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farrowing problems

2403 Views 6 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  vtfarma, 
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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
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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.
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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.
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