Gilt nursing problems. Need help/advice

[mattjmccreary]

Hello. I am new to this thread. We had a gilt have 9 babies this morning and she is still contracting and not letting babies nurse. How long do contractions happen ask how long can babies go without nursing. Need help or tips. We can call the vet but we are in a blizzard right now.

 

[farmerjan]

I tried to answer your other thread. Several questions.... What type/breed of hog? If she is still have contractions, she is trying to either have another pig that might be stuck or pass the afterbirth or something. In what way is she not letting the piglets nurse? getting up and down? If so, there is a possible problem inside as most sows will just lay and have pigs and not get up or move around. If she is nervous, is it because she is not used to people being around her and up close all the time? If you are having bad weather/blizzard then I understand wanting to make sure the pigs get out, dried, warm, and nestled against her to nurse. But maybe she is just not used to having someone... or more than one person up close and it is making her more upset. A sow will sometimes get up and move if they instinctively think that something is wrong - stuck- whatever.... by getting up and moving, it changes the pressure, shape of the delivery tract, dislodges a pig maybe stuck partway through....
Maybe she has a pig in there that she can't get moved along. Not knowing the set up, can you get your hand up in there and see if there is a pig stuck? She may be trying to pass the afterbirth....
Sorry, it is just really hard to say when there is no "eyes on".....

 

[mattjmccreary]

I tried to answer your other thread. Several questions.... What type/breed of hog? If she is still have contractions, she is trying to either have another pig that might be stuck or pass the afterbirth or something. In what way is she not letting the piglets nurse? getting up and down? If so, there is a possible problem inside as most sows will just lay and have pigs and not get up or move around. If she is nervous, is it because she is not used to people being around her and up close all the time? If you are having bad weather/blizzard then I understand wanting to make sure the pigs get out, dried, warm, and nestled against her to nurse. But maybe she is just not used to having someone... or more than one person up close and it is making her more upset. A sow will sometimes get up and move if they instinctively think that something is wrong - stuck- whatever.... by getting up and moving, it changes the pressure, shape of the delivery tract, dislodges a pig maybe stuck partway through....
Maybe she has a pig in there that she can't get moved along. Not knowing the set up, can you get your hand up in there and see if there is a pig stuck? She may be trying to pass the afterbirth....
Sorry, it is just really hard to say when there is no "eyes on".....

She has passed all the afterbirth. She is snapping at them and won’t lay down for them to nurse. We can get her to lay down but she won’t stay down when the pigs come out of their creeper. We have been having to hold her down for them to get colostrum. She keeps rooting. She hasn’t snapped anymore but still doesn’t lay down, she keeps getting up and babies are almost getting smashed. Hope this helps. She is a mini pot belly

 

[farmerjan]

I have no experience with pot belly pigs so cannot help you with that. Some hogs are not meant to be mothers.... she might be one of them.