Abscess in one month old calf

[Mikethepigman]

Yep know the feeling all to well with pigs, first litter all died, was not ready. It was well about this time last year. However I had four piglets on milk replacer. So I did what anyone would and put the piglets on the sow. She took to them, they took to her and she is still at our farm even tho she only gives us 7 piglets( witch is under par) but I know that I can put her in a pen and she will do everything!! Now that a year has passed I have figured alot out about farrowing and pigs. Hopefully this year I can do the same with calfs!! Oh and goats love them little ones!!

 

[farmerjan]

I can well understand your feelings towards the sow that only has 7. My first sow was a white ugly thing bought at the monthly feeder pig sale years ago. She had 5 or 6 , one looked like a belted Hampshire. It was a female so we kept it and sold the sow and the other pigs at weaning. Called the hamp "Daffy" because she sounded more like a quack than an oink. She was the start of my sow herd. Never had more than 8 pigs, every one alive, raised every one, never laid on a pig and she was always allowed to go out loose on the big farm and usually made a nest partway under a round bale of hay. Every single one of her daughters had a minimum of 11, and most 12 - 14. Only had 1 granddaughter that was mean and she'd get you. She raised the one litter, they were all sold when weaned and she went too. I cried when Daffy got too old and wouldn't breed.
Am really glad that it turned out to be a minor issue. And I didn't think about the swollen lymph nodes, which it could have been too. Yep better to have a "minor problem" early on and get your feet wet. Luckily calves are alot cheaper than they used to be so WHEN , not if, you do lose one somewhere down the road, it won't be a devastating financial loss. It doesn't matter some are just not meant to live, and you can stand on your head and spit wooden nickels, and sometimes they die. We all have lost an animal or two and it isn't from neglect or poor management. It happens.

 

[Mikethepigman]

We call her "momma" and I hope she has a good litter here soon. She's just a Yorkshire, but my boar is Hampshire/Yorkshire cross. He came from an auction. I got started in pigs by buying and selling piglets. My first month I took $100 and turned it in to $2000. Had a set price to sell and wasn't afraid to travel for piglets. Well one of the farms I go to to get piglets had a boar 2 weeks old and it had a solid black head and white body. I wanted it soooooo bad! Well it ended up not making it to weaning. However the next week or so the farmer had some auction pigs. And it was fate cause there stood a breeding size boar with a black head and white body. If I wouldn't have seen him, he woulda ended up on the dinner table for somebody. First few weeks he got shots and didnt seem to like humans. Now... I can walk him ten thousand miles if I wanted, he's such a big baby lol only weighs about 600 lbs. When I got him he was prolly 300 lbs. or so. My pigs have it pretty good around here, farrowing pens are 12x12 or 10x20 and the breeding pen is 32x40, only have 10 pigs and not everyone is in the same pen at time so everyone has room to be a happy go lucky pig lol my Duroc gilt died in farrowing and that had me about tears, her piglets were to big. She was my first Duroc. Red was her name, I could get in her pen and sit down and rub on her and she liked it. So of course had get another one lol, one wasn't enuff got two lol. One of these days ima have 20 or more sow's and the goal is to have about 320 piglets a year to sell and or raise to butcher. The market has me worried right now tho cause pork is horribly low... But if the market is down... Only one way it can go and that's back up so now's the time to buy and pray it gonna good decision lol heres a pic of momma's last 7. it was soooooo cool that one piglet looked just like her and one looked just like him. little piglets are just so fun to watch lol

 

[cjc]

My goodness how sweet! Piglets are so adorable! The first time I got piglets I planned to keep one. Then she grew into a pig haha. Needless to say I did not keep her!

We had a cow on the farm that was really just a lawn ornament but she did good for the other calves. Sometimes they just earn their place whether they are good producers or not!

And yes, I lost my first calf just like you lost your first litter. I was devastated! But it taught me a lot. Even though I hated to hear it my good friend who runs a ton of cattle said "sometimes you have to kill one to learn how to not kill the others". Haven't lost one since.