Need help with farrowing

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Becker
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Need help with farrowing

Post by Becker » Fri Jan 20, 2017 12:34 am

Let me start off by saying I have never raised a pig in my life. I raise cattle and have been doing that my whole life. The other day I decided to buy some bred sows that are going to farrow in a week or so. I have them in the barn and I'm getting ready to separate them into a small 6x6 section to farrow in. I know the pigs need to be warm when they come out, but its currently winter so that's not real easy. I have no heat in my barn either. I do have 55 gallon plastic drums that I thought I might set up right, cut a small hole at the bottom so the pigs can get in it. Im going to cut a hole in the top and mount a heat lamp at the very top of the barrel so that it should be pretty warm in the barrel. This is just a thought, does anyone know if it'll work? Do I put the pigs in it or will they just go towards the heat? How do I know if and when she going to farrow? I can't just sit at the barn all day and night. Thanks!!

livestock_ohio
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Re: Need help with farrowing

Post by livestock_ohio » Fri Jan 20, 2017 10:18 am

Well, your biggest problem would be the sows messing with the barrels so they would need to be very secure. I pen farrow in roughly 6x8 pens and I do have some loss due to sows stepping on them or laying on them. This risk is mainly in the first 48 hours. After that they are all pretty smart about getting out of the way. The piglets will learn during that time that there is someone place safe and warm they can go while mom is up and moving. If it is cold, they will try to get as close as they can to the sow and during the first 48 hours this can lead to problems.

As for when they are going to farrow, they should have milk within 12 hours of farrowing. As the date gets closer, get in and rub their udder and they should get used to you being around. If you can squeeze some milk out, farrowing should be within 12 hours or so. Piglets are born with a pretty strong will to thrive so very little assistance is required if the sow is in the right body condition.

Good luck and welcome to the addiction!

Becker
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Re: Need help with farrowing

Post by Becker » Fri Jan 20, 2017 4:35 pm

Thanks for responding!! I do have a few more questions though. Do I need to be there when they do farrow? One is suppose to go this sat and the other on Feb 1st which is Wed. They are in a 3 sided barn that is 24x24 and I have it divided into 2 12x12 stalls. I put the sows in the one 12x12 and then ran a temp electric fence outside that extends about 100ft x 12ft into my cattle pasture. The other 12x12 stall in that barn is taken up so i cant use that. I then took the stall the sows are In and divided it down the middle again to give me 2 6x12 farrowing stalls.They can still go outside and into each others stall at this time, but when its time to lock them up I'll put a hog panel at the entrance into their stalls. I'm not sure when I should lock them inside the barn into their 6x12 stalls? I hate to do it too soon because they won't have much room. I cleaned out both stalls the best I could and put straw down. I guess my question is, when should I lock them up? Is the stall big enough? How do you make sure you're there when they go? When they come out do I help put them on their mom, under the heat lamp or what? Sorry for all the questions, just want to do it right...Thanks!! Also I noticed one of the sows was very angry today and kept chomping at me when I was in her stall giving her food. She just seemed very irritable, does that mean anything?

livestock_ohio
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Re: Need help with farrowing

Post by livestock_ohio » Sat Jan 21, 2017 3:07 pm

A 6x6 area might be a little tight. The sow has to be able to move and the tighter she is penned up, the higher the chance of her stepping on a baby when she gets excited. You don't have to be there when they farrow. I have seen stats that say an attended farrowing has a 1.2 or so higher litter survival number. So being there might save a piglet on average. I always try to be there, but it is more because it is like Christmas morning to see what you are going to get. I usually clean their nose off and make sure they are not stuck in afterbirth junk. The sow pretty much just lays there and the piglets figure it out. Don't expect then to pay much attention to their piglets like cows. Depending on how wild the gilts are, you being there might actually make it worse. You just kind of have to feel your way into the situation to see how the sow reacts to you being around. Locking them up early I better than too late. I have never had pasture pigs, but I would assume you would want them penned up for t least a week.

Happy hunting.

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