Our sow, who has had 4 litters easily with 15 total on her last one had 7 within 1-1/2 to 2 hours. She then went 2 hours and delivered a rather stessed, limp piglet that we rubbed alive but later lost followed by a placenta. We figured that was it and went to bed after a half an hour or so. I got up all night every half an hour to check them. Well we lost the 8th one early in the morning. The sow was tired and the other piglets were nursing fine. We went about our day doing chores etc. checking them all regularly. 15 hours after she had the 8th piglet she delivered a 9th. We were not in there. I had checked her 10 minutes before Ron went in. This one was stillborn we believe. It was laying on a water sack/ placenta. We couldn't revive it. We waited for the next placenta nothing. We checked her nothing. The vet came and checked her and gave her a shot of oxcytocin and she is better. VERY Crabby! She came after me this morning. I just pushed her head down. She is very touchy. Anyone else experience this or see what we could have done to forsee this situation. What about crabby Moms. She has snapped at me a couple of times and charged me once. What about farrowing pens? what does everyone do for this? Thanks for the info...Laurie
I haven't experienced anythng similar with my wild pigs. I've read that sows can and do snap as a reaction to the farrowing though. Mine could care less about my presence unless I pick up a piglet and it starts squealing One of my sows took a chunk out of one of her own piglets when the piglet stepped in front of her during farrowing (piglet made it through that) The oxytocin is what I've always read also- that should take care of any other unborn piglets but sounds like they wouldn't make it this late Sorry. Everyone I know around here who raises domestic pigs uses a farrowing crate so the sows won't roll over on their young. I can't tell you from experience comparing domestic and wild but the wild sows are very careful not to lie down on the piglets and the piglets seem to have an instinctual aversion to running beneath mom or getting too close until she's lying down. I don't use anything special or separate them. If your sow was in excellent health prior to farrowing, it just may be she's losing conditioning. Four months is an awful long time to wait for a disappointment . I hope everything works out from here on.
Hi! I used to run a large commercial operation (100 sows, farrow to finish market hogs) We used farrowing crates of which the only advantage is the sow doesn't eat/crush as many pigs. It also relieves the danger to humans. Most sows don't want people fooling around w/their pigs, but in a crate, there's nothing they can do about it. I can reach in and get any pig any time, and old mom can stand there and snap and snort, but I'm completely safe. I hope you're not too attached to your sow, because it's time to sell her for sausage. The productive life of a sow in our operation was about 4 litters. Some, 5 or 6. Some, 1 or 2. Sounds like your sow has been a good producer, and anything over a 10 pig average weaned per litter is great. I'd recommend keeping one of the gilts from this latest litter as a replacement sow. At least you know it comes from a mom who's a good producer/milker. When a sow begins to have these long deliveries, it's a sign of age and the lack of muscle tone required for quick deliveries. They often will have a pig that gets hung up in the birth canal and as it decays, the sow becomes infected and usually dies. Take my advice and sell your sow after she weans this liter and plan on keeping one or 2 of her offspring for replacements.
Our gut is it is time to make her into sausage. She is tired and fighting to stay running I think. "Julie" has been a good girl ... I did however ask for a dart gun when I went to pick up me syringes at the supply house. They just laughed ... I was kind of serious. :haha: I had a hard enough time with her shots when I gave them to her before babies. She is very fast for something that big! I never knew I could move that fast. I was up and over the waterer and out the door in no time. She has some awful nice gilts. Long, strong and feisty it may be hard choosing. I have never been afraid of any of our animals and now I am not afraid but very leary. We are keeping it that one of us does not go in alone and it has to be calm, familiar people and voices.
Hello, what do you farrow in? We have a "hog house" (also called a "farrowing house") we use to use ( this year it will house my ducks, geese and show chickens :haha: ) Theres a spot for mama hog and then bars 6 inches on both sides of her so she doesnt lay on piglets, the piglets have a lil "stall" where they go for heat, water, ect. The reaction you got from mom is proble normal, as shows get older they mkae better pigs, but at the other poster said this is a problem. WE once raised farrow to finsh, and out of 20 sows, 5 of them had pigs...that was the last year. Well i hope everything works out. We had hogs free range one year and that was FUN! haha...wish we could get back into it....Just no money in hogs anymore unless your a big name club pig producer...oh well :no: SC
I totally agree with Boleyz about your situation. My husband and I raised hogs for years after we married and some sows were worse than others. We just knew which ones we could get around and which ones we couldn't. The meanest one we had prolapsed after a litter of pigs.... we kept her one litter too long. Sounds like your sow is getting old and grumpy. Grumpy sows don't stay on our place long. The only reason we kept the one that had prolapsed was because she belonged to my husband's uncle and he gave her to us.
We pulled the piglets ... she had no milk and they were dropping like flies. She was absolutely nasty for 3 days after that. It is not a pleasant experience to go in there even now. She flips her water, grain everything. She will be heading for slaughter shortly. We need the space and since she has had such a difficult time (we have 3 of 9 left) we feel she probably had one too many litters given the erysipilas. It has definetely been an education.
