I had my mom over to help with chores last night. She recommended implementing as close to a commercial system for farrowing pigs in the future as we can and as makes sense. People develop those systems for reasons and pigs just squash piglets. That's why they have lots.
But once they get going we can raise them however we want.
I think she might be right on that. I'm sure there are good mothers and bad mothers, but a pig only has to have a piglet or two make it to maturity to have reproduced "successfully". They produce a lot of potential dead piglets. I guess I'll be working on that.
My pig is nice though. She's very polite and quiet about asking for food when hungry and still doesn't mind her greedy, fat little piglets picked up. I guess I'll tinker a little on this.
I called a vet who is a sheep farmer about the doeling's foot. He didn't come out and said we'd have to get in line to be seen eventually, maybe, if there was time, someday. He also says he suspects "contagious hoof rot" which doesn't make sense because she's dry and it made her joint swell first before the swelling went down her foot and ruptured out the bottom between the digits. Then I asked about getting a scheduled farm call for one of my other does who has a bump on her neck so I could get it cultured and ensure not CL and have not heard anything back. I think it might be an unspoken existing clients only clinic right now. That doe has had two negative screening tests for the big three in the last year including the last big herd wide one for me a month ago, so I doubt it, but I'd like the bump to be a)gone, and b)definitely negative, not just probably negative. It doesn't grow, shrink, burst or anything and I noticed it shortly after I'd got her. I also worry that it's a swollen lymph node that could indicate cancer or something else deeper wrong so if I went in to collect pus from it, which there may or may not be I'd just make her uncomfortable and open her up to infection. But whatever. I've got a clinic about 20 minutes from me that thinks it's a royal pain to do livestock but they have a stock vet and a stock chute yard system pen thing...right next to where they put deceased pets while they wait for pickup and the place is gross. If I get desperate I'll put my 200lbs doe in my van and take it to their filthy place where we will probably contract CL and bring it home to share.
Dude, I think this is a farm call issue. I must be feeling better.
Oh, I sold the rest of the teff hay. The goats must like the flavor of it because they did eat it, but they don't eat it to get full and they'd started losing condition on it earlier. I was using it for bedding and to stuff the bottoms of their baskets (like easter grass) so I sent it to live with someone who would feed it to chubby ponies instead, as it probably should have been in the first place. The boys are mad at me because now they have nothing to jump on next to the shop. We kind of owe them a playhouse/play shed.
