Is the runt always doomed & is this discharge normal?

[Jayzandra]

Our sow just had her second litter last night. 10 alive and 1 stillborn. The runt is so tiny. How can I tell if he's getting to eat? If I have to bottle feed, what should I feed? Goats milk? How frequently?

Also, mom has a creamy white discharge. Is this normal or a sign of infection? She is being more protective of this litter than the last, which was her first. Maybe because she remembers us taking them from her at 8 weeks?

 

[NH homesteader]

If you have to bottle feed yes, goat milk is good. I have a runt in my yard right now, she did fine with the rest of her litter.

@misfitmorgan would know more than me about mama pig issues, and @farmerjan

 

[misfitmorgan]

The runt doesnt look to tiny really and once they are on solid food should be fine though they may take longer to grow out. IF you want to even out the litter size you can feed the runt extra milk now. Goat or multi-species formula will work fine, you can use store bought cows milk as well but you need to mix in some other stuff to up the calories/richness....per pint of cow milk add 1 egg, 1/2 cup half n half, and 1/4 cup karo syrup(honey works too).

The best replacer would be a pig specific replacer but those can be hard to find locally, goat milk is the number one recommended replacer for normal milks, and if you have neither of the first two multi-species replacer would be next then the cow milk recipe is last. Watch for scours and treat immediately if you see them, Spectoguard works well for pigs.

Alternatively you could try putting the runt on one of the front teats. If your sow has a normal set of teats without any bad rails there should be enough milk to go around. As far as the sow being more aggressive they can do that as they age, i dont think it has to do with taking her piglets at 8 weeks old.

The white discharge should be ok, sows often have a discharge for about 5 days after farrowing. If she goes longer then 5 day or there is a bad smell treat her with a standard course of Pen G as listed on the bottle.....Pen G will not hurt her milk.

 

[Pamela]

Milk replacer for lambs is the formula of choice around here for piglets. I have rescued a couple of them using the whole milk/egg/half half/Karo recipe. However, that method gets expensive and laborious.