-July 2018:
Boar Pinkie and Auntie Brownie
get together -but Brownie is not yet ready
Pinkie Visits Brownie Again
Pinkie and Brownie get together Once More
Pinkie Goes Home to Try Again Another Day
Pinkie and Brownie Succeed at Last
The Morning After
Brownie is Moved to a New Pen
July 28:
Brownie is Restless -but not yet
Nesting
July 29:
06.30 AM:
Brownie is Hungry -but it looks like Nest Building
has Begun in the night
After eating Brownie rests
July 30:
Around 11.15 the sound of piglets fighting was heard -followed by a muffled cry. When we looked, Fatima counted 10 piglets visible, so one was probably being crushed.
Brownie was sitting in a corner and refused to get up when we offered her some treats. Eventually, she did get up (after slapping her rump a few times and calling her. When she got up, she had indeed been sitting on a piglet.
I picked it up, stroked it a bit, shook it and slapped it -and it seemed to revive. A little later it was walking around, somewhat dazed and making comfort sounds. It had a limp on its right hand hind leg. We are not sure if it has internal injuries -or will recover.
Fatima noticed that Brownie's teats were softer in the afternoon than earlier in the morning.
Perhaps she'd had a light infection which had made them sensitive.
July 31:
When Fatima called her to the trough, she got up sluggishly. She seemed to appreciate having water on her neck (while at the trough) -but didn't like Fatima spraying her with water (from a plant spray. She did drink lots of water but didn't eat very much. She ignored the green forage.
Nestor arrived around eight am. Brownie was suckling -so we waited fro her to finish first,
Then we had the problem of how to distract her while the piglets were collected for processing. Fatima tried to lure Brownie with food -but she was not interested -not even in a nice coconut. So I whetted her neck while Fatima collected the piglets and gave them to Nestor -who put them in a large plastic box.
Nestor then cut the teeth, while Fatima put Instant Iron Drops into the piglet's mouth before I put the piglets back in the pen. Brownie was upset at first, when she missed her piglets -but calmed down when they started being returned.
Fatima noticed an increase in vaginal discharge.
Nestor recommended putting some anti-biotic powder in Brownie's drinking water to help with the fever.
Around 01.15 PM -Another Crisis:
Fatima saw Brownie role over and crush a piglet sleeping behind her. We rushed down and Fatima manged to get Brownie to move so I could rescue the piglet. It was unconscious and I couldn't get it to respond -but Fatima held it upside down and shook it -until it started squealing. It was the same one that had been crushed earlier. Brownie was still suckling so the piglet could join in again.
However, Brownie still wouldn't get up to eat or drink -so presumably still has some fever. Sponged her neck -and took her .a few fresh Tricanthera leaves, which she ate. Also took her some water, which she drank -but she refused any more leaves.
August 01:
All nine piglets seem active and healthy -although one was a little sleepy. They were all bunched together to keep warm -so we put the heat lamp on in the creep space. Because the piglets were active and didn't go to the creep space Fatima turned the lamp off again.
August 02:
August 03:
06.15 Morning Feeding:
All Normal
4 PM -Afternoon Feed:
There was anoer crushing incident this evening: Brownie was standing at the trough. The piglets were sleeping behind her. Then she stepped back (possibly looking for a treat) and stepped on a piglet. The piglet squealed, the others ran off to the creep space and Brownie moved her foot.
Everybody was a bit shocked -but nobody seems badly hurt.
Otherwise, feeding time seemed normal.
I gave her another cooling wipe down with a damp cloth, which she seems to like -even if not over-heating.
August 04:
06.15 Morning Feeding:
Breakfast as Usual for Brownie
4 PM -Afternoon Feed:
The end of another day...
August 05:
One week old today!
...and yet another dead Piglet at the end
of the day.
However, "Limpy", the wounded piglet (crushed twice) seems to be managing very well -despite her limp.
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Fatima Notes:
July 30 - The farrowing was without incident, however, within the
first hour of birth, piglets started fighting which upset Auntie
Brownie. Although fighting at the teats within a few hours of birth is
not unusual, I found it unusual that Auntie Brownie got hurt so
easily.
The first day, 2 piglets were crushed to death and 1 was injured by
overlaying. It seemed that Auntie Brownie was deliberately overlaying
her piglet because she was hurt and upset by them fighting at her
teats. Brownie's teats seemed hard when I pressed them in the morning,
but by late afternoon, her teats seemed much softer. It is possible
that her teats were sensitive because of mastitis. I also wondered if
the piglets' teeth were sharper than the usual we've had before. I
inspected the teeth of one of the dead piglets and I saw needle teeth
that were thin and sharp, instead of the usual triangular shape with
the pointed tip. Not all the piglet's teeth are like that, and I am
not sure if such teeth do make a difference.
July 31 - Teeth-clipping went well this morning, there are 9 piglets
left. 1 piglet got crushed last night. Brownie drank water but did not
eat. White discharge. Piglets went to the mother to suckle and the
situation seemed better, although nursing is less frequent (every 1-2
hours); hoping later nursing will be on regular. I hope things
progress from now on and that the mother quickly recovers.
August 1 - Suckling is much more peaceful since teeth clipping. The
injured piglet remains feisty and active. Piglets look forward to
exploring the Escape Hatch/Restaurant/Garden after nursing,
particularly brightens up sluggish piglets. The injured piglet seem to
be the first to want to go out. Nursing was hourly and sometimes 15-30
min intervals. Brownie is drinking and eating well. She is getting
Amoxicillin antibiotics in her water (for 3 days).
August 5 - Piglet got crushed this afternoon. We were unable to revive it.
The ground in front of the trough has become tough and slippery and
this area seem to be where crushing fatalities often occur. This area
will need to be dug up and wood shavings spread to soften the ground
and reduce slipping.
This litter of piglets is nervous and not as friendly as Number 3's
last litter.
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PIGLETS -June 2016
More Piglets
Even More Piglets
2018
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