# Little help please



## Mouse14 (Jun 27, 2016)

I got my pigs as piglets.  No idea when they bred. Can anyone tell me about how long I have before I need to bring her inside? We don't have a way to separate the mom and dad in our barn right now,  so she needs to have them inside.  Haven't noticed any nesting behavior.  She still has a decent amount of energy considering.  No milk can be expressed.  Any and all advice welcome!  Not sure what to expect.  Never dealt with a pig farrowing


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## Mouse14 (Jun 27, 2016)

[URL=://s9.photobucket.com/user/kiru-san/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160625_195613.jpg.html]
	
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## Mouse14 (Jun 27, 2016)

[URL=http://s9.photobucket.com/user/kiru-san/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160625_195613.jpg.html]
	
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## TAH (Jun 27, 2016)

@Ferguson K @misfitmorgan @micah wotring


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## Ferguson K (Jun 27, 2016)

She looks like she's got a few days left yet. When her milk comes in and she's got less than 24 hours.


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## luvmypets (Jun 27, 2016)

I'll be here waiting for piglets


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## Mouse14 (Jun 27, 2016)

So even though she has a milk line she doesn't really have milk yet? I can see really good movement with the piggies  huge lumps moving around.


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## TAH (Jun 27, 2016)




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## Raiquee (Jun 27, 2016)

Oohhh!! Cant wait for piggies. She looks huge lol.


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## samssimonsays (Jun 27, 2016)




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## Latestarter (Jun 27, 2016)

Greetings @Mouse14 and welcome to BYH! Glad you joined us! She looks about ready to burst. Hope all goes well   Meanwhile, I'll just


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## Mouse14 (Jun 27, 2016)

Well this is today.  My phone will only let me post one at a time[URL=http://s9.photobucket.com/user/kiru-san/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160627_140507.jpg.html]
	
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## Mouse14 (Jun 27, 2016)

[URL=http://s9.photobucket.com/user/kiru-san/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160627_140527.jpg.html]
	
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## Mouse14 (Jun 27, 2016)




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## Mouse14 (Jun 27, 2016)

[URL=http://s9.photobucket.com/user/kiru-san/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160627_140354.jpg.html]
	
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## TAH (Jun 27, 2016)

SHE IS FAT


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## Latestarter (Jun 27, 2016)

I think the operative word is "pregnant" more so than "fat", but yeah... what a PORKER!


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## Mouse14 (Jun 27, 2016)

She is super big LOL. She makes the male look starved! I wish I could get her weighed @.@


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## cjc (Jun 27, 2016)

Wow so neat haha! Is this pig a pet?


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## Mouse14 (Jun 27, 2016)

Yeah both of our pigs are  her name is Olette. She's my baby


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## cjc (Jun 27, 2016)

Wow so cute haha! Does she make a good pet? Well mannered? How much does she weigh? (when she's not full of piglets)


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## Mouse14 (Jun 27, 2016)

She behaves much better than the male, but I'm taking into count they're not fixed so that can say a lot. She weighs roughly 30 lbs not pregnant. She is similar to a cat and he is more like a dog. She wants attention only when she wants it. Except now she wants all the belly rubs. She's super hormonal and snappy. She used to have a bad biting habit I never broke before I put them outside. They boredom chewed my bathroom walls and floor -_- I have t repair them. We weren't wanting her bred just yet but I guess that's what happens when you don't have a separate thing set up lol. She will be a year next month!


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## Mouse14 (Jun 27, 2016)

Her as a baby. She was so sweet


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## cjc (Jun 27, 2016)

Awe that is just ADORABLE! She has the same bratty nature as my dogs it sounds like haha. I cannot wait to see the pics of her piglets! Please share lots!


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## Mouse14 (Jun 27, 2016)

Oh I definitely will!!


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## Mouse14 (Jun 27, 2016)

She's acting super weird!! Trying to get in my lap. She's rearranging the porch now too!! Kind of whiny. Hoping tonight is the night! She's trying to lay right up on me!


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## TAH (Jun 27, 2016)




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## micah wotring (Jun 27, 2016)

Does she drip milk yet??

I hope that she has her babies fine.

MW


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## Ferguson K (Jun 27, 2016)

Ifshe's acting strange and being needy, stay close. She's full of milk. Any day now. 

Rearranging and neediness are pre-emptive signs of labor.


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## Mouse14 (Jun 27, 2016)

Haven't felt any milk dripping and I haven't been able to express any at all. I have her inside and in our sun room. I really hope she has them tonight so I don't have to stress anymore days lol! She's still eating and drinking fine.  No vaginal discharge


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## Mouse14 (Jun 27, 2016)

She does not like being confined when there's so many places to explore in the house lol. She's grunting wanting in the living room. But she urinated too frequently for me to feel okay with that. She was litter trained as a baby but hasn't had a litter box to use in 8ish months


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## Ferguson K (Jun 27, 2016)

Watch for her side's to get a sunken in, dropped look. You'll notice it more from the rear. If the babies are moving you still have a day or so. Once they're in the canal you will no longer see movement.


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## Mouse14 (Jun 27, 2016)

She's been a little sunk for about a day now. Up higher? Haven't seen quite as much movement this evening.  I can't get her still enough inside to see how they are now that she's eaten dinner.


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## Ferguson K (Jun 27, 2016)

The fact that she's eaten doesn't mean she won't go into labor tonight.

The biggest red flag is that you've said she's acting strange


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## Mouse14 (Jun 27, 2016)

Do their teats form a cone before they have them or could she have them with the way her teats are now?


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## misfitmorgan (Jun 28, 2016)

We dont breed mini or PB so not sure on them but full size pigs definitely get more full looking with milk. If i was judging a full size on going into labor i would say she has less then a week but still a couple days out perhaps. I could be wrong though as i said no experience with prego mini/Pb pigs.


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## Mouse14 (Jun 28, 2016)

Well still no change, but she slept all night! I'm sure that's the best she's slept in a while with Chris being how he is. He doesn't know what to do with hinself. He humps everything -_- should I put a heated blanket under the other blankets at night or wait til she has them? I'm scared she'll chew the chord inside the blanket rooting and nesting. She has a 5 foot pool to birth in with some blankets.  I meant to get straw but don't have a way to get it for a few more days! I'm getting nervous the closer she gets. Are pigs prone to mastitis or milk fever?  What do I need to do in case something like that happens?  Good meds to have on hand? @Ferguson K ?


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## misfitmorgan (Jun 28, 2016)

Mouse14 said:


> Well still no change, but she slept all night! I'm sure that's the best she's slept in a while with Chris being how he is. He doesn't know what to do with hinself. He humps everything -_- should I put a heated blanket under the other blankets at night or wait til she has them? I'm scared she'll chew the chord inside the blanket rooting and nesting. She has a 5 foot pool to birth in with some blankets.  I meant to get straw but don't have a way to get it for a few more days! I'm getting nervous the closer she gets. Are pigs prone to mastitis or milk fever?  What do I need to do in case something like that happens?  Good meds to have on hand? @Ferguson K ?



Im not @Ferguson K but yes pigs can get milk fever like most other livestock. The likelihood of your pig getting it being young and her first litter from what i gather is quite low...generally older animals are more prone to it. Typically treatment is CMPK as far as i know...you dont give that unless your positive its the problem though cause high calcium levels can stop the heart.


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## TAH (Jun 28, 2016)

@Ferguson K actually had a pig have milk fever not that long ago.


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## Latestarter (Jun 28, 2016)

I believe one of @Ferguson K s PBPs did get milk fever recently... but I don't recall all the details...

Edit: clicked away to listen to some cowbell songs and @TAH  posted what I said above while my post sat in limbo waiting to be posted...


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## Ferguson K (Jun 28, 2016)

Yes. I had one with milk fever not long ago. it was confirmed though. I reiterate what misfit said, high levels of calcium can be just as fatal.

You'll see her stomach and her teets point before delivery.


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## misfitmorgan (Jun 28, 2016)

If your worried about her calcium level you can try feeding some timothy hay...its high in calcium but not so much its going to cause a problem. A few farms around here feed pretty much straight timothy for the first 2 weeks of lactation..thats mostly diary cows though.


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## Mouse14 (Jun 28, 2016)

She gets a mix of youth and active adult mazuri feed. They free graze during the day, and occasionally get bananas,  lettuce, carrots, cheese, and peanut butter. I haven't looked at how much of each vitamin and minerals the feed has. My mom's dog had milk fever once so it is one of those things that scares me :/ I try to keep a variety of nutrition available for them


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## Ferguson K (Jun 28, 2016)

She should be fine.

I think the only reason that Rita had it was because our land is calcium poor and she was HEAVY in milk.


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## Mouse14 (Jun 28, 2016)

Not birth related but what are these little white things? I noticed them early on and never found anyone I could ask


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## mysunwolf (Jun 28, 2016)

Mouse14 said:


> Not birth related but what are these little white things? I noticed them early on and never found anyone I could ask



Those appear to be her scent glands


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## Mouse14 (Jun 28, 2016)

Oh!! They've never been white before! Theye always just been little holes. They look gross haha


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## Mouse14 (Jun 28, 2016)

I love when the babies push up on one side! I could make put legs and side! I could make out more with her than I could my own pregnancy!


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## Mouse14 (Jun 28, 2016)

[URL=http://s9.photobucket.com/user/kiru-san/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160628_190859.jpg.html]
	
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## Mouse14 (Jun 28, 2016)

Been trying to post that for a while lol. Can you see the bump?


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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

I'm just shocked by what 6 days can do!  She's being extremely restless tonight.  She won't leave the baby gate alone.  She won't stay chewing on it fortunately,  but she won't quit hitting it. I'm scared she's going to break down the gate and tear through the house lol


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## TAH (Jun 29, 2016)

. 
Do you think she will go tonight?


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## misfitmorgan (Jun 29, 2016)

TAH said:


> .
> Do you think she will go tonight?



Doesnt look like it...milk line isnt strong enough yet. She may end up being a light milk producer or she may like most pigs come in very full in the last 24hrs before farrowing. As i mentioned my knowledge is with standard size pigs so im using that as my comparison.

According to the labeling on Mazuri feed she should be getting plenty if not extra calcium from the feed alone.
Calcium (Ca) (min.) 0.80%
Calcium (Ca) (max.) 1.3%
Gestating and lactating sows first litter second half only require 0.83% calcium. 

If she is being to crazy you might try switching her to 75% adult 25% youth...slow her down a little. The youth for adults looks like it would be a bit like a giant sugary soda and a candy barn for a kid in human terms. Or even 60/40 if your worried about enough calories. At 20% protein it looks quite rich...but if you can deal with her being a little crazy i wouldnt worry about it.


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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

Omg we gave piglets!! Two are dead though :'(


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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

She's shaking a little.  Is that normal?


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## babsbag (Jun 29, 2016)

Details please   We are picture addicts.  Sorry you lost a few


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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

I'm working on sending pics lol


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## babsbag (Jun 29, 2016)

I don't raise pigs but you might want to post how many and how long ago were they born and are they nursing? Is she eating yet? Just so people have an idea if everything is going ok or not. I have no clue since she isn't a goat.


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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

[URL=http://s9.photobucket.com/user/kiru-san/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160629_083802.jpg.html]
	
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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

She had 9. Only 6 are alive. She's grunting and shaking a little. They're nursing. A couple are sleeping. Some were born fairly recently as their cords are still wet.  She's not eaten yet


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## HomesteaderWife (Jun 29, 2016)

I'm not knowledgeable about pigs, but congrats on the ones that made it- and so sorry about the ones that did not. Thank you for posting photos! Best wishes.


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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

Ok 10. Found one under her head. It's still alive but tiny. I doubt it makes it


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## misfitmorgan (Jun 29, 2016)

Grunting and shaking...she may still be working on cleaning. 10 is a lot for a first time momma in mini's i believe. Congrats on the survivors! 

i'm trying to picture how tiny those babies are...we have a mini boar for a "pet" and he weighs maybe 30bs at over a year old...so if your sow is like large cat size those babies have to be ridiculously tiny. Standard size piglets are tiny even...how adorable...i love pigs.


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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

She just expelled the 2nd placenta.  Guess she's done! They are  TINY!!


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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

There's still a tin bit of cord inside I'm moving it so she has room to expel it


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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

One probab5y won't make it.  It's half the size of the rest


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## misfitmorgan (Jun 29, 2016)

She will likely keep cleaning over the next 24hrs...large stuff first then mostly goo and stuff. We have one sow that takes almost a week to clean completely and has never had any problems from it that we can find.


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## Latestarter (Jun 29, 2016)

Congrats on babies and thanks for the pics!  Sorry you lost some... From my understanding, it's rather common to have some of the piglets smaller than the others. It also happens that some are still born. Sadly, some that are born alive also don't make it for a multitude of reasons, some being the mom (stepping on them, rolling over on them, etc.).


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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

I think one was already dead when born. It's eyes didn't look right and it just seemed underdeveloped or something


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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

Momma is eating and drinking


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## micah wotring (Jun 29, 2016)

Yaaayyy!!
There's always a few that don't make it.

Glad to here the Mom's fine too!

Sorry so many died. 

How big are they??


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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

They are teenie. Like 4.5" I don't even know what to compare them to!! Lol


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## misfitmorgan (Jun 29, 2016)

snickers fun size candy bar? lol

Congrats again!! We are still 3 months almost from our next litter...i cant wait.


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## TAH (Jun 29, 2016)

Congrats!
Sorry some didn't make it. Boy is that tiny!!


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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

As for iron shots where do I get them and what is it called? When do I need to give it to them? I was going to get some dirt and fill a small kiddie pool with it and give then some play time, but I wasn't expecting them to be so small lol. My pig is being so sweet. She's not aggressive at all!


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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

Yeah that's a great comparison! Closest thing to it.


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## micah wotring (Jun 29, 2016)

Mouse14 said:


> They are teenie. Like 4.5" I don't even know what to compare them to!! Lol


Wow!!
OK, I've gotta have a few pot bellied pigs now! XD


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## misfitmorgan (Jun 29, 2016)

The Iron for pigs is called Iron Dextran...TSC has it in 100ml bottles for $10. We usually dose at 1ml per piglet on day 3 but i have no idea if mini pigs require a smaller dose. @Ferguson K ?

We also cut milk teeth at the same time as the iron shot or sooner if the sow shows a lot of damage or reluctance to nurse. Thinking about it we more often give shots on day two i guess and clip teeth...we started doing it on day 3 and sometimes still do...kinda depends...so

Iron shot day 2-3
teeth clip day 2-3
Ivermec wormer day 3 if we are handling them, if not day 5
Castration day 10-14 (have heard of farms/people waiting until day 28..personally think thats to long seems to make them stress more, fight more, etc.)
We do not ear notch or dock tails.


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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

Do you know about how much castrations cost? They won't find furever homes til it's all done. I didn't plan on cutting their teeth either. I've heard mixed reviews on doing it. Only altering I planned was sterilization


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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

One of the babies mouth looks deformed. I'll try to get it posted. It seems to be the only one like that


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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

[URL=http://s9.photobucket.com/user/kiru-san/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160629_114938.jpg.html]
	
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## BlessedWithGoats (Jun 29, 2016)

Congrats on the babies!! Glad momma is doing well too!
Sorry about the ones that didn't make it.


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## micah wotring (Jun 29, 2016)

Oh, yeah. That doesn't look normal. I'm not sure what's wrong or how to fix it. Has it nursed??


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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

How do I feed a piglet by hand? This one's tongue comes out the side when it tries to nurse. Is it true thy can drink from a saucer if hungry enough?


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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

It can but it's extra work for it :/ I feel if I don't intervene it will die. It's already one of the smallest babies


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## samssimonsays (Jun 29, 2016)

Congrats on the babies! If it were me, I may let nature take its course or put it down... that could potentially cause some serious issues down the road.... the old me would have done everything in my power to save it but even after all of my attempts nature won in the end in my experiences... I would maybe consult a vet on the best options for the little one.


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## micah wotring (Jun 29, 2016)

Yes, if it makes it it might have problems as an adult. I don't think it's worth trying to save it.

Sorry


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## Mini Horses (Jun 29, 2016)

It appears (photo not extremely clear) to be wht is called a "wry mouth".  Sometime it can be corrected while the bones are still soft in the first day or two of life by actually manipulating it into correct position several times a day.  I have seen 2 mini horses with such, presented on a forum for advice, and this is what was offered.   One did this & bandaged it a couple hrs a day like you would a soft splint, it did straighten to 95%.   Owner kept it and it did fine.

It could be a cleft deformity, also.   A vet could tell with a visual.

Sometimes in utero they are squished and come out crooked.


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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

Alright I'll message my vet a pic. He typically only does castration and sells dewormer but I'm hoping he can give me some answers. It seems to nurse off and on. It's not the best but it's not not nursing


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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

Piglet will be dead tonight I'm sure. He's weak, getting colder, can't even really walk unless he's leaning on something. This is so sad


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## TAH (Jun 29, 2016)

Mouse14 said:


> Piglet will be dead tonight I'm sure. He's weak, getting colder, can't even really walk unless he's leaning on something. This is so sad


I am sorry. It is never easy seeing animals suffer. Have you thought of putting him down instead of letting him suffer


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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

I don't really have a way to tonight.  I get money tomorrow. I can't bring myself to put it down the country way. I'd want a vet to and I just don't have funds til tomorrow to  by then it won't even matter.


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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

I caught momma laying on top of him. I think she knows....I didn't want him to smother so I got him out but man :/


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## babsbag (Jun 29, 2016)

Sometimes owning animals is just downright hard. I had a goat with a cleft palate this year and I should have put her down but I couldn't. I treated her for pneumonia three times and said that the next one would be the last. But at 4 months of age she seemed healthy and then I came home and found her dead. It is never easy even when you know it is for the best.


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## micah wotring (Jun 29, 2016)

It's never easy to decide that.


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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

I've never put an animal down. I don't know that I have the stomach for it. I mean if it was a random wild animal that had been run over and was twitching and stuff maybe. But a tiny little piglet. Ugh.


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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

If my husband was home he would have. He's done it to several cows we've had that went lame. I am too sensitive


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## TAH (Jun 29, 2016)




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## Ferguson K (Jun 29, 2016)

Sorry I'm just now seeing this. 

If it were me I would put it down. While it can be corrected, I don't think it would live a quality life. You don't know what else is wrong with it internally. 

Sorry.


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## Latestarter (Jun 29, 2016)

Perhaps you should have just left mom on top of him... I would guess that she knows. Sorry, I know it's hard, but it's part of owning animals...


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## BlessedWithGoats (Jun 29, 2016)

I'm so sorry you're going through this right now!


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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

Yeah he's gone.  She had crushed him.  He ended up under two layers of blankets. is it okay if she lays on the opposite side of the bed? For their body heat I mean.  I have them on a heated blanket but idk if that's enough.  I have my house on 79°, killing me but I'm doing it for them.


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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

She doesn't want to lay right beside them right now :/


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## mysunwolf (Jun 29, 2016)

79 degrees should be fine if they are healthy piglets! And if they are cold they will huddle closer to her. A good mom doesn't lay on them (or at least on the healthy ones), but some are not good moms. Make sure the placenta is nearby for right now as she will use that to smell where her piglets are. We give our large momma hogs a beer after farrowing to help them relax, old farmer trick. You could always give yours a little bit. Good luck, hope tonight goes well.


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## Mouse14 (Jun 29, 2016)

I cleaned most of the placenta up :/ there's still a little I missed.  Would that be okay?  So not even a first time mom should accidentally lay on her babies?  I thought it was common...I live in a dry county and the nearest wet one is about an hr away :/ I gave the placenta 8ish hrs and strated cleaning it bc several flies were all over it and getting attracted to the babies too. I'm really failing at this first time pig birth


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## micah wotring (Jun 30, 2016)

From my experience gilts and sows both accidentally crush their pigs. I assume it would be more common with gilts but I can't say for sure.
With our big sows (full size durocs, yorkshires, hampshires) we have what's called a farrowing crate for them to give birth in. There's a place for the mom in the middle and the piglets can go anywhere(on one side, on the other side and yes under the mom). We put a heat light on either side of the mom and the pigs tend to stay under that so when the mom lays down she doesn't crush them.
I'm not sure how to rig up one for a pot bellied sow but I'm sure there's a way. Then again they might not have any more problems because she just laid on the sick one.

Hey, first time for everything! Just like riding a bike. The more you try, the more you end up learning. And if you don't give up before you know it you'll be handing out tips and advice. Not trying to force you into it. If you don't enjoy that part of raising pigs than why do it?

Anyway, I really hope that the rest of the piglets survive for you.

MW


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## Mouse14 (Jun 30, 2016)

Thank you.  I hope the next go around is much easier!  All babies are accounted for this morning.  I do have a question though.  Do momma pigs play with their babies?  I snuck in there for a head count before feeding her,  decider to feed her a couple hrs early since I only counted 4. She was nudging the blankets and got under them but stood up grunting while the babies are trotting outside of it. It seems more normal in description but it just seemed like she was playing with them. At a day old these babies are adorable.  A couple look way different from the first few hours of life


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## micah wotring (Jun 30, 2016)

IDK I assume they would. Cuz most other animals do. Maybe she's just trying to keep track of them and is worried about them. I don't know though.


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## Mouse14 (Jun 30, 2016)

This was before I went to church last night  giving them dirt to play in till I get the iron for them today.  A couple of them loved it,  the rest were so confused lol. You can see the one that didn't make it.  He got so exhausted from trying to walk and just plopped down.


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## Mouse14 (Jun 30, 2016)

I just thought it was really cute xD If I saw right we have 4 boys and only 2 girls!  So hard to see with how quick they are!


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## Mouse14 (Jun 30, 2016)

[URL=http://s9.photobucket.com/user/kiru-san/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160629_113110.jpg.html]
	
[/URL]You can see how tiny the runt is in this picture!  She's so little.  Maybe 3 inches long!  She's adorable.  She's another one I'm watching closely.  I hope momma doesn't decide to crush her since she's so small.  Are twins common in piglets? I have one big black one and then her.  Then I have one big white and black one and a small white and black one lol. The smaller ones are much smaller than the bigger ones


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## Mouse14 (Jun 30, 2016)

This morning [URL=http://s9.photobucket.com/user/kiru-san/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160630_085434-1.jpg.html]
	
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## Latestarter (Jun 30, 2016)

Ummm by common definition wouldn't they all be septuplets vice twins? Or I guess now that would be sextuplets (6)... As for color and size, from my understanding, that can be all over the spectrum within the same litter. Hopefully everything goes smoothly going forward  They are cute little porkers, and mom seems to be doing what a good mom should be doing. They're really pretty smart animals... Heard years ago that they are actually smarter than a dog...   Don't know if that's true or not.


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## Mouse14 (Jun 30, 2016)

Latestarter said:


> Ummm by common definition wouldn't they all be septuplets vice twins? Or I guess now that would be sextuplets (6)... As for color and size, from my understanding, that can be all over the spectrum within the same litter. Hopefully everything goes smoothly going forward  They are cute little porkers, and mom seems to be doing what a good mom should be doing. They're really pretty smart animals... Heard years ago that they are actually smarter than a dog...   Don't know if that's true or not.


 Oh I believe it!! My pigs are a little smarter than my dogs without being taught tricks and stuff.


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## TAH (Jun 30, 2016)

Yes they are for sure. Just to put this into perspective our male goat is smarter than our dog, and our dog is smart! So I would guess a pig is smarter than a dog.


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## Mouse14 (Jun 30, 2016)

Finally spent some time outside with the male. I feel bad lol. He smelled the babies is on me! He was so intrigued. I do have yet another question! Lol what do you guys use for tick control. My poor guy has so many yearlings ticks on him  I get them off every chance I can, the smaller ones are just a lot harder bc he will only lay still so long :/


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## micah wotring (Jun 30, 2016)

IDK
I wonder if maybe the chickens would be a help with that.
Pigs and other animals as well.
Hmmmm
They would probably just peck away the skin and get them all bloody.


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## TAH (Jun 30, 2016)

I am not sure, but our chickens use to peck tick and fleas off of our goats. Put DE on him and it will dry out the eggs and the ticks. Also works very well on fleas.


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## Mouse14 (Jun 30, 2016)

I've tried DE for our flea problem before resorting to flea pills for the dogs and cats.  Nothing else worked.  I've never heard of it killing ticks thoughm I still have about a lb of that.  Don't own any chickens. We have a lot of open field the pigs love exploring.  Grass is super tall so they get ticks easy. They also chill at the creek below the house.


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## Mouse14 (Jun 30, 2016)

My pigs are so onry I don't think they'd let chickens pick at them lol. They deal with 4 little dogs all day haha


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## micah wotring (Jun 30, 2016)

So, this seams pretty obvious to the rest of the world but What's DE??


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## ldawntaylor (Jun 30, 2016)

Diotamecius earth - I've spelled it wrong I'm sure.  It is basically dried out diatoms.  The effectiveness seems to be something that is argued about periodically.  I think there is a thread about it under the natural and organic husbandry section.

So far, I have haven't used any myself.


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## Latestarter (Jun 30, 2016)

Not all DE is created equal... please remember that if you choose to use it, ONLY use the food grade version. Even that is hazardous to health if inhaled,but nowhere near as dangerous as the non food grade stuff.


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## Mouse14 (Jun 30, 2016)

Yes food grade only!! Well ventilated.  It killed a lot of fleas but barely scratched the surface with our infestation.  They're so bad here first part of summer.  DE doesn't work as well when wet either.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 1, 2016)

I'm just over the moon with these piglets!  The runt is my favorire.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 1, 2016)

She's so teeny


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## Mouse14 (Jul 1, 2016)

Eeekk


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## micah wotring (Jul 1, 2016)

ldawntaylor said:


> Diotamecius earth - I've spelled it wrong I'm sure.  It is basically dried out diatoms.  The effectiveness seems to be something that is argued about periodically.  I think there is a thread about it under the natural and organic husbandry section.
> 
> So far, I have haven't used any myself.


Oh, OK
Thanks
Seams pretty obvious now!!


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## Mouse14 (Jul 1, 2016)

Is constipation normal?  The runt seems to be having mild difficulty pooping :/ and will they have scours until they start solids?


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## samssimonsays (Jul 1, 2016)

I used DE on my dogs to keep the ticks off. It dries anything with an exoskeleton out from the outside in.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 1, 2016)

Also I contacted my vet about when he does castration and he says a minimum of 3 months.  :/ I'm thinking of calling another farm vet  (the only other one here ) about when he does them.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 1, 2016)

Ok runt is definitely constipated  helped stimulate her until she dropped two little balls of poop. She's off to a bad start at life from the get go. I know she has more in there but it's just getting the hard poop out first. She strains and strains. Gets pushed by the bigger ones, can't get it out, strains some more


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## TAH (Jul 1, 2016)

does the vet have anything you could give her to help?


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## Mouse14 (Jul 1, 2016)

I didn't notice she was until after they closed at 12. They close early on Friday. I would guess they'd say juice but it's so young idk. And the iron shot will just make it worse.


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## frustratedearthmother (Jul 1, 2016)

Can you give a tiny little pig a tiny little enema?  I'm just asking because that's what I'd do with a goat kid.... I wouldn't know about a pig though.  Just an idea - maybe someone else can chime in.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 1, 2016)

I'd be scared to do that :/ it's super tiny. I wouldn't even take my son's temp rectally. Could a 3 day old baby (it'll be 3 days when  I can get something for this problem) have pumpkin puree? That or prune juice or baby food was going to be my next thought


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## Mouse14 (Jul 1, 2016)

Guess  going to call the vet first thing in the morning about it. Want it tackled before it gets out of hand or causes her harm.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 1, 2016)

They're so sweet. The runt is the black one laying beside the white and black. He's the next to the smallest piggy


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## Mouse14 (Jul 2, 2016)

Well the vet said a pediatric enema. This is going to be super difficult lol. This baby is so small!


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## Mouse14 (Jul 2, 2016)

Huge fail. I did stimulate it with a wet warm rag and it did poop some scours and ended with a little more brown hard poop. Progress though! Hoping soon he won't need help.  Discovered it's a boy not a girl.  It's rectum just looked like female parts with how stopped up he was! Going to keep watching him and aid him to go when I can.  I hope it's enough.  We only have 1 girl in this entire clan!  Out of 10 there were 3 females


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## Mouse14 (Jul 3, 2016)

And I was wrong there are definitely two girls. Got a nice good look this afternoon while they were snoozing while momma was eating! I'm still feeding her like I did when she was pregnant. Hopefully it's not too much or too little. The piglets are growing like puppies LOL. They have those great big bellies. Some have so much hair!


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## Latestarter (Jul 3, 2016)

Typically when any momma is nursing, her calorie intake requirements go up. The more milk needed, the more calories needed. It takes a lot of energy to produce milk. IMHO, If she looks like she's struggling to keep up production, loosing weight, run down/tired (more than normal) then up her protein and amount of feed. If she looks like she's putting on weight, getting fat(er), then cut her back a bit. From my understanding, PBP's are Lard pigs, so they pack on fat readily. Grats that you have 2 females. Are you keeping any, selling them?  How's that little runt doing?


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## TAH (Jul 3, 2016)

I am getting jealous of your little guys.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 4, 2016)

We will be selling them.  Though the runt has grown on me quite a bit. I never got am exact amount to give the piglets iron, but I have been putting them in dirt 1-2x a day.  If they start declining any health wise I guess I'll give .5ml to see if it helps considering their size.  They seem to be doing terrific though.  Nice and plump. All but the runt of course.  He's growing,  just slower


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## Mouse14 (Jul 4, 2016)

I'm unsure what kind of needle to even be using. Could really use that advice.  The woman I bought my pigs from never gave iron shots bc they were born outside in the summer. She's no help with that unfortunately :/


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## Mouse14 (Jul 4, 2016)

I'll try to get new pics of them tomorrow.  Momma has taken it upon herself to pee outside the box I provided so I have that to clean first thing tomorrow.  I have to change the dirt out of the box bc I found poop from mom in it -_- she's been a handful the last couple days. I can't wait till the babies can touch grass!  They'll love it.  They're so silly! They all try and run from me  I've noticed the squealiest piglets are all the biggest!


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## Latestarter (Jul 4, 2016)

Not sure what sized needle, but I'd have to guess very small


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## mysunwolf (Jul 4, 2016)

22 gauge needle works well for piglets  Though I have to say we never give iron if fresh dirt is provided, and ours grow very well.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 4, 2016)

I'm going to assume it's normal for their poop to start being harder to remove as they get older? All of them are a little strainy.  I added dirt to their actual bed and they prefer it that way so I think I'm going to remove the pool of dirt. Several of them were eating bits of dirt! They seem to find it intriguing from their bed lol. I took more pics. Will try and upload them


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## Mouse14 (Jul 4, 2016)

I had been putting them in dirt once or twice a day since about 2 days old, so for 3 days now  they don't have easy access to it on their own since the pool is too high. Even momma seems happy at my idea of dirt in the bed lol. She is such a dirt pig . My male just prefers stealing what she likes. He must be so lost being by himself 24/7 lol


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## Mouse14 (Jul 4, 2016)




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## Mouse14 (Jul 4, 2016)

So for a pig right under a year and 30-40 lbs does 2/3 a cup 3x a day seem enough or excessive? She looks a tad thin but not too bad. It's all droopy towards her feet? She still looks like she did pregnant, just no so round


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## Mouse14 (Jul 4, 2016)

I was only giving it to her 2x a day when pregnant t but added one more feed in since she would stand at the gate grunting until I assisted her


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## Mouse14 (Jul 4, 2016)

They are either moving too much or sleeping lol


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## Mouse14 (Jul 4, 2016)

My main concern at this point is the constipation. If it's normal in babies. Momma is still going like it's nothing at all. Momma has been eating their poop so idk what their stool looks like at this point. What age can I introduce a little pumpkin? Maybe help things along? Or is that closer to 3-4 weeks? There's only so much research on what to expect with piglets


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## mysunwolf (Jul 4, 2016)

Our piglets were eating little bits of their environment from a few days old, which included grass, weeds, hay, dirt, and feed. I would not worry about smearing a small amount of pumpkin on their tongues but I am no expert...

Some advice on feeding smaller lard sows: when lactating, place free choice feed in front of her, see how much she will eat in 10 mins. Feed that 2-3x per day. We use this rule for feeding our guinea hogs, I know others that use it for potbellies as well.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 5, 2016)

She finishes eating what I give her in as little as 5 mins. She doesnt get to graze like usual so that's why I upped her feed. She won't go farther than the kitchen so I haven't been able to get her to consider going outside. I guess I'll buy a little bit of pumpkin puree and see how it goes


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## Mouse14 (Jul 5, 2016)

Is their poop supposed to solidify before solids? I thought they'd have breast milk poop for a while. They're all struggling st this point. Getting pumpkin this evening. Shouldn't be hard to get them to eat it. They've been hooked on smelling me they're trying to bite.  Nipping that real quick! Nothing worse than a biting pig!


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## mysunwolf (Jul 5, 2016)

I would consider removing the heat pad/blanket at this point, they may be getting dehydrated being too hot--we have had this happen with heat lamps on bottle babies. You're right that their poop should have the consistency of peanut butter (sorry, best way to describe it ), and not hard pellets.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 6, 2016)

The blanket hasn't been on in days.  Either it's on a timer or mom managed to cut it off.  I'd remove it all together but they all cuddle in it.  I did try to get them to eat some pumpkin. Hopefully they got enough to help things along.  Their poop is little hard yellow balls  idk why they're constipated.  I would try an enema, but at this point I don't feel like it'd do much if they keep being backed up.  Someone's poop was brown but lots of clumps together.  The only thing other than milk they've had is dirt and that bit of pumpkin


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## Mouse14 (Jul 6, 2016)

"Baby Chris "


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## Mouse14 (Jul 6, 2016)

The two smallest


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## Mouse14 (Jul 6, 2016)

Some fat piglets


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## Mouse14 (Jul 6, 2016)

They're so cute


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## Mouse14 (Jul 6, 2016)

One of the females I do believe


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## Mouse14 (Jul 6, 2016)




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## Latestarter (Jul 6, 2016)

Not sure if you realize, you can put all the pictures in one entry   Just keep adding till they're all there then post.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 6, 2016)

I've tried that.  My phone won't let me for some reason.  It just removes the last pic.  :/


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## Mouse14 (Jul 6, 2016)

Could worms be making their poop harder? I haven't noticed any but it's so sad seeing them go :/


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## Mouse14 (Jul 6, 2016)

Poopy pics! Of course it'd let me add more than one pic now that I said it wouldnt. My data must have just been too slow to work right. I didn't even have the option to upload it full size. Only thumbnail the other day!


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## mysunwolf (Jul 6, 2016)

That poop looks like a pretty good consistency to me, though they do look to be straining a little. You _might_ be worrying a little too much


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## Mouse14 (Jul 6, 2016)

Lol maybe so! Haha. Its just so sad watching them struggle. The runt is staying fairly tiny compared to the rest. Will he ever look halfway caught up? He's gained about an inch in length but hasn't gotten fatter like the rest


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## Mouse14 (Jul 6, 2016)

Neck rolls! One of these are jawsy like momma. Baby Chris has got some soft long hair!


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## Mouse14 (Jul 6, 2016)

Little George.  4 have names.  Baby Chris is the biggest white and black one,  George is the runt,  peppa is the biggest female,  and boots is the female with white rings above her hooves


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## Mouse14 (Jul 6, 2016)

I feel maybe I'm over worrying but the small female has me super concerned. She's bigger than the runt in height and length but you can see her hips and her shoulder blades. I have 3 smaller and 3 extremely fat. :/ I feel those 3 are getting a lot less than the rest


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## Mouse14 (Jul 6, 2016)

The smaller ones even sleep a little more than the rest


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## Mouse14 (Jul 6, 2016)

Another better shot of how skinny she is (Boots)


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## mysunwolf (Jul 6, 2016)

Hm, and you said momma's teats all have milk? None of her nipples are inverted? She could just be having trouble keeping up because she's not aggressive enough, but it's hard to be sure. How full does her belly look from the side compared to the others?


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## babsbag (Jul 6, 2016)

Can you give her some alone time like I would for a litter of pups? I have never raised pigs.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 6, 2016)

Pigs only let down milk so often so even if I could separate she may not have milk when I do it if that makes sense. I'll get a pic tomorrow of her from the side. She's not sgressive at all. The biggest ones are definitely the assertive ones. They are kind of bullies.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 6, 2016)

Her milk area is still decent sized. She's getting enough to eat so I'm assuming it's not an issue. I bet it's just bc she's a sweeter docile piglet


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## Mouse14 (Jul 6, 2016)

Can't get a pic bc they're all sleepy and getting situated, but Boots' belly isn't droopy at all. She doesnt have any plumpness anywhere. And mommas milk line is 2 inch long give or take


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## Mouse14 (Jul 6, 2016)

Should I supplement the small ones with bottle feeds?  With a syringe of course.  I have goat milk but it's not raw or powdered.  It's from the milk section of walmart.  Where could I get powdered if I do need to do that?


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## Mouse14 (Jul 9, 2016)

I've noticed the babies have fleas! I'm assuming from momma. Our other animals have had flea pulls so it had to come in that way. That worries me about the babies ad their iron. The girl i notice does fight and ravage the teat but she isn't gaining. All of their skin seems extra dry. I give then dirt 2x a day. Never remove it so it turns to sand.  They still rub all on it. Is it possible to have more than 1 runt? I'm starting to the think the girl is definitely more likely the runt over the small boy, unless  there can be multiple runts


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## Mouse14 (Jul 9, 2016)

The little girl. I thought she was dead last night. She was lifeless, but still really warm so I though I was catching her dying. Turns out she was just in a really deep sleep lol. She perked right up after I laid her back down and gave her a second. Are deaths common after a week? They're 10 days old


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## Mouse14 (Jul 9, 2016)

Shots of the rest


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## Latestarter (Jul 9, 2016)

I think with pigs, since they normally have very large birth numbers, you almost always have size variations that can be quite large. So yes, I believe there can be more than one "runt". As for the fleas, you might consider getting some food grade DE and sprinkling it in their pool, rubbing some on them all, and that should help kill the fleas. If you didn't see any on momma pig when you brought her in, they may have been brought in with the dirt you put in the pool. I'd try to get them eliminated post haste before they develop into a much larger problem inside your home   I hate fleas!


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## Mouse14 (Jul 9, 2016)

You can see how little bitty she is to the rest


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## Mouse14 (Jul 9, 2016)

We did had a flea infestation! For 3 months. I tried avoiding toxic powders and such, used DE, then used some enforcer powder, then flea pills. We finally got rid of them before my pig was brought in. I know the male outside has them from going all through the field and down to the creek. I wouldn't be surprised if she came in with them. I'll go sprinkle some DE. Won't that dry out their skin even more though? The piglets have started playing so much!! Even the male runt is rough housing with the biggest piglet! It's so adorable. My son giggles and squeals when he sees them running during a hairy canary haha


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## babsbag (Jul 9, 2016)

They are getting cuter that's for sure. No idea on how to treat fleas on a pig but they can kill a puppy or kitten. Here's an article that Google found for me that might help.

http://www.pigs4ever.com/pot_belly_pig_information/skin_and_hair.php


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## Mouse14 (Jul 9, 2016)

I wonder if there's any preventative to avoid Lyme disease. I've worried about that but I can't just use DE bc the outdoor pigs lay in the creek and everything else so it would wash off. Should my pigs be vaccinated?  I've heard of people selling them vaxed but idk what kind of vaccines  pigs get


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## Mouse14 (Jul 9, 2016)

I sprinkled some DE in their bed. I rubbed some on them too. Some got a little more than I intended. Hopefully it doesn't affect them! I tried rubbing it out some but it didn't really go.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 10, 2016)

Boots looks so depressed.  She won't play with the others. She just lays around til it's time to eat.  Are some piglets like that?


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## Mouse14 (Jul 10, 2016)

I think i figured out why Boots is so skinny. She nurses the back teats, which seem to no longer have milk in them! Like they shut down from not being nursed enough. I've read that can happen. Wouldn't she try to find another one though? There's only 6 piglets and she has 12 teats. If 4 aren't working that still leaves 8 working.


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## TAH (Jul 10, 2016)

You can bottle feed her.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 10, 2016)

Does 5ml sound like a good amount for an 11 day old piglet at one sitting? I managed to syringe feed Boots. I did have 7.5ml in th syringe but some got wasted. Either she spit it out or I accidentally pushed when she was slapping her jaws trying to make sure she got it all. I moved the syringe so slow you couldn't tell any was gone unless you looked at the syringe itself.  I'm wanting to prevent her from aspirating but giving her a fighting chance she has sores above her front hooves from laying so much


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## TAH (Jul 10, 2016)

@Ferguson K ,@misfitmorgan


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## Mouse14 (Jul 10, 2016)

So they all started nursing including boots. So I took her out and offered her 10ml and she drank 7.5! So about 12.5ml total!  I hope that's a lot. Her belly is nice and plump right now lol


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## Ferguson K (Jul 10, 2016)

Mine got a baby bottle. That way she could nurse without issue. At 4 weeks she was eating 4ml 2xdaily (potbelly).

She also weighed less than a pound.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 10, 2016)

She gets thrown to the back while the fattest are all up front. That's why I pulled her. The back teats are totally flat :/


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## babsbag (Jul 10, 2016)

@Ferguson K  Would you used a bottle like a kitten uses?


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## Mouse14 (Jul 10, 2016)

This piglet is probably a little under a lb.  The rest are for sure a lb aside from George. He's small too but not bony like her. It's seriously like she's being starved to death.  I think that's the only reason she took as much as she did. She did manage to suck the syringe down multiple times so I didn't have to. Should I have gone with a bottle instead of syringe? What kind of bottle?


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## babsbag (Jul 10, 2016)

Can you move her up to the front while they are nursing and just push one of the bigger ones out of the way for a little bit?


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## Mouse14 (Jul 10, 2016)

No bc they just knock her out of the way. They're way stronger than her


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## babsbag (Jul 10, 2016)

Hopefully @Ferguson K will answer but I think a bottle that is used for kittens or puppies. Look at the size of her teats and then decided which bottle is better. You can get them at Walmart and maybe at Tractor Supply as well. You have to put the hole in the nipple with a hot needle.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 10, 2016)

Yeah the kitten bottle would be the best bet then. Her teats are under an inch long


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## Mouse14 (Jul 10, 2016)

She was sucking so hard she had the milk pouring out! The bottle definitely needs to be got quick! I can't wait to see her plump up like her siblings


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## TAH (Jul 10, 2016)




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## babsbag (Jul 10, 2016)

Isn't she just adorable. I have no idea how much to feed her but I would go slow so she doesn't get sick from too much food too fast. The only thing I can compare this too is raising kittens so maybe I am just crazy and pigs can't overeat. What are you feeding her? I raise kittens on goat's milk, but do they make a pig milk?


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## Mouse14 (Jul 10, 2016)

I have her on some multi-species formula from TSC. It's for calves, foals, baby pigs, lambs, goat kids, llama and alpaca crias, fawns and elk calves   it's ultra 24. It was really pricy imo lol but worth it if she starts filling out.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 10, 2016)

I never even thought about going slow :/ I hope she doesn't feel sick now!  She's drank a ton today. I'm gonna feed her when I feed momma. Momma smells it and tries to takes it!


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## Ferguson K (Jul 10, 2016)

Sorry, I'm just now seeing this.

For potbellies  I use MannaPro Ultium milk replacer, and I add in one egg to every bottle mixed for extra protien and fat. Uncooked, raw. I use a regular dollar store baby bottle as the nipple is the right size.


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## Ferguson K (Jul 10, 2016)

When Bernie was this size, she was getting 1oz 4x daily. By the time she hit l... 2lbs? Maybe 3? She was eating about 5oz a feeding. 

She's down to two bottles a day now and drinks that entire 8oz bottle.


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## Ferguson K (Jul 10, 2016)

We would let her eat until she was full. Much like a mother pig. Some feedings she would eat 3oz and others less than 1. Depended on how much energy she used and how hungry she was.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 10, 2016)

What a stubborn piglet! She refused to use the kitten bottle!  I caved with the syringe until I can widen the hole in the nipple a little more


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## Mouse14 (Jul 10, 2016)

Should I use a human baby bottle?  I let her drink as much as she wanted.  Filled it to 30ml and she drank maybe 15? So 3.5 tsp. Is that much? She did spill a good bit from it so that's why I'm saying maybe 15


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## Mouse14 (Jul 10, 2016)

These instructions are super confusing. Idk how to break it down since it's in a large amount.  Does 1tbsp seem good for 30ml? I don't want to waste anymore formula than I have to lol


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## Mouse14 (Jul 10, 2016)

Ferguson K said:


> When Bernie was this size, she was getting 1oz 4x daily. By the time she hit l... 2lbs? Maybe 3? She was eating about 5oz a feeding.
> 
> She's down to two bottles a day now and drinks that entire 8oz bottle.
> 
> View attachment 19671


Omg that wrinkled head! Cuteee


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## Ferguson K (Jul 10, 2016)

I used a human baby bottle from the dollar store.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 10, 2016)

I just saw that comment lol. My Internet had it hidden. Will the formula I have be good? Should I still add in the egg?


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## babsbag (Jul 10, 2016)

Mouse14 said:


> These instructions are super confusing. Idk how to break it down since it's in a large amount.  Does 1tbsp seem good for 30ml? I don't want to waste anymore formula than I have to lol



Not sure what you are asking. 1 tbsp = almost 15 ML.  If you want to post the directions maybe we can help you figure it out.


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## misfitmorgan (Jul 11, 2016)

adding the egg is not going to hurt her any...extra fat and protein in a young piglet is perfectly fine.

We use a human baby bottle or we also have the bottle kit from TSC the one near the kitten bottles it has all the different nipples....they like the big long smooshy one in that kit.

The reason she wouldnt just pick another teat btw and the reason the others knocked her off is because a piglet picks a teat or an area and stays there generally even defending it.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 11, 2016)

Momma is starting to get kind of mean towards me. Think she knows I'm "momma'ing" one of her babies? She's rooting at my side and then tries biting me. Maybe has to do with milk being on my pants :/ she's always been kind of moody but she's been wonderful since she gave birth as far as me being around them.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 11, 2016)

As for Boots, she's already acting like a normal piglet! She's not sleeping off by herself, she's starting to come to me, she's walking arpund more, and her belly is actually full! I'm so glad I bought that formula thursday!


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## Mouse14 (Jul 11, 2016)

babsbag said:


> Not sure what you are asking. 1 tbsp = almost 15 ML.  If you want to post the directions maybe we can help you figure it out.


You answered what I was asking lol. I'm just unsure how much water to formula I needed. I had just been adding it where the formula wasn't too watery, but kind of like a bottle of breast milk consistency. The instructions say: offer 1 1/2-2 1/2 pints (24-40floz) per pig 2x a day free choice. Just seemed a little excessive for a piglet not even a lb so I wasn't sure how much to break it down since it didn't label how much formula to water


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## misfitmorgan (Jul 11, 2016)

It does say how much water to mix in. Look at the back of the bag on all those charts to the left of where it says "Age" in each column it has the species calf, foal etc....under each species it says the amount of water. I am looking at a picture online so i cant read what piglets are but for example the alpaca one says "Mix 2/3 cup(2.35 dry oz.) of powder into 2 cups(16 fluid oz.) of water." the foal one says "Mix 3 cups of powder with 2(3?) quarts of water"..not positive on the foal one again its hard to read.

It pretty important to mix  the formula properly to rich and they can get diarrhea, to thin and they can starve.


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## babsbag (Jul 11, 2016)

Pigs it says 1 cup of powder per quart of water. For the amount to feed it says days 1-5 to feed 1-2 pints per day. But of course that is a standard sized pig so less of course. But the mixing ratio is important. I am sure that you can mix it and store in the refrigerator and then just warm it up before you feed it.


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## misfitmorgan (Jul 11, 2016)

babsbag said:


> Pigs it says 1 cup of powder per quart of water. For the amount to feed it says days 1-5 to feed 1-2 pints per day. But of course that is a standard sized pig so less of course. But the mixing ratio is important. I am sure that you can mix it and store in the refrigerator and then just warm it up before you feed it.



Thats for the Ultra 24 multi-species Babs?

The one i found says
Day 2-5 
1/2-1 pint twice daily
Day 6-10 
1 1/2- 2 pints twice daily
Day 11-15 
2 1/2 - 4 pints twice daily
Day 16-21 
4 - 6 pints twice daily

i just cant read the water to formula ratio on the picture...she should be able to find it on the actual bag she has.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 11, 2016)

It doesn't have the ratio. It just says start with approximately half of amounts listed and adjust as needed for body weight and appetite. :/ the potbelly is the only one it says that on :/


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## Mouse14 (Jul 11, 2016)




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## Mouse14 (Jul 11, 2016)

This is a potbelly. Or can it go off of regular baby pigs? I've just been looking at the potbelly part since that's what they are.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 11, 2016)

So for 4oz I need to add 1/3 cup of formula?


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## Mouse14 (Jul 11, 2016)

She acts like the nipple is too big?  She bites sideways at it? Will she do that until she gets used to it? It took her forever to drink half an ounce through the bottle


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## Mouse14 (Jul 11, 2016)




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## babsbag (Jul 11, 2016)

I'm on my phone now so not sure what label that was from but this is from ultra 24  valley vet web site. 

 FOR PIGS day 6-10. 

Mix 3⁄4 cup (2.63 dry oz) of powder into 2 cups of warm water. Offer 1.5 to 2.5 (24 to 40 uid oz) pints per pig twice daily, free choice. 

Reduce that by half for mini pig


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## Mouse14 (Jul 11, 2016)

That label was on the back of the formula. It has pigs and then potbelly but the potbelly tab doesn't have instructions. The regular pig label does. It said 3/4 cup to 16oz and if I cut that into thirds it'd be 1/3 to 4 oz?


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## Mouse14 (Jul 11, 2016)

So technically the same thing lol. It looks about right with how I was mixing it without measuring!


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## Mouse14 (Jul 11, 2016)

I only cut it in 3rd bc the bottle only holds 8oz and that was without formula plus she is so small she drinks 1-3 oz every few hours so I can use about 6oz without having to make a new batch


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## babsbag (Jul 11, 2016)

Mouse14 said:


> It said 3/4 cup to 16oz and if I cut that into thirds it'd be 1/3 to 4 oz?



That's one thing I hate about our system of measuring things.  It would be 1/4 cup to 5.3 ounces so your 1/3 to 4 is a little rich. I would go 1/4 cup to 5 ounces.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 11, 2016)

I am measurement illiterate!  Lol! I hate it! Alright I'll do that. I hate that about 3 oz gets wasted. You aren't suppose to refrigerate after rewarming right? That's how I've been doing it refrigerating it once the  dumping after the second use.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 11, 2016)

Tell me if this sounds good. I do 2.5 oz water to 2 tbsp of formula


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## Mouse14 (Jul 11, 2016)

So less gets wasted


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## secuono (Jul 12, 2016)

Bottle baby has to relearn how to eat from you, since it keeps changing, teat, syringe, nipple. Make sure the holes are large enough in the rubber nipple or it may be too much work to bother. 

I had a runt and it chose the back teats, which dry up. I had to sit there with my hand blocking the others so the runt could eat from the good teats. Once they choose teats, they use them even if it causes their death. =/

I've always reheated formula. Idk why you can't. But if you don't, then just make half or a third of what it says to use.
Easy to do the math if you measure out the normal amout, remove half by eye and compare to make sure it's half, then check with measuring spoons to see its size. Measure they dry stuff and water separate.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 12, 2016)

She acts like the nipple chokes her. Like it's too much for her mouth. She hates the kitten bottle, i guess bc its so small.  The bottle I  tried was a natural flow from Dr browns.  She was a back teat baby :/


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## Mouse14 (Jul 12, 2016)

The baby bottle she bites at sideways bc it's so big when it's in her mouth.   idk if I should let her get it how she can or find a different one


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## babsbag (Jul 13, 2016)

Mouse14 said:


> Tell me if this sounds good. I do 2.5 oz water to 2 tbsp of formula



I didn't see this yesterday...yes that is correct. 

I think I would mix up an entire days worth of formula and keep in the refrigerator and then just warm and put in the bottle want you need for each feeding. That is way I used to do kittens before I had goats.

If she doesn't like that nipple and she doesn't like the kitten one maybe try a puppy one? Or go back to a syringe? Is she looking fatter? If you look on Google for nipples for feeding baby pigs I found quite a few articles where people are just feeding them from a pan, even at 12 HOURS old. They say just stick their nose in it and if they are hungry they will eat milk from the dish, no bottle needed. 

Again, I have never raised pigs, it is only what I read while looking for ideas for the bottle.


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## misfitmorgan (Jul 13, 2016)

@Mouse14 

The label directions do not mean mix half the amount of stuff....they mean feed half the suggested amount..you mix it just like regular pigs.

So 3/4c to 2c water this makes 16oz.

If you want to avoid a headache....this is what we do.

Grab a 16oz pop bottle, wash it out well. Run your tap water until it is good and hot, then put 1cup of water in it(you can use a regular measuring cup) then use a funnel and put in 3 scoops of the formula(scoop included should be 1/4c)...then put the lid on the pop bottle and shake for about 10 seconds then loosen the cap and let the pressure out, tighten and shake again....repeat until all powder is mixed in and appear lumps free. Add your other cup of cool/cold water, shake again just to blend. Then pour how much she is gonna drink in your baby bottle and heat it up....put the pop bottle full in the fridge. Just keep pouring out how much ever ready mixed formula she will eat into the baby bottle and warm it up. We have kept ready mixed formula like this in our fridge up to 3 days without any problems.

The reason they only want to you to reheat once is everytime you heat and cool it could cause bacteria growth..but this way your only heating what she is gonna eat at each feeding. Saves you a lot of formula waste.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 13, 2016)

Wow that'll be a life saver! I have been syringe feeding her until I can get back to the store. She only wastes maybe 5ml of the entire 3oz so I guess that's better than nothing. She is starting to gain weight, which has me so happy. She's still not up to rough housing but it's only been a few days  do females have to be 6 months before you can spay them?


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## Mouse14 (Jul 13, 2016)

I may very well keep her if my husband will let me haha!


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## babsbag (Jul 13, 2016)

So happy she is doing better. I know how it is...hard to get rid of the ones we spoil. I have no idea on the spaying part.


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## misfitmorgan (Jul 13, 2016)

i dont know either i know dogs they want 4-6months or older and kittens they do as young as 10-12weeks. I would say call your vet and ask them what age they prefer.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 13, 2016)

Do you think the vets office would feel weird if I asked if they use gas or anesthesia? I know you need to avoid anesthesia since it can kill them.  I don't want that!!


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## babsbag (Jul 13, 2016)

If your vet is any good they shouldn't care if you ask. If they get mad about that then find a different vet. They are our animals and it is our job to make sure they get the best care possible. Tell them what you know.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 13, 2016)

I agree!  one vet was going to charge 250 to do females and 200 for males...:/ not really the range I was expecting.  They said 4 months.  Another costs 30 per castration but I don't think they spay


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## Mouse14 (Jul 13, 2016)

Look at this change!!  7 days. Started feeding her the 10th! She's plumping out good for 3 days!


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## babsbag (Jul 13, 2016)

Oh my goodness, she is losing her hour glass figure and starting to look like a pig. Looking like a pig is good when you are one. So glad that she is doing well, hope she starts to play and bully those big siblings.

"you can be a big pig too."


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## Mouse14 (Jul 13, 2016)

LOL!! Idk if she will lol. While I was feeding her they were fighting and screaming something fierce when nursing!! Momma pinned the male runt down with her hoof yesterday and when I got in there he was kicking his leg back trying to relieve it.  Perfectly fine today but dang!


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## Mouse14 (Jul 14, 2016)

How cute are they lol. The white and black one acts just like his dad! Attention hog who soaks up all the belly rubs!


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## Mouse14 (Jul 14, 2016)

This is the daddy of the piglets


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## Mouse14 (Jul 14, 2016)

Fatty


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## Mouse14 (Jul 14, 2016)

The one I'm feeding has the biggest eyes  they're adorable.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 14, 2016)

Should I be feeding the mom part piglet feed until she weans? Since I found out she was pregnant I've done half  adult and half piglet. Or can I stop feeding her piglet feed? Also when should I start introducing moistened feed to the babies?


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## Mouse14 (Jul 14, 2016)

I'd say she's mastered it haha. She eats sitting down now. She's good at coming to me when I pop my head in there anymore


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## babsbag (Jul 14, 2016)

adorable. I used to feed my dog puppy chow when she was nursing. I did it until they were weaned. Beyond that I am no help.


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## misfitmorgan (Jul 15, 2016)

You can start feeding her warm mash now. We start feeding warm pig and sow mash at 4 days old and then they switch to dry mash at about 3 weeks. This is for normal size pigs but should be the same for your potbellies.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 15, 2016)

Is it normal for the males to have a smell so young? They're 2 weeks and 2 days old right now. I've noticed one piglet has more of a smell than the rest. Is that just from their scent glands or is that a sexual thing? I've noticed they are humping each other a lot -_- my vet won't castrate til 4 months old so I'm going to have to separate the sexes fairly soon. I wish they could have done it way sooner :/


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## Mouse14 (Jul 15, 2016)

Best 5 out of 6! Oh my heart lol. They've never cooperated this well for pics!


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## TAH (Jul 15, 2016)

This is me


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## Mouse14 (Jul 16, 2016)

Does she look too thin? I feed her a cup of food 2-3x a day :/ she gets quite a bit more than she used to but she still seems so frail to me. We are powering through pig feed :/ I feel like I need to feed her more but idk if this is a normal looking weight for her age. She turns 1 the 28th


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## Mouse14 (Jul 16, 2016)

When she was pregnant she was getting about 4-5 cups a day while grazing and occasionally getting veggies.  Shes had had some watermelon rinds a couple times this week


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## Mouse14 (Jul 16, 2016)

I feel like maybe her teats are pulling on her making her look thinner. I just fed her again.


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## babsbag (Jul 16, 2016)

I would feed her more, lactation is probably harder on them than being pregnant.  Does she get any garden scraps?  My big butcher pigs were eating scraps from the school lunch room and boy were they eating like pigs   This time of year maybe you can get garden scraps from friends and neighbors, or a local produce stand. Mine were lucky, the had goat's milk too, the older the milk the better.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 17, 2016)

I can try to get some  thanks.  I'll up her feed to pregnancy amount.  I usually have a head of romaine lettuce I give them,  and carrots but haven't bought produce in a few weeks


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## babsbag (Jul 17, 2016)

Mine also got eggs. I have chickens and lots of eggs so I would hard boil them and them just smash them, fed shell and all and they loved them.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 17, 2016)

Oh I didn't know they could eat shells! I'll definitely be doing that since eggs are full of goodness


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## Latestarter (Jul 17, 2016)

Some folks don't even bother smashing them... just give them the whole boiled egg (and watch the first time as they try to figure it out ) After the first time, I imagine it's pretty much "smoosh" then swallow.


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## babsbag (Jul 17, 2016)

But these pigs are little and we don't want them to choke on them, but yeah, for big pigs probably no smashing required.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 18, 2016)

Oh yeah I'd be giving it to her for now. Is it normal for a momma to be super stingy with food? One of her babies got inches from the pan in exploration and she started eating faster and trying to finish it before he got a bite :/ what I've been giving her makes her belly big after eating so I think I'm feeding her a perfect amount right now. How will the babies learn to eat the grain if she won't let them near it? I have given them mushy feed while she was eating but she eats so fast, by the time they start getting into it good she's done


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## misfitmorgan (Jul 20, 2016)

We always feed pigs hay so they can munch if they are hungry. For our piglets we leave a pan of pig & sow out for them 24/7 in a creep feeder area. I have never really seen momma pigs sharing from a pan with their piglets, the closest would be letting them root around outside with her.

i would say she for sure looks skinny, pigs during lactation are almost impossible to put weight on once it is lost because their body demands so much to make milk. From what i gather that Mazuri pig feed is only suppose to be 50-60% of their daily intake of feed. The other 40-50% of her feed should be hay, grass,forage,fruits,veggies, table scraps, milk, eggs, basically anything but meat/bones.

So for example if she weighs 50lbs she would need 0.75-1.5lbs of Mazuri per day plus 0.75-1.5lbs of other food stuff. 0.75-1.5lbs is roughly 1 1/2C to  2 3/4C so total per day she should get 3 - 5 1/2C if she weighed 50lbs.

If you have a tape measure you can figure out her weight the problem atm is she is skinny firstly so her weight to feed will be off and she is lactating so weight gain is gonna be hard. I would definitely figure up weight then figure out her feed amount per day and feed her that plus slightly more.

Forgot to mention you can also free choice feed pigs....with her being skinny and the piglets being there and needing to get used to food you can free choice feed but definitely add hay or some other reasonable amount of forage for them to the diet.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 20, 2016)

I upped her feed to about 4c a day. She's only roughly 30 lbs prebaby. After she eats she has a good belly. I've been feeding her eggs, watermelon rinds, I've been bringing grass in from outside as well.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 24, 2016)

These piglets are growing so fast!!! Boots worries me sometimes though.  After I feed her she has little sneezing/coughing spells.  And peppa is the absolute fattest piglet I've ever seen!  She even comes up in my lap to get just a taste of the formula. She drinks what Boots doesn't.  I started kind of putting piglet feed in their bed while momma eats around 3 weeks.  They've all got it down pretty good. Hard to believe they'll be 4 weeks old Wednesday!


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## Mouse14 (Jul 24, 2016)

I'll be taking new pics tomorrow.  Boots and Peppa are the first piglets I've encountered that don't squeal when being picked up.  Boots I expected it from,  since I've been bottle feeding her so long.  But Peppa. She's just so lovable.  She's a lot like the momma pig


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## babsbag (Jul 24, 2016)

I can hardly wait to see the pictures. Is Boots still be fed by syringe? Does she nurse off of mama at all?


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## Mouse14 (Jul 25, 2016)

Yes she's still on syringe. She's finally not losing any of it when she sucks. She does nurse on momma but doesn't get anything. She acts starved when I feed her. She doesnt eat much of the feed still. I meant to upload a couple pics earlier. Today was mop day and I stalled it lol. They get the back room filthy haha


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## Mouse14 (Jul 25, 2016)




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## Mouse14 (Jul 25, 2016)

Boots is the top pic


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## babsbag (Jul 25, 2016)

Food on her face is cute.   She is getting to be a big little pig. You have done a good job with her and all of them.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 25, 2016)

Thanks! I'm so glad we haven't lost any more! I'm doing this all on my own. Was supposed to have help, but schedules get crazy and everyone's out of town when something like this happens! I hope her sneezing/coughing fits are nothing serious after she eats. I'm terrified of them getting pneumonia. The daddy had it as a baby and so I worry about it lol


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## babsbag (Jul 26, 2016)

You are probably wise to be a little concerned with her sneezing and coughing. Do you ever see anything come out of her nose when she does that? She is most likely just being a "pig" and eating to fast but I would certainly be on the look out for her not feeling well.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 26, 2016)

She acts totally fine otherwise.  She only coughs and sneezes for a couple mins when she's done. It started from me feeding her inside the back room instead of isolated. I may pull her out again and see if it stops. I do have a question though. I left 2.5 dozen eggs out overnight on accident :/ can I boil them and feed them to momma or could that be dangerous since the eggs are technically bad? I'm trying to give her variety since she refuses to go outside. I have frozen sweet peas I'm gonna fix for her as well.


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## Mouse14 (Jul 26, 2016)

Nothing comes out of her nose either.  She's never coughed anything back up. It's kind of like the backward sneezing some dogs do


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## babsbag (Jul 26, 2016)

Nothing out of the nose is good and she is probably fine. 

About the eggs...they aren't bad, even for you, unless they got super hot for a long long time; like they would if a hen sat on them and start incubating them.  In Europe eggs aren't even put in the refrigerator and sometimes I leave mine on the counter for a few days. But if you aren't comfortable using them then by all means cook them up for the pigs, they will love them.


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## Latestarter (Jul 27, 2016)

Ummm Not sure if the eggs are store bought or fresh from your chickens... Even store bought are fine to leave out overnight, but use them up soon. Fresh eggs that are NOT washed can sit on your counter for a month or more and be just fine. And no, it doesn't really matter summer or winter. 
http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/how-to-store-fresh-eggs-zmaz77ndzgoe.aspx#axzz2wLLhdBnZ


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## Mouse14 (Aug 13, 2016)

Sorry I haven't been on here in a while. Been battling some depression and working on some fanfic to help. The babies are 6 weeks as of wednesday! Time has flown by. I finally have bottle baby taking the milk out of a bowl. I'm unsure how to slowly wean her from it. And how long after having babies before my pig goes into heat again? I'm keeping her indoors until I can make sure the male can't get to her. This litter has her looking so frail. She's staying rounded but her legs look small. I've let her outside a couple times but not for extended periods. I'm scared she'll go to where I had the male put up and encourage him!


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## Mouse14 (Aug 13, 2016)




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## micah wotring (Aug 14, 2016)

Wow, they're getting a lot bigger!


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## Latestarter (Aug 14, 2016)

Sorry you're dealing with depression. Hope you can work your way out of it. They sure have grown!


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## Mouse14 (Aug 21, 2016)

Thanks. I'm doing better  just been too much going on but things are slowly getting better.  I managed to wean Boots in just 2 days!  I had meant for it to be a gradual thing but she only cried for her milk the first two days.  By the third day she stopped squealing when I put the food down for them  I did end up having to feed another one some milk as well towards the end.  He was a little too slim for my liking.  Momma pig is staying round bellied and full but her hip bones and spine are visible. I'm really hoping she stops looking so frail once the babies are gone. She eats several times a day and quite a bit each time.  We plow through feed anymore.  Buying 2 bags every 9ish days. Adult and youth at a time. Just thought I'd pop in with an update


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## Mouse14 (Oct 2, 2016)

I know I haven't posted in quite a while, but I have a question regarding my 1 year old male. He's been releasing blood with semen when he gets his jolly's off. Is that normal for males to expel or could it be sexual frustration? (My male dog once peed blood and the vet said it's common with unneuteted males that aren't breeding) just wondering if I should be concerned or if it could be normal.


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## Hybridchucks (Mar 19, 2018)

Update on the piggies?


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