Need HELP ASAP

[pigman88]

Farrowing our first gilts and today is 115. they both have milk and dilated a little but dont show any real signs of labor yet. Should I go in to see if things are stuck or just wait it out and see what happens. The one gilt is getting really restless banging the feeder and up and down all the time.

thanks

[pigman88]

Quick update the one that has been restless all day has passed from yellow stuff and will lay down and shake like she is cold. Barn is 70 degrees. Any help would be great

[LazyRYhogs]

I am in exactly your same boat with a Duroc gilt. My experience, although limited, is wait it out and get your drying towels ready. My gilt has been quivering for about 30 min. Stay in touch throughout the night.

[pigman88]

She has dialTed more and the secretion is getting heavy The second one is getting real. Restless trying to rip the crate apart. Hopefully things get moving here soon Tried to check shallow and didn't feel anything close but she has seemed to progress quick after I did so

[LazyRYhogs]

Still shaking here and some big pushes

[mtbkmom]

The shivering is a natural thing for them to do. In Texas with 100+ temps I still have some shivering during labor.

The up/down is pre labor behavior. They are "nesting" when doing that. When they are full blown labor they may get up a couple of times but got the most part labor is when we see them go into their "coma" state and just lay there for the most part, pretty continuous flow or frequent intermittent gushes of amniotic fluid. Most of em also breathe faster than normal. Some will occasionally lift their upper rear leg and then rest it back down. BUT when that fluid starts pouring out like described above you are in labor and we usually have a piglet on the ground around 2 hours after.

[LazyRYhogs]

Thanks for the time advice. After an hour I start to get nervous. We have done this less than 10 times and getting better at just waiting.
Pigman88-what part of the country are you. Your time stamp is an hour ahead of mine. We are in the northwest. 15 degrees. Hard to get the barn warm.

[pigman88]

I'm in SW Wyoming After hour and a half I went into find one upside down. Have been trying to get it out for a while. Gilts hips are to damn small to get it through Hoping that I don't loose the whole deal on this one but it looking like it Get is busy pulling calves busy time of year

[LazyRYhogs]

I hear you! I am not keeping this gilt. She did fine for 4 smallish piglets. Then came a really big one. I went in ended up killing it. It was like pulling a calf. Her pelvis is so small I have to really push to get my hand through. She has at least one more in her. It is small and she will have to bring it up on her own.. I gave her 2cc of oxytocin. She's working now.

Does anyone think there is hope of the opening in her pelvis getting much bigger?

[LazyRYhogs]

Pigman88-how did everything go last night? My gilt had 7 and 6 are alive. Gilt ended up with a hematoma on her vulva but she is going to make it. One other large one (though average sized when compared) had a tuff pull and seems a little simple.

[buckibri]

It's the pelvic opening that is small.

If you select, breed and farrow gilts that are "heavy boned" this will be a problem. If you thicken up bone in legs because many think this is a good trait you will thicken the bone in the entire skeleton including the pelvic bones.

Absolutely assanine selection pressure on show pigs is causing this problem for people. Hate to type this, but unless you have a vet that is ready to perform c sections it is hard to advise anyone to farrow a gilt. The reasonable option is to buy gilts that are more balanced maternally.

Some are trying to get by this by breeding gilts when they are 15 months of age or older. That is efficient and a great teaching tool for our kids.

I've had farrowing issues and tolerate zero. 100% shipped. This winter my smallest litter has been 12 born. Currently nursing 10 pig average and have hamp, cross and landrace that will compete at state fair levels.