Diarrhea treatment

jwh210

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One week ago I picked up 3 pigs (large black crosses). Two sows and a young boar. The sows were approx 70 pounds and have already put on about 10 pounds this week! (At least it appears so). I plan on breeding them and the only intact boar I could get was about 15-20 pounds. He was the only survivor of a litter that got underneath the mother... Anyway, yesterday, after being confined separately in stalls to get used to the barn I turned them loose into the new pig pasture (old goat pasture). All was well and then after an hour or so of rooting around I noticed the little guy had very loose scours and one of the bigger sows was slightly loose. I gave them a packet of pig electrolytes that I got at tractor supply. Today all three have diarrhea. These pigs came from a farm where they were never given the chance to root outdoors. Another concern I have is the leftover goat manure in the pasture. It's about a half acre area maybe a bit ore and I simply could not clean it all up.... My questions are:
1) I am out of pig electrolytes but have plenty of manna pro goat electrolytes. Can I give this to the pigs? Would it be beneficial?
2) is it possible for pigs to get coccidiosis from old goat manure? I treat the goats twice a year with 40% dimethox. So the goats, as nearly all do, have coccidiosis but it is very much under control. Is the treatment for pigs the same or should I try amprolium? I have some around but have had very poor results using it on goat kids so I have stuck with the other treatment since it works so well...
3) I am feeding all three pigs (as much as they want) hog feed for 40 pounds and over from tractor supply. They did not have pig starter. I forget the brand and the bag is in the barn. But I believe it is dumor. I have not started feeding breads or produce scraps yet.
ANY INPUT is GREATLY appreciated as I am new to pig problems. In the past we have simply purchased 30-35 pound piglets in the spring and raised them until the fall when we would put them in the freezer. Never had any problems in the past. Due to the difficulty in finding piglets and the price of piglets in general we decided to breed them and as luck would have it, after the first week, we are already having problems. Thanks in advance. Again, any advice is greatly appreciated!
 

jk47

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well I use Corid if I think my pigs have coccidiosis and they might just be loose because their in a new area and new feed I use anti-diarrhea medicine on the feed and they normally clears up in a week
 

M.L. McKnight

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This might seem a bit weird but I lean towards the old time approach when it comes to taking care of my critters. Keep doing what you are doing but also mix some oatmeal in their feed. Not tons, just maybe 1/2c per hog per day. Feed it dry as a topping or if you want to spoil them- mix it with a few raw eggs. The 'science' behind this method is that when someone eats too much oatmeal or a lot of cheese they get plugged up, the same will be true for your hogs. All this will really do is slow their scours down and allow their bodies to absorb more of the liquid. Stress, temperature fluctuations, new feed, new gut bacteria and etc can all cause scours.

I actually got a scare a few weeks back. I have Spot x Hamp pigs wandering around the pasture while their momma stays penned so I can keep them semi contained until they are weaned. They graze, get into everything under the sun, eat feed and still nurse. I began noticing a few of them with green squirts and I was getting set to isolate them and possibly have a pig roast to keep anything from spreading. I did the best thing any pig farmer can, I sat an watched them. Those little twirps were eating all of the green grasses and weeds that they could hold, filling up on milk, then running around fighting and chewing on each other. That combination made for the nastiest stuff you ever did see coming out of the south end of a north bound pig! That cleared up but I mentioned the story because I almost overreacted and I have been dealing with hogs for a long darn time. Just find a bucket or a stump and give your herd a gander, you're liable to find your answer.
 

jhm47

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Going from confinement and dry feed to pasture and lush weeds/grass will upset any animal's digestive system. Give them some time, monitor their stools for any signs of bloody diarrhea, and chill out. These things have a way of working themselves out. Good luck!
 

jwh210

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Thanks for all the help guys. I top dressed their feed with some oatmeal, made sure they had plenty of water, and gave em about two weeks to adjust to the pasture. At this point it's 100% cleared up. I guess I did just need to chill out but I spent money to get them and I guess I'm just used to how fast goats can go downhill. My experience with goats and scours has me in the fix it right now mindset before its too late. Thanks again. Btw, I've decided to sell off the rest of my mini nubian goats. I'm about to post them on here in the classifieds. After three years of goats I'm pretty much out of brush and getting more grass. Time to make room for some sheep!
 
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