Bad mama pig

[arrowti]

We have a sow who just gave birth to a litter of 12 early Saturday morning (still during the night). 1 was stillborn which was normal, it happens.. She was nursing them when we checked so they did get their collostrum, but since yesterday afternoon she does not seem all too interested in feeding them. She'll roll partially onto her side, then after a few minutes get up and lay back down on her belly, even when they're still squealing for food.

We have pastured pigs, and she gave birth in a large hut-style building with an open entrance. It was the same setup as the previous (her first) litter, and we had another sow give birth to her piglets early in Winter, who was very adamant about keeping her piglets warm, protecting them in a casing of bedding and keeping her back to the opening.

This mama doesn't do any such thing, and leaves them fully exposed to any wind. We put in a heat lamp, the first we've ever needed to use for piglets, and she's finally taking a little initiative to lay next to her piglets and keep them warm. She is nursing them a little more today but still nowhere near enough, as they're always hungry.

We lost one piglet this morning and another was stepped on and has a gaping, skinless patch on its right hind leg, showing bright red muscle. No blood. The patch of skin was completely ripped off and we have no idea where it is.

What can we do? There is no redness or injury to the mother's teets and belly, and she allows us to feel around and squeeze to check for tenderness without fuss.

She had no problems with her first litter last summer, and nursed them and cared for them really well. Is there anything we can do to get her to take care of them? We will not breed her again after this. She's the only sow who has stepped on her piglets not once, but at least three times (she stepped on a few from her first litter, temporarily killing one which we managed to get back to life through CPR who is flourishing today, and not injuring the other). It was her first litter then so we figured it was simply a learning process. Perhaps that was our first clue that she wasn't a great mother to begin with.

Any ideas? If necessary, what should we feed them if we need to get them milk if she doesn't allow them to nurse more than she is now? Any advice on how to feed them? Bottles, bowls, etc...

We have another sow who is going to be giving birth any day now, and she's already taken preparations to secure a warm place in another hut so her piglets aren't exposed to the wind.

 

[Latestarter]

Greetings @arrowti from the front range in Colorado Welcome to BYH. Sorry to hear you're having trouble with your sow and her piglets... I'm sorry that I can't be of much help there. @jk47 @jhm47 @mysunwolf @secuono @Baymule ? Hope you can get to the bottom of it. Good luck and glad you joined us!

 

[arrowti]

Thanks for your response! I've been in and out of the pen all day to check on the little injured piglet, and found another piglet with a much smaller, less serious cut on the front of its back leg. Maybe a bit from a sibling, I doubt she stepped on it because she's a massive sow and it would've been a much bigger wound.

At long last she let them feed for more than 5 minutes, but still ignores her pile of shivering piglets who she leaves lying in the nest without any cover. I've been going in and piling up the hay to block the wind and piling more around them for warmth, as she sleeps in the back of the pen away from them.

I'm hoping no they don't freeze. They're lying in the warmth of the heat lamp right now which is good, but still shivering. They were all able to get up and run around to get milk though, which is good. One of them was lying awfully still but it got up in the end and made its way over.

Hopefully we won't have to separate the mama from the piglets, to avoid more injuries.

 

[Pamela]

What are you feeding mama pig? Our sow was very unsettled and aggressive toward her babies the day after she farrowed. Turns out she was starving! Birthing and feeding a dozen babies is a lot of work. We made sure to increase her feed dramatically, and she settled down and turned into a great mother.
If feeding her more doesn't help her attitude, get her in a farrowing crate. I am not a huge fan of the crate, but it serves a critical purpose.

 

[arrowti]

She has a full bowl of pig n sow right outside which she's eaten a little from every now and again. Well, she HAD a full bowl - the other sow is chowing down on everything in a 10 mile radius and is going to be giving birth today (this one eats like a... well... a pig.. before she gives birth). We'll put in more food later but she didn't seem all too interested in eating.

She isn't being aggressive towards her piglets, as she doesn't snap at them or push them away. She's just oblivious where she's walking and doesn't move when one squeals right away. Her motherly instincts just seem really poor, really. :/

We don't actually have a farrowing crate but we might have to make something like it so she can't step on them by accident.

 

[Pamela]

I would try to figure out a crate type situation then. These huge sows aren't very graceful or coordinated and can easily damage their litter.
We put the feed trough at the far end of our crate. That way she had to get in it to eat. She also could get out of it so she wasn't stuck in there for hours, days, weeks at a time. The babies were tucked into a corner under a light where they could get out from under moms feet, but still get to her when she was in the crate. We also put out a pan of hog grower so the babies can nose around in it.

 

[Pamela]

I drew a picture of our set up. This set up is under a roof until just past the apex of the triangle. We would lock mama pig up at night (see gate on crate) . once the babies are big and fast enough to get away from those big heavy mama feet, we tie the gate of the crate open.

 

[Baymule]

I haven't raised sows and piglets and have no experience to help you deal with this. @Ferguson K can you help?

 

[Ferguson K]

Some mother's are big cumbersome beasts that don't know where to put their feet.


She's letting the piglets nurse. She's being protective, all good mama qualities. She just doesn't realize they are under her. It's always best to provide a place where the sow can lay down that's piglet free so she doesn't squish them.

Sometimes it takes them a few times. Though there are some bad pig mamas out there. The fact that she's not letting them nurse for long or trying to keep them warm is worrisome to me. Piglets only nurse for a few minutes at a time, and after that it's mostly comfort suckles. Are their bellies full? Or are they empty?

As for the piglet with the gaping wound I would probably cull it. To many things can go wrong with a pig that young.

 

[jhm47]

The fact that this sow doesn't seem to eat much, is not interested in feeding her babies, and seems to be somewhat depressed makes me suspect that she may have an infection somewhere in her body. Did she expel the placenta? Does she have a normal temperature? Just to be sure, I'd give her a dose of antibiotic, and also about 2cc of oxytocin to help contract her uterus and also to let down her milk. Good luck!