to use a metal sheep hurdle for a heat creep with the wide gaps at the bottom. being kunes I think they will get through to gap the lamp.


I notice some of you put soil in for iron...? and anti rolling bars...? any other things I need to consider?


I lamb in a few weeks so the pigs will be off the radar until late March so it would be good to get a heads up on what I need to put in place for my porcine pals before lambing takes all my attention.

[Marches Farmer]

I can't advise on feeding quantities for KK's as it's not a breed I've kept, but I increase feed a little, depending on the sow's condition and the weather, for the last fortnight of pregnancy, split into three feeds a day to improve utilisation of the feed.  After farrowing I feed the sow her usual feed and an amount per piglet.  Plenty of fresh water to hand at all times.  I have purpose built housing with farrowing bars and a creep area with infra red lamp.  The vulva will soften in the last days before farrowing, and the udder begin to fill but this is barely discernible in some females.  I provide a thick bed of straw, but well trampled down by me, so the piglets don't disappear into it.  I put the infra red on at night from a few days before farrowing's due - so she gets used to it without stress and I can easily see in to check her after dark.  My farrowing kit includes thick cotton and scissors (in case of problems with the umbilical cord - sometimes they trail and can get trodden on so I tie them off and trim the surplus), antibiotic spray, towels, and a bottle of stout on standby in case the sow doesn't settle down (it's always used but not by the sow!)  I collect molehill soil as it's free of sheep muck and rotting vegetation and put a fresh pile in every day for the first fortnight.

[GribinIsaf]

Really pleased to see this thread as we had a sow with the boar a few days ago and reckon she is due around April 29th.  This is our first time and I was going to ask about increased feed while in pig - see there is already an answer - thanks.  Will keep watching for other useful advice.

[MarthaR]

My first gilt to farrow was from Marches Farmer and her brilliant advice and support got me through it unscathed! The soil tip is great as you'll see them nosing it from a couple of days old. I do now have farrowing bars after losing one to my sow banking up the straw in one corner. It's also worth thinking about having an easy access enclosure outside farrowing quarters that you can let her and them into in the days after farrowing - mine are out and about pretty quickly provided the weather isn't too cold. I bought a large airtight box and put all my 'pig maternity kit' in there. Bought some little syringes and piglet needles just in case but you may already have those if you have sheep. I keep iodine for umbilical cord and also got some milk replacer formula + bottle just to be on the safe side (which I didn't need for the first one but have used since as it keeps really well). Good luck - I was pretty anxious about it but was / is magical.
Martha R 

[greenbeast]

we've just lost a couple of piglets due to crushing, combination of deep straw and lack of farrowing bars in the ark (didn't get to it in time). But i figured that was better than losing them all due to cold :/

No external heat source here

Yes chucked some soil in after a day or two, one sow had already got there before my with a sod of earth.

[Buffy the eggs layer]

Thanks every one. Sounds like farrowing bars are recommended at least for larger breeds. I'm not sure that they are as widely used for Kunes but will google some images to get an idea of how to set sometjing up.


I have Alamycin spray, iodide and obstetric lubricant for the sheep as well as heat lamps, metacam and betamox. I dont tend to keep oxytocin in as a rule but I do keep spectam an a lamb kickstart.


Im guessing most of this will double up for the pigs. I have a box full of needles and syringes but will check that I have enough small ones for the piglets. What night I be injecting them with.


My Sow was injected with Ery parvo before breeding and is due a booster in 3 weeks. Will she or the piglets need vaccinating with anything else?


One thing that I am not short of is molehills but I may need to substitute the stout for a pear cider then we can both have a medicinal tipple. 


I am thinking of putting her in a stable at the end of the stable block which will mean she could potter onto an area of hard standing outside and I could give her access to grass as long as she is in a grazing not rooting mood by spring.


Would you lock her in the stable with the door shut for farrowing? This would be more private and less draughty. Or put a hurdle over the gate so that she can see out?


Here is a pic showing the end stable and access. The pen for the sow would be made with metal sheep hurdles though not the wooden ones in the pic. 

[HappyHippy]

Door shut for farrowing IMHO just on the off chance she does it without you  piglets can sometimes get disorientated and wander away in completely the wrong direction and (without wanting to case alarm, because it's VERY rare) but I have heard of foxes coming in while the sow is farrowing and taking piglets. The sow will go into a trance when farrowing so wouldn't be aware/able to defend 
Iron is about the only standard jab for newborns but it's worth having some needles just in case of emergency. I've never dipped cords or tied them off - so far we've never had a problem (100+ piglets) but everyone is different.
What size of pen are you making her and how are you securing the hurdles? 8ft x 8ft would be a minimum size - once the piglets are a few days old you might need a bit more space. My little kk sow Adelaide was the sweetest pig but regularly trashed pens before farrowing (in that antsy, first stage of labour  ) pens which successfully held big breed sows and boars without problems  (this is when the stout comes in handy)

[Buffy the eggs layer]

I was going to give her the whole stable for farrowing. I'm not sure what size it is exactly without measuring it but horse size so certainly bigger than 8 x 8.
The pen made of interlocking metal hurdles was just for playing out. She is currently used to coming out of her field into a pen made of hurdles for her meals twice a day. We dont lock all the hurdles so she could escape if she chose to nudge them. They would part at one corner rather than buckle if she decided to go off campus. 

[/size]She just potters round it after she has eaten checking for openings and calling for me to let her back in the field to go find the carrots that I scatter for desert. [size=78%]   The wooden hurdles in the pic are 6ft each so the hardstanding area was just to offer a safe exercise space for her and the new piglets really or access to the field next door to the stable depending on the weather.



I have read so many stories of pigs turning into aggressive, piglet killing monsters when farrowing that I think I'm going to need that medicinal beverage.   She is such a good girl normally ( well except for when she is bossing the young castrates) so I do hope she enjoys motherhood as much as she enjoyed mating with the boar

[HappyHippy]

Oh no, my wee sow was fab as soon as farrowing started, she just didn't like labouring on her own (she'd arrive at the house door almost like she was looking for me  ) I don't think I've ever heard of a kunekune going savage. First time gilts can sometimes freak out a bit (after all, no one has read her the baby book) but that's where a can or two of stout comes into their own for chilling out and relaxing 
I thought you meant to make a pen inside the stable for farrowing in - full stable is great  The hurdle pen will last as long as she wants it too, she'll just bulldoze it, if and  when she wants out 
Spend the next few months getting her really used to belly rubs and lying down with you close beside her - this will help both of you feel relaxed when the time comes 

[Buffy the eggs layer]

We have been practicing belly rubs until the boar came and she did get very good at throwing herself on the floor whenever I spoke to her for a tummy massage with baby oil.   I will keep up the bonding as you suggest and read her some chapters from the baby book.   I might take her for a walk to the stable for a treat and familiarisation a few times. She worries a little about new things so exploring the stable block could make it less stressful when the time comes.


The hurdle pen wouldnt hold her if she decided to go as you rightly say which is why I dont lock her feeding pen. If she wants to escape she will do but no point damaging my lovely hurdles in the process.   She would only escape into the farm yard any how and would soon be following me back to her field with the help of a little food.[size=78%] [/size]
[/size]
[/size]How long should I keep her locked in the stable after farrowing? Should I be getting the piglets out and about asap subject to the weather?[size=78%]

[MarthaR]

I don't inject proactively other than for Erysipelas as had a couple of instances of it here. Use soil for iron and had no issues with that method. Other than that, just reactively in case of illness but given piglets can go downhill fast I keep meds and kit on site. Most of the meds you mention are what I have used - Betamox is what I ended up injecting one of my litters with when they got a case of scours (e-coli suspected). Worked fine and cleared up rapidly but was using the tiny syringes - 1ml or 2.5ml ones with the 5/8" 21g needles. I let them out after 2-3 days or so provided the weather is ok which is should be by the time you're farrowing. Mum up and out after decent initial rest (mine have always farrowed night-time so following morning after a good few hours) so I can check she's ok and toileting, eating, drinking etc.
II should be right behind you - one of my Old Spot girls Flo, due early May as well.
Martha R

[Buffy the eggs layer]

Thats great Martha,


   we can buddy up for fussing and fretting   


There dosent seem to be as much info about for farrowing pigs as there is for lambing sheep. Though having said that there dosent seem to be the same need for increased feeding, vac's, assisting etc.


Sounds like I have everything in place except the anti rolling bars,

[Buffy the eggs layer]

Ok,


 had a look for farrowing bars on google images but I find the images of commercial pigs too upsetting. Can anyone post a pic of their set up?

[SophieYorkshire]

Buffy send me a PM with your email and I'll send you some photos of my set up if you like. I have 80+ sows at the mo and use stables for farrowing regularly.

IMO, anti-roll bars are only semi successful. They work best in smaller areas, almost farrowing crate size. Otherwise you can only effectively use them on two sides of her bed.

Some sows do squash their young, I've recently dispatched one that obliterated 50% of her litter every time  BUT 90% will be extra careful and absolutely fine. If you get the weaners through their first 48 hours then they should have their wits about them enough to not get squashed by then.

To be honest I would use something more solid than a wooden hurdle as a creep, she may only be a KK but if she thinks there's something nice in there she may trash it. You want to make sure she keeps out so she doesnt lie under the lamp and get too hot. Also be wary that your lamp isn't too low - I toasted a weaner once! 

Last thing that wasn't on your list - a big bucket and shovel, if she doesn't scoff her afterbirth you'll need to remove it. Nothing worse than slipping on it when you go in for a peek!

[Marches Farmer]

We have round 7cm poles about 9cm off the ground and curved at both ends to set in concrete.  They are about 75 cm apart, which means the sow has plenty of room but has to lie down carefully (the sties are a minimum of 3 metres square).  Some folks worm the sows prior to farrowing, but we don't because we have a closed herd on concrete and they're mucked out daily.   Because piglets are designed to come in quite large quantities compared to sheep they're commensurately small in size.  We try to be around for farrowing and help the piglets round to the milk bar as they appear but haven't yet had to assist the sow.