Bred??? 9 month old sow, 10 month old boar... ** Update Piglets! :)

[Hillsvale]

So Boris (our 10 month old 3/4 tamworth, 1/4 berkshire) and Ginger (9 month old pure tamworth) have been together since she was 2 months.... about a month ago Boris's sister went for processing and they only have a young 4 month berk/tam cross in with them.....

I have been watching for signs of piggie friskiness..... Boris has developed a huge set of what nots in the last month or two and tonight I noticed Ginger had actual teats... they appear bigger than the weekend...that I could almost put my hand around if you had a little hand.

So my question is.... I haven't seen any overt interest but they are in a fairly wooded area (they are clearing land), everything I have read indicated that they should have bred by now but I haven't seen anything other than teenage interest to my untrained eyes.... having seen her developing teats over the last while and tonight I wondered whether she was bred and I am just a dummy. Her undercarriage is not as tight as the female we just sent for processing, I don't know when her teats should start to develop.. I don't know that his doings were working because they are no where as big as the junk his daddy had ( I think he was 3 years).....

What do I look for other than the seman plug (which I haven't seen if she is bred), I would hate for them to all be in the pig hut ( its 8 x 8 ) and her give birth and maybe loose some to rolling because I wasn't attentive enough and hadn't moved Boris and perhaps the castrated boar guy back to the first pen on time....

Help, what do I look for? It seems I should have a pregnant sow by now.... jeez time flies!

thanks, shelley

 

[Hillsvale]

well nature answered my question... this morning, one week after noticing nipples develop on our gilt...

7/8 tamworth, 1/8 berkshire

 

[Royd Wood]

Nice piglets - photo of the week me thinks and should taste good

 

[SuburbanFarmChic]

OOOOHH!! That spotty one would look SO SO good in my backyard. I'll just be right over, you'll never miss it.

 

[Hillsvale]

Nice piglets - photo of the week me thinks and should taste good

well the boars sister sure does... she went to freezer camp a few weeks ago!

 

[RIRs]

Veyr cute pigglets love the spotted one. I think this is what its called but correct me if im wrong is your sow crated or is she free with the pigglets?

Thanks,
RIRs

 

[Hillsvale]

we have farrow panels up but its very hot.... she didn't want to go in. The babies came out but she wouldn't settle down enough and babies were running all around her looking for teats so we got her back into her hut and hopefully she will settle down when the dark settles in. We can hear lots of squeeling so hopefully now one gets squished.

 

[SuburbanFarmChic]

They seem to make a LOT of noise for the first two or three days. Ours have anyway. Lots of squealing and yipping and such. I think it helps to keep here aware of them and limits squishing. It still does happen though. Once you get them past the first week we consider them in the clear for being squished. It would take her falling or something, otherwise they seem to know to get out of the way.

Having the farrow panels up will help. Also make sure to move the bedding to behind the panels as she can lay on dirt and be perfectly comfortable but the babies will want to burrow and that is how they get squished.

 

[Hillsvale]

the shelter had a wooden floor... we have little bedding in there, the gilt kept taking it out.

Everyone was good this morning, she came out of the hut so fingers crossed.

 

[RIRs]

How big is the hut your sow is in? Hopefully all your piglets make it.


Thanks,
RIRs