[Goats Rock]

My stepson, who is a single father and one of those that jumps into things without any knowledge, has a pregnant sow. He is a city boy that bought a pig from a farm he was driving by. No pre planning. (same with the 2 lambs, turkey and chickens) grrr!

Just because I have goats, he thinks I should know all about pigs. NOT!
Anyway, he called all in a panic last eve. He bought the sow, pregnant, but they did not know when she was bred. The farm she came from left 3 boars with the sows for 3 months.
He's had her for 3 months and 3 weeks! So she was obviously bred right before he got her. Unless they have false pregnancies?

She is almost full of milk (according to him) except the first few nipples. She didn't eat all her dinner. So, he is sure she has a stuck piglet! Without seeing her or any idea about her actual condition- anyone have any advice?

I said leave her be, if she is ready, she will show signs and paying for a vet call is unnecessary unless she is in obvious distress.

Help! Thanks, I am not near him and really don't want to get physically involved as I am some distance away. I will drive over if it were a true emergency, but with him, everything is a crisis.

 

[ksalvagno]

Fun. I guess let him pay for a vet visit. I wouldn't go over there if I were you.

 

[mariella]

Pigs build nests so throw that gal some hay and see what she does! That is always the best way to know if they are ready. Have him try to milk her is there is milk coming out she should go within the next 48 hours. If she had a stuck baby she would be laying down flat on her side straining to get it out. It's normal for them to not want feed in early labor (48 hours before the babies hit the ground)

 

[Sfgwife]

Yep what mariella said! They build big ole nests. He DOES need have a containment for her somehow. The piglets will be walkin around pretty soon after they arrive. My suggestion for him... when she builds her nest. Put hay bales around her leaving enough room for her to get up and down a d to be able to move around comfortably. Like three long and two wide. That will contain the piglets for a few days until she decides she is ready to bring them in public. If there is rain in the forecast put a canopy over it. Piglets must stay warm. In the wild they will cover themselves in debris. The piglets will also burrow under the straw if cold too.

Our sow farrowed on a cold cold rainy night here and everyone was fine. But we put up a canopy to keep them dry. The new family used that spot for a long time for security and dry. For at least a month they did. If they were out and something scared them they alllll ran home lol. Spot just moved a bale out of her way when she was ready to take her babies out. We put her food and water in a corner of it and all was fine. The water bucket needs be short so a piglet can either get out of it or at least keep their head out of the water like a goat kid if they do manage to get into it.

They will stop eating 24ish hours before birth. So since she is slower eating i say a day or so left still. Our girl was almost a week over... but she could ave been not bred until the end of her heat. When you see a very defined milk line. You will see udder and a line above it kinda they are very very close. I grew up on a hog farm. .

When a sow starts pushing you should see piglets soon and in between no more than ten minutes in between. If it is longer he needs go hunting for the problem child. He DOES need a vet to call in case labor is stalled... she may need ocytocin.

After she farrows keep feed out all the time for her.

 

[Goats Rock]

Thanks for the help. I'm really hoping all goes well. For a 50 yr.old guy, he has the maturity of a teenager.
DH refuses to even deal with him!
I hope nature takes its course and all works out well!

 

[Goats Rock]

Well, after all that, the sow delivered 11 baby pigs, all alive. Nature comes through again, despite human interference!

 

[Sfgwife]

Well, after all that, the sow delivered 11 baby pigs, all alive. Nature comes through again, despite human interference!

Awesome!

 

[Tanya]

Congratulations on the bacon bits.