Auntie Brownie and Boar Pinkie -28 August 2017
December 2017
Workers Constructing New Pig Pens
Setting up the "Creep Space" for Piglets
in the New Farrowing Pen
The Connection for
Lighting is Established
...and the Lighting is Installed in the
Farrowing Pen
Auntie Brownie is Transferred to her new
Farrowing Pen
Tuesday December 19:
Tuesday is our normal day for shopping but we decided to go yesterday, just in case...
Last time Auntie Brownie was also two days early.
06.00 AM -Normal feeding time, there were no signs of anything out of the ordinary. Brownie was also eating normally.
10.00 AM -Fatima noticed Brownie snouting the ground, trying to move the sawdust around. So Fatima gave her some banana leaves -which Brownie used to make a small nest.
02.00 PM
Still not much of a nest, but Brownie was both restless and tired.
The weather was also quite warm -at least 28 degrees and maybe above.
02.40 PM -From our balcony Fatima watched as the first piglet was born, very vigorous and looking just like his dad.
2.50 PM -Second piglet, like dad but more black than brown
3.00 PM -Brownie turns over to make her teats more accessible
3.02 PM -Third piglet, Black with a few light brown spots
3.07 PM -Fourth, like dad but more black on the face
3.09 PM -Brownie has a nibble on the nesting material
3.12 PM -Brownie is rooting in the leaves and making short grunting noises, the other two pigs answer her
3.15 PM -Brownie lies down again in the middle of the pen
3.19 PM -Fifth piglet , like dad and quite large
3.27 PM -Sixth piglet, Black and White (like mother)
3.28 PM -Seventh piglet, lots of Black spots on the backside and very vigorous
3.32 PM -Eighth piglet, like dad but spotty
As far as we can see -a total of 8 live piglets Observed from our balcony about 10 -12 meters away.
It is now around 4.50 PM. The other pigs were fed about 4 PM -but we haven't been near Brownie because we don't want to disturb her until she gets hungry. We are still observing her (from the balcony) to see when she wants feeding -and we can take a closer look.
6.30 PM -There were loud squeals and we thought perhaps somebody was being crushed.
So we went down to have a look and to feed her.
Everything seemed to be ok -however, Fatima counted 10 piglets.....
So two must have been born after we had assumed farrowing was over.
We also gave her some food and water.
Then we fed ourselves.
Wednesday December 20:
Morning:
Everything seemed normal in the morning.
Although (as is usual for the first 3 - 5 days after farrowing) Auntie Brownie is a bit under the weather
-and off her food somewhat.
But we still have ten lovely piglets -in all sizes and colours!
Evening:
Brownie was still very tired.
She didn't eat her normal food -but did eat some fruit and vegetables.
And she did drink some water later.
A few piglets did venture outside already
-but seemed overwhelmed by the space outside -and so quickly retreated back home.....
Thursday December 21:
Morning:
No signs of distress apart from tiredness.
Although she is not getting up to eat and drink, she does continue to suckle her brood.
Apparently. there is a typhoon in the area: Quite a bit of rain today and so fairly cool.
Evening:
5.30 PM
Still lying quietly, not eating or drinking. Still discharging.
11.00 PM:Put a damp towel on her neck.
Tried to give her some water to drink and some green vegetables to eat -but she did not seem interested.
Gave a bit of a gentle stomach rub, Couldn't find any milk -but some piglets were still suckling -and they all went to sleep afterwards.
So we assumed she has been giving milk.
Auntie Brownie doesn't seem to have stood up for some time now. Just moves around the pen a little by dragging herself over the ground without getting up. In situations like this -it is often difficult deciding if she would be better left to rest -or if we should intervene. She hadn't eaten during the (4 pm) afternoon feed.
Gave her some fresh water which she seemed to appreciate -and then some water with molasses in (already prepared by Fatima). She drank quite a lot, so I we tried some leafy green vegetables -which she ate while lying down -and finally one scoop (normally two scoops) of commercial feed, which we put on the floor and she licked up. This was followed by some more water with molasses.
After a very brief rest -she moved slightly and called her piglets for suckling.
Friday December 22:
01 AM:
More green vegetable and molasses water
06 AM:
Brownie manages to get up for her usual feeding at the trough.
Everything seems to be getting back to normal.
9.30 AM:
Brownie suckles her brood and has a small snack at the same time....
Everything now seems normal.
3.30 PM:
No Problems with getting up to eat now!
However, piglets are huddling together for protection against the cold, rainy, weather.
Saturday December 23:
No problems getting up to eat today!
Warm and Sunny today (30 degrees) -so its good to have a snack while lying down and suckling.
------
This brings a happy ending to a somewhat difficult year -Involving:
-Two lots of builders (and five projects)
-Problems with Dutch banks
-An earlier problem with an entire litter being born dead from the porcine parvo virus
-An earthquake on Leyte that robbed us of electricity
(and sometimes water) for several weeks.
We are hoping that No.Three's litter (in about three months time) will also be normal.
------
December 27:
Crushed in the Night
For a day or so, Fatima had noticed that the runt (Ihid) wasn't drinking much milk and was very inactive. This morning, she put a bowl with water and molasses outside the pen because they all like to go out after suckling. The runt drank some.
A short while afterwards it was making strange noises, presumably with stomach cramps, and died very quickly.
We now have eight, large, healthy looking piglets -and we have no idea why this one failed to thrive.... Perhaps unlucky genetics.... I guess it shows one can't be too complacent.
Shirtly afterwards, I went down to get the body, and while coming back with it, heard a strange squeaky toy sound. I looked down and it seems I had trodden (or nearly trodden) on a young gecko (tuko) -about six inches long..... Fatima heard and saw it too -it was really pissed off -snapping in all directions and complaining bitterly.
It scared, and almost attacked, poor Twisty (our pet duck with a deformed beak) -who did look as if she had considered eating it.....
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PIGLETS
-June 2016
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Piglets
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