Little help please

[BlessedWithGoats]

I'm so sorry you're going through this right now!

 

[Mouse14]

Yeah he's gone. She had crushed him. He ended up under two layers of blankets. is it okay if she lays on the opposite side of the bed? For their body heat I mean. I have them on a heated blanket but idk if that's enough. I have my house on 79°, killing me but I'm doing it for them.

 

[Mouse14]

She doesn't want to lay right beside them right now :/

 

[mysunwolf]

79 degrees should be fine if they are healthy piglets! And if they are cold they will huddle closer to her. A good mom doesn't lay on them (or at least on the healthy ones), but some are not good moms. Make sure the placenta is nearby for right now as she will use that to smell where her piglets are. We give our large momma hogs a beer after farrowing to help them relax, old farmer trick. You could always give yours a little bit. Good luck, hope tonight goes well.

 

[Mouse14]

I cleaned most of the placenta up :/ there's still a little I missed. Would that be okay? So not even a first time mom should accidentally lay on her babies? I thought it was common...I live in a dry county and the nearest wet one is about an hr away :/ I gave the placenta 8ish hrs and strated cleaning it bc several flies were all over it and getting attracted to the babies too. I'm really failing at this first time pig birth

 

[micah wotring]

From my experience gilts and sows both accidentally crush their pigs. I assume it would be more common with gilts but I can't say for sure.
With our big sows (full size durocs, yorkshires, hampshires) we have what's called a farrowing crate for them to give birth in. There's a place for the mom in the middle and the piglets can go anywhere(on one side, on the other side and yes under the mom). We put a heat light on either side of the mom and the pigs tend to stay under that so when the mom lays down she doesn't crush them.
I'm not sure how to rig up one for a pot bellied sow but I'm sure there's a way. Then again they might not have any more problems because she just laid on the sick one.

Hey, first time for everything! Just like riding a bike. The more you try, the more you end up learning. And if you don't give up before you know it you'll be handing out tips and advice. Not trying to force you into it. If you don't enjoy that part of raising pigs than why do it?

Anyway, I really hope that the rest of the piglets survive for you.

MW

 

[Mouse14]

Thank you. I hope the next go around is much easier! All babies are accounted for this morning. I do have a question though. Do momma pigs play with their babies? I snuck in there for a head count before feeding her, decider to feed her a couple hrs early since I only counted 4. She was nudging the blankets and got under them but stood up grunting while the babies are trotting outside of it. It seems more normal in description but it just seemed like she was playing with them. At a day old these babies are adorable. A couple look way different from the first few hours of life

 

[micah wotring]

IDK I assume they would. Cuz most other animals do. Maybe she's just trying to keep track of them and is worried about them. I don't know though.

 

[Mouse14]

This was before I went to church last night giving them dirt to play in till I get the iron for them today. A couple of them loved it, the rest were so confused lol. You can see the one that didn't make it. He got so exhausted from trying to walk and just plopped down.

 

[Mouse14]

I just thought it was really cute xD If I saw right we have 4 boys and only 2 girls! So hard to see with how quick they are!