Farming Friends

Here are some pictures of Claire’s Saddleback pigs.

hi sara  Here are 3 pics, one of baby’s wondering what that chicken is doing in their bed and the other of mom watching over her babies and one of dad which we now have him up for sale if u know of anyone that’s after a boar in the uk let me know thanks
from claire

Claire has been one of my readers since she asked a question about her farrowing gilts Penelope and Tiny back in June.

Here is Claire’s story:

can u tell me how would i know when my pigs are ready to give birth as i got two girls that are pregnant when i got them i have no idea how long they have got left to be mothers thanks for any advise from claire

Hi Claire,
Thanks for visiting the farmingfriends website and leaving your question. What a great question it is.
The gestation period of a sow or gilt is 3 months 3 weeks and 3 days or approximately (112-115 days.) but if you don’t know when the sows were served this information is of little use. Have you got in touch with the previous owners and asked them when the pigs were served?
There are a number of signs to look out for when a sow or gilt is about to farrow.
http://www.farmingfriends.com/signs-of-a-farrowing-sow-or-gilt/
Restlessness. The sow or gilt will pace up and down or circle round and round.
Nesting. The sow or gilt will pull or the bedding material into one area and create a nest. They do this by carrying the bedding in their mouths and moving the straw with their feet. This usually occurs on the day of farrowing and it is an amazing sight to see as all the bedding that was previously covering the barn floor will now all be neatly in a nest shape - this happened when Cagney, my Saddleback sow, had her first litter. I went in to feed her and she was laid on her nest and not one piece of straw was anywhere else in the barn!
The size and shape of the stomach will increase before farrowing. I try to get into the habit of feeling the sow’s stomachs when I feed them so that I am aware of any changes in size and that the sows get used to me touching this area.
The size of the mammary glands will increase as they bag up with milk. I also try to touch the teats so that the sows get used to me doing this so that I can check for milk production before the onset of farrowing.
Milk production. Just before farrowing the sow or gilts milk will be released. You can check this by squeezing the teats and if milk droplets come out then farrowing is close.
The vulva becomes larger and reddens. The muscles around this area slacken before farrowing takes place. This is not always easy to see to the untrained eye but once your gilt and sow has farrowed once or twice it is easier to identify. it’s amazing how often a pig breeder spends looking at the animals bottom!
Laying down and stretching out the back legs will occur as farrowing begins. This is not always the case as some gilts and sows will stand to farrow. My saddleback sow Lacy did this when she was a gilt and had her first litter.
Heavy breathing. As farrowing begins the gilt or sow will start to blow and puff as she strains.

You need to separate the pigs before farrowing either into separate penned areas if they are outdoors or in different barns if indoors or in the same barn in farrowing crate which are sometimes used so that the sow doesn’t lay on the piglets as they are born.

About a week before farrowing the sows/gilts need to be wormed. (Noromectin can be injected.)

Before farrowing some owners will wash the teats and udders.

I hope this information is useful. Let me know how you get on. What breed are your pigs? Let me know if you have anymore questions.
Kind regards
Sara @ farmingfriends

hi
thanks i got your e-mail which was very help full but if u could help me throw this as its my first time having pigs the person i got the 2 girls from dose not know when the boar got with the girls as he was running with them for mounths but today i got to squeeze one of my girls teats there was a drop of fluid from there but none of the other teats on her is this right or is it a sign thanks for any more info from claire

Hi Claire,

My two sows (Cagney and Lacy) have had two litters now so I am beginning to know the signs to look out for.

The drop of fluid could be a sign that she is nearing farrowing. I am sure that they are normally dry when I have squeezed them. The nest building is the best indicator of the onset of farrowing. Cagney carried straw arounnd in her mouth and pushed all the straw into a big heap when she had her first litter. Also if they lay down and won’t get up even when you have food around this could mean that they are about to farrow. This happened to me. cAgney had made her nest although I didn’t realise at the time and I put her food out and she didn’t get up which I thought was odd. As you can tell I was very in experienced the first time.

When they had their second litter Cagney was first and then when her piglets were suckling in the afternoon of the following day I am sure her grunting brought Lacy’s farrowing on. When they had their second litter I was getting up early to check on them. The day before they farrowed I got up at 4.30 am and then the day they farrowed I got up at 6.30am and Cagney had already had her litter but one was near her snout and was a bit cold. I had to bring him in and warm him up with calf milk and a warm in the bottom part of the aga which unbelieveably did the trick and I wouldn’t even know which piglet he was now as they are all healthy. So regular checking on the sows can help to save any piglets and I have been lucky and my sows have farrowed on their own but sometimes they struggle and need help.

When farrowing starts my sows managed to farrow ok on their own. It is important to check that the piglet can breathe and if necessary remove the mucus from it’s face. It’s amazing how quickly the piglets get up and start searching for the teats. You just need to be careful if the sows stand up that when they lay down they don’t lay on the piglets or stand on them. Hang a lamp away from the sows so the piglets can get warm and be safe from the sows but are close enough to go and have milk because the sooner they start to suckle the better. Sometimes sows can get aggressive towards the piglets especially when they are in pain and still farrowing. if you see this happening then remove the piglets and place them somewhere warm out of the sows way until she has finished farrowing.

I hope all my waffle is useful.
Feel free to ask any more questions, I’m only to happy to help - i think it’s great to share experiences. The first time my girls farrowed I had my pig book in the pig pen with me. My father in law said, “What’s this book doing in here!”

Kind regards

Sara from farmingfriends

hi sara
claire here again well its been a while but still no piglets yet.
for the first time one of my pigs started to lose thick creamy discharge today and all day could u tell me what this means as her teats have not fully dropped yet is this a sign of being dueplease help asap as im worryed what this is coming from her
thanks from claire

Hi Claire,
Usually nest building occurs when farrowing is imminent and your gilt may lay down. I have read that a slight discharge in the form of blood and mucus can be discharged an hour or two before the birth so this discharge you mention could be normal, but if you are concerned then I would contact someone you know who knows about breeding/farrowing pigs or if you are very concerned then I would consider contacting a vet although this will be costly if they are called out. You could phone your local vet and describe the symptoms and get a phone consultation.
Does the discharge smell? If so I have read that this could be a sign for concern.
I have checked all the books I have on keeping pigs and looked at the illness section in all. None of the illnesses mention a thick creamy discharge so it maybe the start of farrowing but if in doubt then I would consult someone.
Hope this information helps. I will keep my fingers crossed for your pig and hope that you get some piglets very soon. Keep me posted.
Kind regards
Sara @ farmingfriends

hi sara
 well no piglets yet but thanks for getting back to me on my questions
well 3rd august and  my girl is swelling around her lady bits and still is swelling today 4th  but she is still eating and no nest building so how long do u think she’s got with this swelling showing
thanks for any more info
from claire 

Hi Claire,

I am on tender hooks waiting for news of your pig and her piglets. What is your pig called?
When you say her lady bits are swelling do you mean the teats or around the vulva area.
When the sow is close to farrowing the teats do swell up or bag up as they fill with milk. The milk is released usually on the day or a day or two before farrowing.
The vulva area tends to go loose and saggy before farrowing so watch out for this too. There is alot of bottom watching at this time!!!

I await news of your pig and keep my fingers crossed all is well.
Kind regards
Sara @ farmingfriends

hi sara
lady bits i mean her vulva is swelling but as your recent  e-mail u said  her vulva would become saggy and loose where my girl is very swollen and red
but not in discomfort as she’s still happy and eating well and running around so now I’m very confused if she could be pregnant or she’s just having her heat as i mean (when ready for mating )sorry for not saying what breed she is or her name  my pig is a saddle back 8 months old
her name is penelope i also have her sister tiny which is pregnant as we can really see it on her belly and teats. as she’s smaller then her penelope
but as we got these two we was told there where both pregnant so iv got every think ready for the birth. so do u think shes on heat or ready for birth
im lost
from claire

Hi Claire,

Penelope could be on heat. Pigs come into cycle every three weeks and if they are on heat
they you can do the back test! check out this post for info http://www.farmingfriends.com/breeding-gilts/ Oh and I have written that the vulva can be swollen and red!

I think Saddlebacks are just a lovely breed. My two sows, Cagney and Lacy are very good
natured. Cagney is very gentle indeed. The piglets have been a joy to raise both gilts and boars. They are great fun to spend time with.

If both of your gilts are pregnant then they may farrow together. I have found that both
times Cagney farrowed first and Lacy was within the next 24 hours. It’s amazing to see,
when one sow goes to feed her piglets so does the other. A joy to behold.

I do hope both your sows are both pregnant, but if not you could introduce a boar to your pigs when the piglets are weaned at 8 weeks old as weaning the piglets  and the intro of the boar can bring the pigs into cycle.

I look forward to news of Tiny’s farrowing and hope that Penelope
is also pregnant.

I have attached a photo of my sows and their first litters.

Kind regards

Sara

hi sarawell penelope was on heat so we went and got a boar for her and he  done his job so she will be having babes in decemberwell tiny is very pregnant as she has not come on heat and her teats  look like there bagging up today her vulva looks swollen so how long  would you say she’s got as there no sign of  nesting yet thanks for any adviseand your saddle backs look very nice laying peace full with there babies
thanks from claireHi Claire,
In the pig book that is my constant reference “Keeping Pigs” by Tony York, it says, “the
vulva becomes larger and also may noticeably redden whilst the muscles on either side of
the tail slacken. This is a clear sign that farrowing is not far away.”Hi Claire,In the pig book that is my constant reference “Keeping Pigs” by Tony York, it says, “thevulva becomes larger and also may noticeably redden whilst the muscles on either side ofthe tail slacken. This is a clear sign that farrowing is not far away.”She may not nest but she may be off her food, so watch out for this. My Cagney had made a nest when I went in and I didn’t realise and put food down and she didn’t eat but she did get up. next she was giving birth!Hi Claire,In the pig book that is my constant reference “Keeping Pigs” by Tony York, it says, “thevulva becomes larger and also may noticeably redden whilst the muscles on either side ofthe tail slacken. This is a clear sign that farrowing is not far away.”She may not nest but she may be off her food, so watch out for this. My Cagney had made a nest when I went in and I didn’t realise and put food down and she didn’t eat but she did get up. next she was giving birth!Listen out for her breathing becoming heavy with puffing and blowing as she strains. She
may lay down but don’t be surprised if she stands, especially if she is a gilt she may stand. If she does lay down she will raise her legs when pushing a piglet out and her tail will also raise up as she pushes out a piglet.

Hi Claire,In the pig book that is my constant reference “Keeping Pigs” by Tony York, it says, “thevulva becomes larger and also may noticeably redden whilst the muscles on either side ofthe tail slacken. This is a clear sign that farrowing is not far away.”She may not nest but she may be off her food, so watch out for this. My Cagney had made a nest when I went in and I didn’t realise and put food down and she didn’t eat but she did get up. next she was giving birth!Listen out for her breathing becoming heavy with puffing and blowing as she strains. Shemay lay down but don’t be surprised if she stands, especially if she is a gilt she may stand. If she does lay down she will raise her legs when pushing a piglet out and her tail will also raise up as she pushes out a piglet.The whole process may take several hours. As the piglets are born check that they are
breathing and remove any mucus from their nose and mouth if needed. make sure the piglets are able to make their way to the sows teats.

Don’t be surprised if the sow is aggressive towards the piglets whilst she is still
farrowing. If this is the case you may want to remove the piglets and put them in a box
or area under a heat lamp until all have been born but be warned that they move about
alot from birth and instinctively know that they need to get to the teat and suckle and
constantly try to do this so it can be a battle to keep them confined to one area, I know
because this has happened to me!

Your sow may stop and you think that it is over but I have been surprised when suddenly another piglets is born. It is over when she releases the afterbirth.

Hope this is all useful, although I am sure that you have read about it.

Let us know how you get on or should I say how Tiny gets on!

Kind regards

Sara @ farmingfriends

hi sara
 claire here again thanks for getting back to me well its  been a few day since i
last sent you a e-mail well tiny vulva is still swollen but no discharge no nest building  and not off her food yet but yesterday and today she has just been  standing out side for long periods then going in for fine min’s and  then back out side in the rain which she usually runs in when it  rains.
how long was it when your pigs vulva starts to swell to labour was  it hours or days they swollen before they gave birth
thanks for any more info
from claire

Hi Claire,
Sorry it’s taken a few days to get back to you. The vulva on my saddleback Lacy has
started to slacken but this could still be a week or two away from farrowing. I am not
sure of the exact date, but I thought that it was some time near the end of Sept and
begin of Oct.
Here is my reply to the comment you’ve just left on the website.
It sounds to me like Tiny is only days away from farrowing. If she wants to lay down that
is a good sign. You want to start checking on her regularly every hour or so during the
day. At this stage I generally get up in the night when I know that farrowing is getting
close, although I don’t have to get up for another job only the animals on the farm!!!
Keep checking her teats cause once the milk is there, farrowing is not far behind!
Hope all goes well for Tiny. Pigs generally farrow themselves but it is good to be on
hand incase there are any complications.
Hope that helps.
Kind regards
Sara @ farmingfriends
hi sara
well tiny has still not had her babys yet but her teats are bigger and her vulva has gone larger how long was it when your girls vulva started to in large befor thay give birth as tiny now wonts to lie down a lot more but no nest building yet or no milk when i sqeeze her teats so how long do think she got
thanks for any more advise
from claire

Hi claire,
It sounds to me like Tiny is only days away from farrowing. If she wants to lay down that is a good sign. You want to start checking on her regularly every hour or so during the day. At this stage I generally get up in the night when I know that farrowing is getting close, although I don’t have to get up for another job only the animals on the farm!!!
Keep checking her teats cause once the milk is there, farrowing is not far behind!
Hope all goes well for Tiny. Pigs generally farrow themselves but it is good to be on hand incase there are any complications.
Hope that helps.
Kind regards
Sara @ farmingfriends
Check out the farmingfriends pig forum for the latest piggy chat! http://farmingfriends.com/forums/forum.php?id=3

thanks for your reply on tiny can i just say that tiny has been swollen for about 5 days now is that right thanks from claire

Hi claire,
Where is she swollen, is it the stomach or the vulva?
If you are worried about Tiny I would seek veterinary advice. Phone you local vet and ask for advice and how much it costs for a home visit.
I hope she farrows soon it should be 112-115 days after being served.
Kind regards
sara @ farmingfriends

hi sara
well its her vulva that has been swollen for about 5 days and if u remember i told u that i did not no when she got served as i brought her pregnant
and tiny don’t seem to be in any discomfort if she was i would call a vet with out a doubt thanks from claire

hi sara
well tiny built her nest 2days ago with every bit of straw in her stall and still swollen on her vulva but no milk yet i keep letting her run free for about an hour a day to let her graze and then putting her back in her stall
just letting u know hows she getting on
but yet still holding on to them babies lol
from claire

Hi Claire,
Glad to hear that tiny is making progress with her nest. Is this her first time? can’t wait to hear the news that she has had her piglets.
Just to let you know that Lacy my Saddleback sow is about to farrow. Her vulva went abit floppy a few days ago and then at lunch time she started to nest build.I have taken a picture of her floppy vulva so that you can see what it looks like just before farrowing and compare it to tiny’s. The camera is outside as I type this so I will bring it in and send you the photo later today.
I got up every couple of hours last night but nothing happened, although her breathing was heavy and it is very heavy again now.
I will keep you posted with her progress and may even be lucky enough to get the birth on video.
Thanks for letting me know how Tiny is getting on.
Kind regards
Sara @ farmingfriends

hi sara yes it is tiny’s first time mom and i think u sending a pic of your girls vulva would be very helpful in seeing if my tiny is close hope your girl is doing well and hope she has all healthy piglets
from claire

hi sara hows your girl has she had her baby’s yet
well tiny still holding on to hers I’m so tired lol i keep getting u cheeking on her but still no babies hope all gone well with your girl
from claire

Hi Claire,
Sorry to hear that Tiny has not had her piglets yet.
Yesterday Lacy farrowed 9 piglets. I would like to say that it was plain sailing but it wasn’t. Lacy is a lovely sow and is never aggressive towards me, although she will dominate Cagney, her sister, when it comes to feeding time and will often take a bite at Cagney but apart from that Lacy is a very good pig to deal with, that is until it comes to farrowing. This was Lacy’s third litter and I am delighted to say that she had 9 healthy piglets, 7 gilts and 2 boars which is a great result. When Lacy farrows she tends to become aggressive towards the piglets, which is not uncommon. At about 3.30pm yesterday she had her first piglet and soon followed a second and third. Infact everytime I turned round or went outside she seemed to have a piglet. All was going well and although I had got a box incase it was needed the three piglets were milling around quite happily. That is until Lacy took a swipe at the second piglet and bit him on the face, puncturing his face so that he is now breathing through the hole and she cut his tongue. Luckily I managed to get all three piglets safely away from Lacy and promptly phoned the vet who said keep the piglet warm and give about 0.1ml of penstrep if you think it’s needed. I wiped away blood which seemed to take forever and the poor little piglet was suffering from shock but miraculously has survived. As the piglets were born I gathered them up into a box under the heat lamp. The numbers began to increase and the box became quite full, so I had to resort to two boxes. The containers are deep but one piglet, I think the first born, was a determined little piglet and kept trying to jump out of the box and succeeded on a few occasions. By about 9pm Lacy had farrowed 9 piglets and was cleansing, a sign that farrowing has finished. Everytime I tried to place a piglet near Lacy she started to snap at it, yet everytime a piglet squealed she became concerned and when she tried to lay down she did so with caution so as not to sit on any piglets. I waited a couple of hours for Lacy to calm down and then Steve and I decided that it would be best to release all the piglets into the farrowing pen and to try to keep them away from her mouth with a stick. When this happens there is an awful lot of grunting goes on and Lacy paces up and down the farrowing crate before settling down.I was relieved that she didn’t attack any and I stayed whilst the piglets suckled. I also wanted to make sure that the poorly piglet suckled which it seemed to do.Today all the piglets are well and Snuffles (the poorly piglet) is trying his hardest to suckle but I think he is having trouble breathing and sucking at the same time, so I am supplementing his feed every hour with a drop of warm calf milk. I’ll keep you posted about Snuffles. I look forward to hearing about Tiny. I hope she takes to farrowing well. I will sort that photo tonight if I get chance.
Best Wishes
Sara @ farmingfriends

Hi Claire,
As promised here are a couple of photos of Lacy’s vulva literally minutes before she farrowed.
Hope Tiny is ok.
My piglets are doing well and Snuffles the injured piglet is being hand reared by me since he is not able to suckle very well.
Look forward to hearing about your piglets when they arrive.
Kind regards
Sara @ farmingfriends

hi sara
glad to here that the piglets are doing ok and that snuffles is ok
 thanks for the picture well tiny vulva is very much like theses pictures  which has been for days so ill just keep watch on her as i do ant way
but the only thing she had done different in the pass few days is being a bit aggressive towards me so i guess she due anytime now fingers cross and so glad to her snuffles doing well and good luck
from clair
HI SARA
well today i went to friends farm and watch his sow give birth it was so amazing i cant wait till tiny has her which should not be long now i hope.
thank you for your pictures u sent me its really helpful as tiny vulva is the size in your pictures but not as red yet and i hope snuffles is still doing well and mom and other babies
from claire

Hi Claire,
I am glad that you have seen a sow give birth. It is truely an amazing experience. Thank you for asking about my sow and piglets. I am afraid that poor little Snuffles passed away on Saturday afternoon. I had been feeding him every hour during the day and went to bed at about 2.30am Sat morn and got up at 6am to feed him again and he was very weak. I would have stayed up all night but I had to go to a farmer’s market to sell my quail eggs so needed some sleep.
Anyway I thought he was going to die on Sat morn but after feeding him he was revived and back to normal. My dad took over feeding duty and fed him every half hour whilst I was gone. When I came back I was steeling myself for bad news but was relieved to find that he was well. I went out an hour later to find poor little Snuffles laid out and he was a bit cold and not very lively. He didn’t want any milk and his breathing was very laboured. I held him in my arns and this is where he took his last breath. Although I was very upset I am glad that Snuffles is no longer in pain. He was finding it very hard to breath as one of his nostrils was so bunged up after being bitten by the sow and I think that his heart just gave up, but I have to say that he was a very brave little Snuffles who fought hard to stay alive against the odds. Both my dad and I are very sad and as I write this it still brings tears to my eyes.
The sow and other 8 piglets are doing well and my other sow, Cagney is due to farrow soon.
Look forward to more updates about Tiny.
Best Wishes
Sara @ farmingfriends

hi sara well i,m a nanny
tiny had 9 piglets
5 boys and 4 girls all doing well
i would like to thank you on all your help u gave me through this birth
u where very helpful
well there 10 days old now and running around giving me lots a laughs watching them can i just ask u what age would u let mom and babies back to there pack as there is a boar with them.
hes not nasty as he has seen the piglets throw the bars and he seemed ok so what age would u think would be ok.
well i had to cut there teeth the other day as they where cutting moms teats what a lot of noise and struggles it was but all done now and tomorrow there going to have there iron injection
well mom doing very well gave birth ok just had to help with one big baby that was coming out the wrong way but i was there throw all her birth which was amazing well ill keep u posted on tiny and her babies thanks for your help dont think i could of done it with out your help thanks
from claire

hi sara
well all is good here tiny had her 9 babies today she was ever so good had to get in and help with one but all is well all big and lively got the heat lamp in there but none of them wont to go under it they all wont to stay close to there mom  and there all so sweet I’m so happy its like iv won the lottery lol well ill keep u posted on tiny and her babies and hope all your is going well and strong
i would like to say a big thank you for being there every step of the way with me and thanks for all the advise 
from claire

Hi Claire,
I am delighted to hear that Tiny has 9 healthy piglets - well done to you and Tiny. I am glad that you found my comments useful.
I don’t have experience of putting the sow and piglets back in with the boar as I hire a boar from our neighbours.
I usually only let this boar run with the sows once the piglets have been weaned at 6-8weeks old.
I think i would seek advice from the vet about this or your local animal officer at the local council.
When handling piglets I don’t know if you know but if you hold a piglet by one leg they don’t make a noise like they do if you hold them in your arms around their tummy which you would think they would prefer but they don’t!
I look forward to future updates and I would love to see photos. Cagney and Lacy’s piglets are doing well. Lacy’s are three weeks old andCagneys are two weeks old. They are growing well.Kind regards
Sara @ farmingfriends

hi sara well piglets are getting on well and tiny is a very good mother for her first time. i will send u a photo by e-mail hope all yours are getting on well
i have sold a young girl to a family in wales for breeding so thats one sold when she get to 8 weeks
do u know of any advertising places on the net where i could put the young piglets on there for sale
thanks from claire

Hi Claire,
I am delighted that your piglets are doing well and that Tiny is a very good mother.
Cagney and Lacy and their litters have been put back together in the barn and are enjoying rooting about in the straw. It is really interesting to see the difference in size between the two litters with a weeks difference between them. Congrats on selling one of your gilts. A great place to advertise is the River Cottage Forum under the farmers market section. I usually advertise on there as well as my own site. Would you like to do a write up and I could add it to my site for you?
I enjoy getting your updates.
Best Wishes
Sara @ farmingfriends