My own drama with just the two Tamworth piglets did not end on the Friday they were born - it has been almost non stop and no sleep for me since. After what looked like good suckling on Friday, and nudgy sort of suckling on Saturday, by Sunday the two were looking decidedly skinny, and lots of Mum sitting on her middle not making teats available, hence they spent most of the time on their own under the heat lamp. I bottle fed them a tiny quantity of goats milk on Sunday afternoon, but they were reluctant to take it, and by Monday both looked completely skeletal - terrifying. The sow meanwhile still had some milk, in the back 3 teats they had chosen, which I could get out by milking them, but she seemed to be very unwilling to allow the piglets to suckle (unlike Mrs. Saddleback with 10 new piglets next door where the feeding pattern is now normal and perfect). I decided very reluctantly that supplementary feeding was the only thing that would save them from certain death, all the while knowing that the less they suckled their mum the less her milk supply would be - horrible dilemma as to what to do. Fortunately, I tried putting the goats milk in a bowl, and both got the idea immediately and gulped it up at the rate of knots. I also collected some Oxytocin, and managed to get two 1 ml shots in, there was definitely easy milk to get out after that (by me), and although she looked like she was doing one proper feed with them, there was nothing on offer after that. None of that lovely grunting calls. By then I had also bought Multimilk, mainly for lambs, but also can be fed to piglets, puppies and other animals, and changed to that, which may have been a mistake, as last night, Tuesday, there was a little scouring, but that may also be due to them gorging themselves after days of eating nothing. As I had nothing else last night for the scouring I also gave them drinking water, and this morning, Wednesday, both seemed to be in fine form, and literally miraculous how their shrunken bodies have returned to a normal piglet shape after just two days of supplementary feeding. Finally today I have installed a CCTV camera in the ark so can see absolutely for sure that Rhubarb is not offering them any feed opportunities, although they run round her all the time squeaking and trying to get at her teats, which she then sits on so that they cant reach them. By this afternoon they were play fighting, very good sign, and very lively, and came out of the ark and ran about, so hopefully this artificial milk is doing the trick. If I can get them through to a week old at least, without any problems such as scouring or laboured breathing, I shall be very relieved.
Sorry this is so long. Anyway, my advice for Mandy as I am right in the middle of this as we speak, is to try your tiny piglet with a bowl - you would have to remove him from the others and put him in a separate box otherwise the big ones will consume all the milk and stop him getting any. The advantage of a bowl is they can take exactly how much they want. Either goat's milk or the Multimilk seem to be fine, but stick to one or the other. I am offering it to them approx. every 2 hours in the daytime and every 3 hours at night, and they always drink eagerly, though not much volume on some occasions. If you can get some down him, bottle or bowl, you will be quite amazed how he will fill out in just 1 or 2 days - definitely worth it, even though I have been feeling deep guilt myself about getting in the way and taking over. But I am really determined to try and keep my two Tamworth babies alive if at all possible, and I just don't think their mum could manage it by herself, heavens knows why. Best of luck - Tamsaddle
Topic: The Fowgill Thirteen (Read 8019 times)
