Piggies

[scrw.]

And there's more! Greta has had 11
https://youtube.com/shorts/RWmhVTPox34?si=g4dgyVth...

20231028_101136 by Old_Chad, on Flickr

20231028_111404 by Old_Chad, on Flickr

Just Bigpig to go now, here she is testing out our new feeders, have a funky system inside that drops 1kg of pellets when you pull a handle, and takes 75kgs in the hopper, another timesaver.

2023-10-28_07-35-08 by Old_Chad, on Flickr

[Penny Whistle]

scrw. said:

And there's more! Greta has had 11

Presumably you'll be selling weaners in a few weeks time ? Whereabouts in the country are you ?

[scrw.]

Penny Whistle said:

Presumably you'll be selling weaners in a few weeks time ? Whereabouts in the country are you ?

Yes, south Cheshire / north Shropshire border

[Penny Whistle]

Hmm, a bit too far, I'm sorry to say.

[scrw.]

Lacey's litter breakfasting outside while we have a break in the rain

20231030_100506 by Old_Chad, on Flickr

Greta's are staying indoors

20231030_100739 by Old_Chad, on Flickr

[Nightmare]

Brilliant!!! Thank you for the video

Imagine if all piglets of all pigs survived each year. With 11 in a litter it’d be pigmageddon in a very short timescale.

Also….I reckon you should paint the farrowing arks to look like tortoises cos they already do a bit

[scrw.]

I was thinking doing one like a Ladybird bug LOL

Storms have dumped loads of rain on us, paddocks are looking a bit wet but soon dry up, just need a rain free week!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzL5CCBNnRH/?utm_so...

[scrw.]

Cagney & Lacey are back in 1 ark and just treating all the piglets as 1 family, mixing and matching of feeding going on now. The piglets are looking really good and growing fast.

20231107_131540 by Old_Chad, on Flickr

20231104_132950 by Old_Chad, on Flickr

Greta's piglets are starting to get out and about, unfortunately we lost the 2 runts of the litter, it happens

20231030_100131 by Old_Chad, on Flickr

2023-11-08_01-38-05 by Old_Chad, on Flickr

[Penny Whistle]

scrw. said:

2023-11-08_01-38-05 by Old_Chad, on Flickr

Is that electric fence powered up ? It's not bothering that little un.

[scrw.]

Bigpig has still not farrowed, up to 2 weeks left going off the times Jack left their pen. She is very big and bagged up so hopefully any day now, sooner the better if the weather starts geting cold.

2023-11-08_01-57-55 by Old_Chad, on Flickr

[scrw.]

Penny Whistle said:

Is that electric fence powered up ? It's not bothering that little un.

It is, its above ear hight for the OSBs, and some of the Mangas are just touching it. Luckily at a week old they cannot fit through the stock fencing we use.

[scrw.]

Cagney & Lacey's litters are filling out really well, now on solids too, will wean them off mum in a couple of weeks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKmPjDi0WlY

Bigpig had a litter of 11, 2 didn't make it past day 1 unfortunately, but the remainder as doing well

2023-11-21_12-03-49 by Old_Chad, on Flickr

[scrw.]

Well its all gone a bit wrong with Bigpig and her litter, last night / this morning she has rejected her litter and just abandoned them. Spotted her off on her own this morning, not unusual but it looks like she hasn't returned to her piglets all day. Checked on them 5ish tonight and straight away spotted something wrong. The 3 smallest ones were wandering about trying to find mum and looking very cold, 2 were lying in the wet and the others had got over to Greta's litter to keep warm. Moved the ones outside under a heat lamp straight away but 2 didn't make it, 2 I think will be okay, and one is touch and go. No idea what has gone on with her, they are 3 weeks old now so wouldn't expect this to happen now. Main worry has been the cold, will check on the ones in with Greta in the morning and see if they need to go in the barn too, they are at the age where they can be weaned so think I may just move the whole litter and keep them together. Arse, we had lost a few out of the litters but I thought we were over losses by now.

20231128_190040 by Old_Chad, on Flickr

[bolidemichael]

Disaster!

[scrw.]

Bigpig litter update. They all made it through the night Greta has taken on feeding duties too, so all sound there. There was 1 more small one which is 1/2 size of the rest who was struggling to feed with all the additions, 12 teats, 15 piglets. Little one was very cold too so decided to add her into the barn pack, no extra work feeding 1 more by hand. So there are 4 in the barn, 2 little ones, 2 slightly bigger, 2 little ones have had a few oz of milk from the bottle, the bigger ones are more interested in the sloppy creep porridge so didn't really take much from the bottle. Hopefully no more need a barn visit. Will ramp up weaning Greta's litter to take the strain off her some too.

20231129_123433 by Old_Chad, on Flickr

20231129_125451 by Old_Chad, on Flickr

[Sway]

Crikey, what a roller-coaster!

Good luck!

[scrw.]

Mangalitsa's require Honda level maintenance, OSB's are more Lotus !

[scrw.]

Progress with the 4 in the icu trailer. Minnow (as the little one have now been named) is much improved, now drinking from the bowl and standing unaided doing so, the first few attempts needed some assistance. Tonight it (still haven't checked, think its a girl) managed a good 150ml of milk on its own and started to have a go at the soggy pellets in the milk too. The other 3 are putting on weight too, they are getting through 3litres of milk and 500g of pellets mixed in with it a day. Another few days & I will build a pallet pen in the barn and move them into that, staying in the trailer at the minute for the extra shield from the cold

[scrw.]

Cagney & Lacey's piglets are proper units, 6.5 weeks old and seriously chunky

20231130_161351 by Old_Chad, on Flickr

[scrw.]

Minnow is improving every day, this is post tea tonight

20231203_174812 by Old_Chad, on Flickr