Farrowing crate

[Abbey]

I am new to the forum and new to pigs. We want to breed our tamworth/Yorkshire gilt and I am looking into options for safe farrowing. I understand the biggest loss of young pigs occurs within the first few days of birth, this is when the mother is most likely to crush them? So we have a wood shed for our pig and I was looking into options for adding some panels to make a farrowing stall, paneling a section just big enough for the sow to lay down but not turn around, with the panels eight inches off the ground and the excess space on the one side available for heat lamps to draw the pigs away from mom when not feeding.
I was thinking of mounting metal gates to make the stall, this way I could remove them after five days and allow the sow and pigs to have the whole shed. Does this sound like a good plan? Hoping for some input, advice or just hearing other people's set up for farrowing.

Oh, and am I right in thinking straw is the prefferd bedding for pigs? Anyone use wood chips or sawdust?

Thank you!

 

[Hillsvale]

we put boards up that allow the sow to come and go as she pleases (free roam in her pen) with room for the piglets to escape her laying down... we use hay as bedding, never used shavings or anything else.

your plan sounds just fine.

 

[SheepGirl]

At the farm I worked at we had a sow in a farrowing crate and the first week the bedding was straw but the remaining three weeks we used shavings.

 

[Oakroot]

Always straw for all animals when birthing never wood shavings as the shavings tend to hold bacteria that can infect the navel of new borns and kill them. After a day or two the bedding can be changed over to wood.

 

[Abbey]

Thank you for the replies. Some times you just need to say your ideas and make sure you aren't forgetting anything. I'm a little nervous about potentially having 12 piglets for the first time!! I hadn't considered the health reasons for straw when birthing, makes total sense, thank you for pointing it out oakroot.

 

[Cornish Heritage]

Always straw for all animals when birthing

Actually I would disagree & say use hay! Straw, with its hollow "tubes" is a great harbor for bugs (think lice etc). Hay, is not hollow, so actually much better.

Liz

 

[BHOBCFarms]

Always straw for all animals when birthing

Actually I would disagree & say use hay! Straw, with its hollow "tubes" is a great harbor for bugs (think lice etc). Hay, is not hollow, so actually much better.

Liz

I agree with this, when possible I use hay for bedding in the layer house (mixed with shavings), in my rabbit hutches (I have mini rex and they can be susceptible to sore hock, a layer of grass hay is a good way to solve this problem), and in bedding for my sheep (Though they also will eat it, lol). The used hay adds nutrients to the compost heap, also.