Hi All,
Graham has just asked about putting his newly born piglets outside.
"just had a litter of pigs born will they go outside if it is muddy or shall i bring them in?"
Let me know if you have any advice for Graham.
Kind regards
sara @ farmingfriends
Hi Graham,
Congratulations on the birth of your piglets. Where did the sow farrow, outdoors or inside? If it was outside then I would make sure that the shelter has plenty of fresh clean straw and bales around it for insulation and to keep the piglets protected from wind, rain and direct sunlight when it is hot, so that the piglets are kept warm, dry and don't get sunstroke.
If they were born inside then they usually have a heat lamp for the first few days/week.
If the piglets are reared outside then they will get iron from the soil and grass they root about in but if indoors give them a piece of turf to root about on and access to water at all times for both indoor and outdoor piglets.
Hope the piglets are doing well - what sort of pigs are they?
Kind regards
Sara @ farmingfriends
Hi all
I have had two sows pig outside and in very wet conditions. The first Sow had 13 piglets 1 month ago and 10 survive. The three that died did so within 24 hours of birth and it probably had a lot to do with the bab weather at the time.
The second sow had 10 piglets and again 3 died in similar cirscumstances to the above. These are now 1 week old.
All are now well and and they are thriving.
I would think that if Grahams' piglets have somewhere dry to lie and sleep, and they are feeding well enough from the mother then all will probably be ok. If they have survived thus far then there is probably little to be gained by bringing them in at this stage
Regards
Michael
Hi All,
I recently had a litter from 5 sows and I have lost 11 piglets leaving 26. I realized one piglet was having loose stools and injected it with penicillin and it recovered and gained appreciable weight. How do I prevent these deaths next time. Please can anybody advice me on the best way to feed them for a good growth rate and what weight should I expect before I can sell.
Regards
Paa
Hi Paa,
Sorry to hear this. It could be lack of iron as piglets need to have iron when they are young. http://farmingfriends.com/iron-for-piglets/
You can inject them in the first week of being born if they are not outside with iron medication either into the neck or bottom. If they are outdoor pigs then they may be getting enough iron from the soil.
Alternatively you can give them clumps of soil/grass to suffle on and root through if they are indoor pigs instead of injecting.
The loose stools sounds like scours, a quick change in their diet can upset their stomaches and give them scours.
When the piglets are young they should be getting the milk from the sow and then you can supplement the piglets milk from the sow with creep feed (pig pellet food) before they are weaned.
I will look up the weight for selling as I can't remember off the top of my head as it's a few years since I kept pigs.
Kind regards
Sara @ farmingfriends
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