Sows who are older than 1 year and have never littered before, should NOT be allowed to get pregnant! After 1 year, if they have never littered before, their pelvic bones fuse, making passage of babies impossible. Sows who are younger than 4-5 months should not be allowed to get pregnant either. Pregnancy at such a young age is risky. Their little bodies cannot handle the stress of pregnancy.
Sows carry their babies from 61-72 days. During that time, they need lots of special care. Although they still need them, regular amounts of fruits, veggies, and pellets are not sufficent enough for growing babies in-utero.
Moms to be need extra Vitamin C. Extra fruit and veggies are one good source. You can also buy liquid Vitamin C. Make sure it is pure C! Use a syringe and give orally according to the dose on the bottle. Use caution when using a syringe. Place the syringe into the pigs mouth all the way in so it clicks off the back teeth. Depress slowly. As long as the pigs jaw is moving, making a chewing motion, keep depressing it. If the pig stops, you stop. When the pig chews, it is swallowing. If you depress the syringe when the pig isnt chewing, you run the risk of getting the fluid into the pigs lungs. Putting the C in the water is a lost cause as the chemicals in tap water kills the C almost immediately. If you do choose to put it in the water, use bottled water. You can also buy 100 mg. tablets and quarter them, giving the pig 1 quarter daily, just let them munch on it or crush it and sprinkle over their food or their veggies. You can also put the liquid C over their veggies, but they might not eat it. Mine wouldn't.
Pregnancy toxemia is when the sows body starts using the muscle cells to produce sugar. A good measure of prevention is to use either sugar in the water or corn syrup, also known as Kayro Syrup. The water needs to be changed daily, and if it is hot then twice a day to prevent bacteria growth. I usually use a teaspoon of sugar or the syrup to an 18 oz. water bottle. Sows usually only need sugar water during the last 2 or 3 weeks or pregnancy and then after delivery for about 3 weeks. Signs of Toxemia are...not eating or drinking, smelling like nail polish remover, she will sit in one spot and not really move around much, listlessness, and generally not being herself.
A sow will usually show signs of pregnancy at around 5 weeks along. It is best not to pick her up at this point as you run the risk of harming her or the babies. Try leaving her in the cage and patting her. The babies will start to move around 8-9 weeks. When this happens, delivery is usually about 3 weeks away. If you have a boar in the cage, now is the time to remove him. A sow goes into heat within an hour or so of delivery and by having a boar in with her, you run the risk of him back breeding (getting pregnant again after just having a litter) her which is not good for her, her litter or her subsequent litter(s).
Alfalfa is a good treat. Occassionally! It contains calcium which is good, but, it is fattening, and a sow should not eat a lot of fattening foods that will make her babies grow bigger in-utero. Big babies make for a difficult delivery. Please click here for what should and should not happen during labor and delivery.
After delivery, mom needs to gain her weight back. I use a product called COB. It is Corn, Oats, and Barley mixed in molasses and is sold in feed stores. It is sometimes called Horse Mash or Sweet Feed. 1 tablespoon daily mixed in with her pellets is fine. Alfalfa is good for them at this point too.
Baby wheekers are the cutest little things!! They usually do not need a lot of attention, other than lots of cuddles and kisses! They are born fully furred, eyes open and running around the cage within the hour.
Mom usually does most of the work. However, if you do have a baby who is not nursing, you can use a kitten milk replacer. I would recommend using a spoon and letting the baby lap from it. By using a syringe and feeding that way, you run the risk of either choking the poor little thing or getting the fluid into its lungs.
You can handle the babies as soon as mom is done cleaning them. You don't have to wait, mom will not mind and no harm will come to the babies as a result of you picking them up.
Baby wheekers usually look a little on the thin side. It is common for babies to lose a few ounces in the first few days. Weigh them daily, by the end of the week they should be gaining. By the end of two weeks, their weight should have almost doubled.
From my own experience, babies usually start to eat solid foods at around a few hours old. I have (well, my pigs have) had 2 litters. One of 3 and one of 2. All of the babies have started eating veggies and nibbling on hay at around a few hours old although it may taken them a day or two to get the hang of it. .
Babies need to stay with mom for a good 3 weeks before they can be separated. Sows can stay in the cage with mom, but the boars must be removed at 3 weeks.
You must, MUST, sex your babies correctly! Baby boars can get a sow pregnant at 3-4 weeks old. Baby sows CAN GET pregnant at 3-4 weeks old! You must know the sex of your babies so that you can separate them accordingly when the time for weaning comes. Click here and here to for 2 different diagrams of how to sex your pig correctly. Also, these links will be helpful in sexing a baby sow and a baby boar.
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Boars sometimes do what is called Rumblestrutting. It is sort of like a mating dance. It sounds like a boat motor and believe me, when you hear it, you will know what it is. Contrary to belief, baby boars can do this before they are sexually mature enough to produce anything.
When you hear this sound before the three weeks is up, do NOT separate them from their mother! It does not mean that they can produce babies yet!
Boars make excellent daddies! Dad can be allowed floor time with his babies if you like, but, if there are any sows in the litter, floor time must be extremely supervised once they are about 2-3 weeks old.
Babies are so much fun, enjoy them! They grow so fast!
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