islandgal99
Chillin' with the herd
Here is what greeted me on the farm this morning....
This birth was unexpected at this time, my calendar said 10 more days. The babies were out in a wide open shed. So I thought I would move them...that turned into an adventure. Mom didn't want to move, the boar was being protective, the babies busted out of the tote and where everywhere.
I'm not sure how many she actually had...unfortunately she was in a mixed yard with the boar and 3 other sows. And chicken eating ravens frequent the yard, so a baby pig would be easy pickins. And eagles, hawks, owls, racoons...ugh.
Good news is that I now have 3 happy babies under a lamp and with the best mom ever. She digs them out of the hay before laying down with her nose - she always wants to know where they are. Then she lays square until they are accounted for and near her nose, then lays down on her side to nurse. So gentle. We had many in our area say that they had babies with pnemonia - the cold and wet combined has been lethal this year, so I decided on a heat lamp.
Sad news is that I lost one...literally. Can't find it. It took off running at a speed I never imagined a baby pig running at, I could barely keep up, and two escaped at the same time, running full out opposite of each other, I have looked and can't find it anywhere. I had 7 people looking. I grew up with commercial pigs, and the instincts on these guys was pretty incredible and the babies definitely have survival built in - they were the scrappiest babies I have ever seen. But then I think they had to fight to survive this long. I doubt morning will bring it out alive, but here's to hoping.
Good news is I have 3 happy Ossabaw baby piggies.
This birth was unexpected at this time, my calendar said 10 more days. The babies were out in a wide open shed. So I thought I would move them...that turned into an adventure. Mom didn't want to move, the boar was being protective, the babies busted out of the tote and where everywhere.
I'm not sure how many she actually had...unfortunately she was in a mixed yard with the boar and 3 other sows. And chicken eating ravens frequent the yard, so a baby pig would be easy pickins. And eagles, hawks, owls, racoons...ugh.
Good news is that I now have 3 happy babies under a lamp and with the best mom ever. She digs them out of the hay before laying down with her nose - she always wants to know where they are. Then she lays square until they are accounted for and near her nose, then lays down on her side to nurse. So gentle. We had many in our area say that they had babies with pnemonia - the cold and wet combined has been lethal this year, so I decided on a heat lamp.
Sad news is that I lost one...literally. Can't find it. It took off running at a speed I never imagined a baby pig running at, I could barely keep up, and two escaped at the same time, running full out opposite of each other, I have looked and can't find it anywhere. I had 7 people looking. I grew up with commercial pigs, and the instincts on these guys was pretty incredible and the babies definitely have survival built in - they were the scrappiest babies I have ever seen. But then I think they had to fight to survive this long. I doubt morning will bring it out alive, but here's to hoping.
Good news is I have 3 happy Ossabaw baby piggies.
