LMP's 2019 Farrowing Thread: New babies from Lucy and Prissy

[Bruce]

Sow code! Good luck LMP, maybe today is the day.

 

[luvmypets]

She has every textbook sign of imminent labor. She has enough milk, her vulva is swollen, she’s been nesting for three days, she has been chewing on everything, increased respiration when she isn’t resting she is pacing. I cant give her her normal water bucket because after she drinks she dumps it everywhere. I was hoping she would go before I had to go back to class. I will check on her before school tomorrow.

 

[Baymule]

You need hog nipples! You put the water container on the outside of the pen, with a short pipe going into the pen with a hog nipple on the end. They bite down on the nipple and it releases water. I got mine at Atwoods.

 

[luvmypets]

You need hog nipples! You put the water container on the outside of the pen, with a short pipe going into the pen with a hog nipple on the end. They bite down on the nipple and it releases water. I got mine at Atwoods.

I know, I’ve been talking to my dad about trying some out to see how they hold.

 

[Bruce]

No time like the present!

 

[luvmypets]

Very intense nesting right now, she is very focused. Also her bag got super swollen overnight.

 

[Ridgetop]

Hog nipples work great. Every livestock supplier carries them. in a pinch you can also get the pet store ones sold for dogs. We used 50 gallon barrels with hog nipples at the Fair so our hogs would not be able to tip over the water. You drill a hole in the barrel about a foot from the ground, then use rubber washers on each side and a PVC nut to hold the hog nipple in place. Check for leaks and it should work. The advantage for you in a barrel would be you can put a water warmer in the barrel and it will keep the water from freezing. In your temperatures, if you run a pipe instead, make sure you wrap it in rubber insulation. If she tries to knock over the barrel, you can tie it to the sides of the pen.

What breed are the pigs? I have never seen any with curly hair. I only know about meat breeds and commercial crosses for Fair.

 

[luvmypets]

They are mangalitsa, a rare meat breed. They are fairly new to the US.

 

[Ridgetop]

They are super cute, but what is the yield in carcass? Are they just for pets now, or are they saleable as meat hogs?

 

[luvmypets]

They are super cute, but what is the yield in carcass? Are they just for pets now, or are they saleable as meat hogs?

Im not sure of the yield, my dad takes care of that. We don’t normally sell them as feeders, instead we grow them out, get them processed and then we sell whole or half pigs to restaurants. We had a chef from Iberico(i think thats how you spell it) and he told us the our pigs reminded him of home.