A full house ?

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A full house ?

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Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Thu Jul 14, 16 5:00 am Post subject: A full house ?
Right now it's just coming up to six o'clock in the morning and I'm just about to go out into the farmyard to check on Gladys. I took this photo last night. Hopefully I'll have some more photos for you later on today. The old girl should have farrowed a few days ago, so she's taking her time.

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Thu Jul 14, 16 5:11 am Post subject:

News up date.

It's a nice morning out

I've just tripped the light fantastic in wellies and dressing gown to check her. Everything looks peaceful and I'm pleased to report that she has seven healthy looking Gloucester Old Spot piglets suckling on her.
The piglets look very clean and contented, so they were probably born late last night rather than early this morning. Gladys still looks very big, so there maybe some more to come but I'd be more than happy to stick at the seven.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Thu Jul 14, 16 6:13 am Post subject:
Excellent

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Thu Jul 14, 16 6:38 am Post subject:
Good oh.

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Thu Jul 14, 16 6:50 am Post subject:
The good things in life really are worth waiting for.

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Thu Jul 14, 16 7:24 am Post subject:

She had eleven in total. I've just fed her and when she got up, I could see that there was a still born piglet beneath her and a nice boar crushed in the corner where her bottom is in the picture. At the moment, that leaves me with nine healthy piglets but I do hate this next few days until they get a bit more agile and can avoid mum when she lies down. She's passed her afterbirth, so that should be it.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Thu Jul 14, 16 10:20 am Post subject:
Fingers crossed the rest of them make it.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46245
Location: yes

Posted: Thu Jul 14, 16 10:59 am Post subject:
well done gladys ,accidents are sad but they happen and she seems like a good mum. well done mr midpig ,the first few days are a bit tense but those moments when you you sit there sniffing warm piggy smells and watching them feed or snooze or discover the fun of life does give a chance for being very calm and knowing everything is well with the world. iv'e just gone all pig broody

BahamaMama

Joined: 21 Sep 2006
Posts: 2315
Location: Away with the fairies

Posted: Thu Jul 14, 16 11:08 am Post subject:
Awwww - piglets

gregotyn

Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area

Posted: Thu Jul 14, 16 1:18 pm Post subject:

They look a good healthy bunch, Bodger. You could save a few piglets from the 'crush' if you had farrowing rails round the outside walls (screwed to the walls rather than the floor), as in the Solari type farrowing pens. They will save a high percentage of crushed little ones, but obviously not all. I had the mis-fortune to work with Solari houses as they are not pigman friendly, being so low at the back with a mother after you as you try to add creep feed and so on or adjust a lamp. However the farrowing rails were a definite saving in piglets lives at birth. On the college farm where I worked we also had pig arks, a remnant from a former outdoor enterprise, and as they were on concrete they were called "crarks"! These too had farrowing rails fitted inside, but the added advantage of a piglet creep area with access from outside so no involvement with mother when doing the various pig early operations, iron, teeth, ear notching and castration-all carried out at three days old-quick and easy ay that age rather than the traditional 8 weeks with the associated growth set back. I am not sure if castration is even carried out now, but I guess that iron injection, ear notching or tattooing is still done for pedigree purposes.

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