Mama is doing well and is up and eating like normal. My heart sank when I went out to check on the babies.
They would normally be quite visible, nursing or lined up sleeping along her belly after a night of binge-drinking.
Twelve hours after farrowing, this little guy is the sole survivor. His more vigorous sister must have burrowed farther under her mother's enormous jowl for warmth, and was crushed.
:(
It is not unusual to lose one in the first 24 hours, before they learn what their mother's noises mean. She is always keenly aware of where her babies are, even during the difficult delivery last night, I could see her finding them and working around them in her own discomfort.
Because the birth was unusual, we will send out some samples to our vet, who will send them on to a lab, so that we can treat our sweet Bea in case of infection or anything else, and be sure that her next litter is the usual success.
Not to put a damper on anyone's New Year's Day. This isn't the usual outcome, but...it is part of the process here on the farm. With three pregnant pigs out there behind the barn, there will be many more productive litters born here in 2019.
They would normally be quite visible, nursing or lined up sleeping along her belly after a night of binge-drinking.
Twelve hours after farrowing, this little guy is the sole survivor. His more vigorous sister must have burrowed farther under her mother's enormous jowl for warmth, and was crushed.
:( It is not unusual to lose one in the first 24 hours, before they learn what their mother's noises mean. She is always keenly aware of where her babies are, even during the difficult delivery last night, I could see her finding them and working around them in her own discomfort.
Because the birth was unusual, we will send out some samples to our vet, who will send them on to a lab, so that we can treat our sweet Bea in case of infection or anything else, and be sure that her next litter is the usual success.
Not to put a damper on anyone's New Year's Day. This isn't the usual outcome, but...it is part of the process here on the farm. With three pregnant pigs out there behind the barn, there will be many more productive litters born here in 2019.
Laura
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