Hello to all,
I had a good set of questions recently on my other site,
Heritage Hog Breeders Club, that I thought might help some folks here:
"At this point in time, we have never had a litter of piglets to call our own. Yes, we have AI(ed) our son's pig and she is due on July 19th (+/-). As part of his 4H swine project, we put together a 1st aid kit for pigs. Now we would like to know what you all keep on hand when the big day of you piglets come.
- What do you do the first couple of days of their new life out of the womb?
- Are you for or against teeth clipping?
- For or against tail docking. If you tail dock, how much of the tail do you leave.
- How do you make up your mind which boar to keep intact?
- Fact or fiction that most sows give birth at night?
- Any additional information will he HELPFUL to us.
Thanks!"
"
What do you do the first couple of days of their new life out of the womb?
I try to be present every time that a sow farrows. While she is in hard labor she goes into a kind of "coma" and is not able to assist any piglets. Most of the piglets do fine without help. They emerge in their sack and as they wriggle around the sack tears away and they are able to breathe. Then they walk/crawl to the sow's teats, tearing off their umbilical cord in the process, find a teat and start suckling.
Occasionally there is a piglet that needs help. One may become "stuck" in the birth canal, because it is bent, and needs assistance coming out. If they struggle a lot during birth they may be too exhausted to wriggle around and may suffocate if the sack doesn't tear to allow them to breathe. Some will inhale lots of birth fluid and need to be resuscitated. Sometimes the umbilical cord will wrap around their necks or their faces will become covered with placental tissue. They also may suffocate if these conditions prevent them from breathing.
Depending on the location where they are born some new piglets may wander away from the sow and die if it is too cold or hot. They can also be injured or get stuck under rocks or tree limbs. And of course, mama might lay on one as she moves during farrowing.
We have had to move litters to safer or warmer locations; this can be done soon after all have been born.
My sweetie and I have saved several piglets simply by being there to help as needed.
The sow also needs attention during and after farrowing. We check to ensure that the placentas were properly expelled and keep the sow as calm as we can through petting and soft encouragement. We also provide water to her; this is usually a very welcome thing for her.
After a day or two of suckling the piglets are able to walk around and have the strength to save themselves from most hazards. We do check on all new piglets a few times each day for the first few days.
Are you for or against teeth clipping?
For or against tail docking. If you tail dock, how much of the tail do you leave.
Tooth clipping and tail docking is not something to be "for or against". They are simply not necessary in most cases; doing them anyway is just not smart hog management. It is easy to crack a tooth and that and a bloody tail are open invitations for infection.
Piglet's teeth do hurt but the sow generally manages that well. She grunts and growls to teach the piglets and will get up and walk away if they get too aggressive. If she has more piglets than she can feed then we move the excess to another lactating sow (after they have had colostrum). The only time that clipping may make sense is if the sow is in a farrowing crate and can't protect herself. But I've never needed and will not use farrowing crates.
Cutting tails is only necessary if the piglets are kept in close confinement. They bite each others tails as a response to the stress of overcrowding. Give the piglets adequate space and this does not become an issue.
How do you make up your mind which boar to keep intact?
We don't castrate any of our boar piglets. We leave that decision to our customers. We also plan for when we will want to keep a replacement boar and then select the most active, intelligent and dominant boar after weaning.
Fact or fiction that most sows give birth at night?
Fiction. It happens when she goes into labor. It is heavily influenced by stress so we try to provide our sows with a low stress environment the last week.
Any additional information will he HELPFUL to us.
Don't be afraid. It's a fairly clean and automated process. Gilts are the most apt to have problems; sows with a few litters behind them usually do it without needing any help. I've even had one sow farrow her first few piglets while she was grazing...
Here's a farrowing kit:
Clean, sharp scissors. Long and thin blades are best.
A small spool of thread.
Iodine or other antiseptic.
A kitchen towel or two.
Latex or other surgical gloves.
Flashlight or lantern.
Also have some colostrum and a bottle in case you have to bottle feed one or two.
You can tell that a sow is soon to farrow if you can express milk from one or more of her teats.
When each piglet is born make sure they can breathe. The birth sack should tear away within a few seconds of birth. If it doesn't, gently tear it so that the piglet's nose, mouth and eyes are exposed. The remainder will dry very quickly and easily tear or peel away within a few minutes. Remove any placental tissue from the piglet.
If the piglet has a lot of fluid in its mouth or lungs, gently clean out its mouth and carefully hold it upside down. Hold it by its chest and carefully squeeze and gently shake (just a bit) to help expel the fluid.
If its dead at birth it most likely died in the womb or birth canal. Nothing you can do. If several are born dead then one may have blocked the canal or the sow may have a health issue.
The last piglet is born when it is born. Good luck figuring that out. It may take one or two hours or it can take several hours (hence the need for the flashlight...) If an hour lapses between births then one may be blocking the birth canal. Put on a glove, pour some iodine on it, and go in and see if you can feel a stuck piglet. If you feel a face, reach around to the shoulders and gently pull the piglet. If you feel back feet, hold them and pull. If you feel anything else you will need to gently move the piglet into position. Sometimes it will then be expelled or you may have to pull it.
The umbilical cords will generally not be a problem as they tear on their own. But if, after tearing, it is so long that it interferes with the piglet's ability to walk then you need to cut it shorter. Clean the scissors with iodine. Use the thread to tightly tie the cord leaving a few inches on the piglet. Cut it a half inch below the tie. Dip the end in iodine. You can also dip all the other cord ends as a precaution against infection. Don't cut a cord that hasn't torn; the blood and fluid need to drain naturally before it tears or you cut it. The remaining cords will dry within a day and fall off soon afterwards.
Most piglets make it to a teat on their own but you may have to point a few in the right direction. You may also need to hold a weak piglet to a teat for awhile to ensure it gets enough colostrum.
Never create a bottle baby. If the sow has enough teats then let all the piglets suckle naturally. But if she has too many and you don't have another lactating sow you may have to bottle feed one or two. That's why you need to have swine colostrum and a bottle on hand. Prefert nipples are the best.
If a piglet gets too cold gently warm it with one of the towels.
If a piglet is born deformed let it die or help it along. To do otherwise is to cause a piglet to live with pain.
Let the sow clean up the placentas. If she doesn't, dispose of them well away from the piglets; it could attract predators.
If you must notch the piglets do so within the first few days. Use iodine on the tool and to clean the cuts then use blood stopping powder. Check the ears for a few days and treat if infection is evident.
Best luck!
Brian"
