Frustratedearthmother's Journaling Journey

[Mini Horses]

don't worry too much about line breeding - most of the offspring is gonna be terminal anyway.

Yes...

Hmm I wonder if the babies are pressing on a nerve or something?

& yes, could be... If she doesn't mind you touch & move it when she's down, could be nothing more. Let's face it ... there's a load just for them selves and add piglets. Whoa!

Mine are looking soooo full, then I realized there's only 3 weeks left!!!!!! Don't feel I want to increase total feed but feel they need "more" so I have added a high protein supplement with vit/min in it. They have begun to venture into the two houses alone -- instead of both in one as before. But, they still lay together in their big napping hole. They are sisters

 

[NH Homesteader]

How many do AGH's have in a litter? They are so short and pudgy lol

 

[frustratedearthmother]

How many do AGH's have in a litter?

I dunno! We have a lottery going with the neighbors, lol. Little girl next door says nine, her dad says ten, so I chose 11.... she'll probably have three! I think the former owner told me she had 6 her first litter...but she only raised 2. Hope that's not an omen. Dr. Google says from 1-14 with 6 being most common.

We're headed out early tomorrow morning to move DH's mom down here from Livingston. It promises to be a really L...O...N...G weekend.

 

[NH Homesteader]

OK I say 8! Lol! So if you end up having to bottle feed (ugh I hope you don't), you're better off than most, you've got plenty of goat milk right?

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Absolutely plenty of goat milk - but ... never bottle raised a pig, lol!

 

[NH Homesteader]

Me either! But we have a friend that has had to feed a couple. They are the sweetest gilts... He's going to keep them and breed them, mostly because they lived in his house for so long... He's kinda attached! And that... Is the problem with bottle feeding piglets!

 

[Mini Horses]

Is the problem with bottle feeding piglets!

or any animal. I have a doe named Brat, and she is!!!

 

[NH Homesteader]

I actually prefer dam raised but well socialized goats. Bottle babies are a bit needy for me. At least the ones I've known.

So sorry if you've already said this, but are you breeding to sell piglets or raise them yourself? I have a hard time selling (live) animals. I am actually trying to crunch numbers and look at demand and see if we can raise our future piggies ourselves and sell meat. Won't happen unless we get a silo... People don't always take good care of pigs and I am afraid I would obsess over it!

 

[Mini Horses]

LOL -- I suspect FEM is like me.....keep a couple for self & sell others to offset feed & initial purchase. We both pasture them. There are 2 here to farrow first wk of Dec. that's a lot of piggies!! Cute wears off soon.

FEM? how many do you feel you "need"?

Oh, yeah, you are moving your MIL today....no wonder you have been absent here. Hope all goes well. What a job!!!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I'm baaaack....exhausted, battered, bruised and ready to hit the sack, but had to check in. Yep MH is right, I'll keep one or two and sell the rest. On second thought, probably just one since I'm gonna butcher one of the older boars sometime soon. But first I have to have some babies!

Came home to a buck out - it was bound to happen, right? At least he was out with does that I think were mostly bred - and some of them I wanted bred by him anyway....only problem that might or might not be a problem is that a 6 month old ND was in the pen he escaped into. Might have to find some lutalyse for her.