Have I mentioned Tulip is one of my very favorite sows? Well she is! and I happen to be her favorite person! Tulip was kind enough to hold off farrowing until I got home from town. On the 7Th After Ysabel begged us we gave in and took her to the livestock auction. I don't know why but it is one of my kids fave places to go (moms too lol) We were gone around 3 hours and I decided to check Tulip first thing when we got home. I walked over to her gave her a scratch behind the ears to say hello. She barked her greeting wagged her tail and plop when the first piglet! I called for Adam and Gloria to come see the baby she had JUST had. They laughed and didn't believe me but came over and saw the little guy :-) she ended up having 9 with no problems. All we did was dry them off and give them to mom to nurse. :-( she has 4 girls and 5 boys.their was a 10th but the last baby was still born. we tried to resuscitate but to no avail. their was no runt this time either. she let me take plenty of pictures too. To date all are healthy and growing well.
Blackberry farrowed on Thursday the 10th. We had stayed up most the night before thinking she would farrow but she waited until we had a couple come to pick up weaner pigs to have her first baby. She was standing when it was born and it seamed to not be breathing . we dried it off and suctioned its nose and mouth gave him mouth to mouth and rubbed him briskly we saved him :-). the next piglets legs played peekaboo a few min before I finally decided to grab the legs and assist it out. it was a bit lethargic but after drying it and suctioning her nose she was up and around. the third piglet came right out and went to nursing at once just like it should. The fourth piglet however... I watched blackberry have contractions for about 15 min before reaching in her up to my elbow to make sure everything was going ok. The first thing I felt was an umbilical cord, Not a good sign. If the cord breaks before they are born the will suffocate and die. I grasped the piglet and withing a min had it out. It was unresponsive and unfortunately could not be resuscitated. I had to assist with the remaining four piglets. This is by far the hardest farrowing we have experienced. We are deciding on if we will breed her again and see if she does better next time or if we should faze her out. She ended up laying on and killing the piglet we had saved but has done a great job with the remaining 6.we used a corner to make a warming area for the piglets with a little piglet sized door and a heat lamp. Blackberry did not like her baby's sleeping away from her so she covered the entrance to the "piglet heat box" we had made with tons of straw and laid in front of it... Adam had a good laugh at my being outsmarted by a pig.
Blackberry farrowed on Thursday the 10th. We had stayed up most the night before thinking she would farrow but she waited until we had a couple come to pick up weaner pigs to have her first baby. She was standing when it was born and it seamed to not be breathing . we dried it off and suctioned its nose and mouth gave him mouth to mouth and rubbed him briskly we saved him :-). the next piglets legs played peekaboo a few min before I finally decided to grab the legs and assist it out. it was a bit lethargic but after drying it and suctioning her nose she was up and around. the third piglet came right out and went to nursing at once just like it should. The fourth piglet however... I watched blackberry have contractions for about 15 min before reaching in her up to my elbow to make sure everything was going ok. The first thing I felt was an umbilical cord, Not a good sign. If the cord breaks before they are born the will suffocate and die. I grasped the piglet and withing a min had it out. It was unresponsive and unfortunately could not be resuscitated. I had to assist with the remaining four piglets. This is by far the hardest farrowing we have experienced. We are deciding on if we will breed her again and see if she does better next time or if we should faze her out. She ended up laying on and killing the piglet we had saved but has done a great job with the remaining 6.we used a corner to make a warming area for the piglets with a little piglet sized door and a heat lamp. Blackberry did not like her baby's sleeping away from her so she covered the entrance to the "piglet heat box" we had made with tons of straw and laid in front of it... Adam had a good laugh at my being outsmarted by a pig.