tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post3589926156460545392..comments2023-12-15T02:04:08.213-08:00Comments on meat: Notes on using a farrowing crateBruce Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10995706761794063165noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post-45691902390551651342010-12-09T12:49:09.819-08:002010-12-09T12:49:09.819-08:00Check for PRRS disease. Your symptoms are 100% spo...Check for PRRS disease. Your symptoms are 100% spot on. I am a pastured pork producer 100% outdoor and almost never have a crushed pig. Disease is the problem here and you must vaccinate to control it even under organic conditions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post-54138687842969191812010-09-05T17:32:49.779-07:002010-09-05T17:32:49.779-07:00This may or may not be of use, but...
http://www....This may or may not be of use, but...<br /><br />http://www.foresight-preconception.org.uk/vitamin-a.aspx<br /><br />Dr Weston Price of California, lists Vitamin A deficiency as causing problems with the development of the eyes, ranging from impaired sight, to blindness, to being born with no eyes (anopthalmia). Dr Price also reported damage to the nerves leading to the ears, and therefore impaired hearing, ranging to total deafness. Prolongation of the gestation period and long and difficult labour were reported in rats. Calves were reported as being born small and less likely to survive. Farm animals generally were reported to have had less successful reproduction and lactation, and less resistance to infection, where Vitamin A levels were less than optimum.<br /><br />Lack of Vitamin A in the diet of pigs resulted in ‘extreme in coordination and spasms’, and a tendency to abortion and farrowing dead piglets. Another researcher quoted by Price showed that lack of Vitamin A produced disturbances in ‘oestrus and ovulation’, leading to sterility.<br /><br />---<br /><br />And here's an interesting note about vitamin A from wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_A):<br /><br />The conclusion that can be drawn from the newer research is that fruits and vegetables are not as useful for obtaining vitamin A as was thought; in other words, the IUs that these foods were reported to contain were worth much less than the same number of IUs of fat-dissolved oils and (to some extent) supplements. This is important for vegetarians. (Night blindness is prevalent in countries where little meat or vitamin A-fortified foods are available.)<br /><br />---<br /><br />My first thought was that there's no way that your pigs could be suffering from vit A deficiency with all the fruits and veggies you're obtaining for them.<br /><br />Anyway, just another data point for consideration.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post-68786772781236093722010-03-30T21:41:51.510-07:002010-03-30T21:41:51.510-07:00Hi Bruce, I just weaned 72 piglets from 9 sows - 5...Hi Bruce, I just weaned 72 piglets from 9 sows - 5 of which were first timers. This was during some pretty awful rainstorms. Most of them farrowed within 2 weeks and I had to divide them into 2 groups as some of the older piglets would have certainly caused problems for the newborns. I just ran a hot wire to separate them for a couple of weeks.<br /><br />The sows are mostly Tamworth with a couple of Old Spots with a little wild blood in them. The Old Spots are by far the best and gave me 11 and 12 pigs each. <br /><br />I used homemade huts made out of feed silo halves attached to skids. I bedded the huts with straw and packed it tight in the gaps in the front and back of the hut. The entryway for the sow is high enough that the piglets can't get out for the first week. <br /><br />I tried to be on hand for the farrowings by keeping a close eye on the sows behavior. <br /><br />In my experience, recipes for farrowing failure include:<br />1.Too big of an area during inclement weather.<br />2.Unbred pigs in with farrowing pigs (will molest sows if in heat when farrowing).<br />3.Lightweight huts (sows will crush piglets when moving huts with snout).<br />4.Moo-tels as farrowing huts (rough on sows teats when entering and exiting- and lightweight)<br />5.Moving sow at last minute before or after farrowing.<br />6.Not enough or too much bedding.<br /><br />Good luck Bruce. When it goes well it seems easy, when it goes bad it seems impossible. Also, to find out if piglets are stillborn you can see if their lungs float in water. If they are stillborn they will sink.<br />I really enjoy your blog. -JimAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post-50320105346641422852010-03-29T03:23:10.597-07:002010-03-29T03:23:10.597-07:00Bruce, contact your local extension service about ...Bruce, contact your local extension service about testing and cost. Also, they might have a livestock specialist who can help with the problems of the sows. The reason I mention soil testing is because in a earlier post you said part of your property was once a scrap or junkyard and that you could have some soil contamination which might be effecting the sows.Craignoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post-49327723380658008542010-03-28T22:37:14.758-07:002010-03-28T22:37:14.758-07:00OK Craig and Dinkleberries -- I'm open to the ...OK Craig and Dinkleberries -- I'm open to the soil testing route. So please point me to the soil test that you think is applicable, and who administers it, and the cost. <br /><br />I'd also like to know if you have ever done a soil test for this sort of situation, and what the circumstances were. Or if you know anyone who has, and what the outcome was.Bruce Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10995706761794063165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post-91788329823384677652010-03-28T02:09:48.757-07:002010-03-28T02:09:48.757-07:00I agree with Craig, something must be awry for tha...I agree with Craig, something must be awry for that sow to consistently lose so many piglets. What kind of minerals are your pigs getting?damaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02013544183482066326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post-35916171790185409992010-03-26T21:11:39.221-07:002010-03-26T21:11:39.221-07:00Thanks for the suggestions. I'm feeding all o...Thanks for the suggestions. I'm feeding all of the hogs a prepared hog chow that is (in theory) a balanced feed, so I'd hope that they'd get what they need from that alone. They also get forage, which allows them to satisfy cravings for things that might be missing. I'm not sure what a soil test would tell me -- they're mostly aimed at crops, but I'm open to that idea. <br /><br />One thing that bears mentioning here -- piglet mortality is a normal part of a farrowing operation. Everyone who has a sow loses piglets at times, for all sorts of reasons. I've just been losing more than I would like, or than is economical. <br /><br />You will see a lot of pig producers who claim a small mortality, or claim to be able to produce pigs with very little mortality. In a recent blog post on one of the farming blogs I follow, the fellow posted a picture of a sow that had recently farrowed. Shown in the picture are 5 very young pigs. No mention of mortality, but my opinion is that he's already lost half the litter from the sow, and chances are good that he'll lose a couple more before they wean. Either that, or his sow is very low fertility -- which is a problem in itself. I'm working on getting pigs weaned alive -- that's the problem I'm trying to solve.Bruce Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10995706761794063165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post-64400887911933599812010-03-26T02:53:28.134-07:002010-03-26T02:53:28.134-07:00Bruce, have you ever tested your soil? Since you r...Bruce, have you ever tested your soil? Since you run a outdoor operation and your pigs are rooting maybe your pigs are getting too much of something or the lack of. Have you ever talk to a nutritionist? Your sows are lacking something and a nutritionist might be able to help.craignoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post-63258447603927290482010-03-25T19:21:15.560-07:002010-03-25T19:21:15.560-07:00This is Heath.
I suspect you'd have to change...This is Heath.<br /><br />I suspect you'd have to change genetics, nutrition and vaccination schedule to get anywhere close to industry averages.<br /><br />I know an excellent breeder who could teach you to breed and farrow pigs, but you'd have to travel to learn, and pay him for his trouble.<br /><br />If you just want to get some Berkshires that work well in crates, I can help you with that. You'd still have to do the vaccines and worming to get the largest number of pigs from them, but they'd at least be selected to do well in something like your system.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post-68678555552351112482010-03-25T17:27:17.477-07:002010-03-25T17:27:17.477-07:00How vexing! Like you point out, at least the crate...How vexing! Like you point out, at least the crates are removing a variable, so you can tweak other things to find what works better. Is it nutrition? Genetics? Disease or parasites and the need for more or less meds? Toxic plants? Those late fetus deaths seem mysterious, like what is going wrong that she's growing them almost to term, but then they are perishing so late in the game?<br /><br />Looking forward to what else you may learn! Good luck!<br />MichelleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post-60011048698472513162010-03-25T16:31:10.501-07:002010-03-25T16:31:10.501-07:00I really like your deductive approach to the probl...I really like your deductive approach to the problem. It seems you really think through all your options and weigh them before making decisions. Good luck with raising your piglet survival rate. Thanks for posting so much; we learn a lot from you. And thanks for posting the photos of the piglets at different ages and sizes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com