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Care of Farrowing Pig For new raisers of pigs, it is advisable to consult veterinarian in the care of mother pigs and their piglets.

1. Some delivering mothers may need more attention during delivery of their piglets when the interval between piglets gets longer than 20 minutes. Give more care to the last piglets to come out because it is here that most piglets are born dead.
2. Take care that the piglets do not lose oxygen during birth.
3. Take care that the mother pig does not suffer from exhaustion or lose strength during delivery so that she can nurse the piglets well.
4. One way of facilitating delivery is by giving prostaglandin injection, especially when the mother pig is getting old.
5. Giving oxytocin also facilitates delivery and reduces the birth of dead piglets.
6. A reminder to the one assisting at the pigs delivery is to keep his hands and arms clean, and to use jelly as lubricant in pulling out the piglet. Without this, there is danger in hurting the pigs genital and thereby cause infection, which could result in delivering dead piglets.
7. A newly born piglet is enveloped in a thin membrane. This must be removed to facilitate breathing. Piglets born weak cannot emerge from this, and so need help lest they suffocate.
8. Clean the newly born piglet; after about an hour cut off the umbilical cord, leaving about 5 cm; apply tincture of iodine where it is cut.
9. With the help of pliers, nip off the small teeth close to the gums (8 in all); apply tincture of iodine on the wound.
10. Also cut off the tail (with the help of scissors) apply iodine on the wound; unless the piglet is intended for breeding.
11. Help the piglet find its mothers teat even while the mother is farrowing. Keep the piglets and the whole brood clean and dry.

Why Are Some Pigs Born Dead?

It is rather common that some pigs are born dead. But if this happens often with a particular mother hog, there must be reason. It must however be ascertained if the piglet is born dead or just die soon after birth, which could have been saved if immediately noticed. Sometimes certain piglets are born so weak, that they are unable to overcome the membrane in which they are enveloped, and so get suffocated in it; or perhaps were chilled soon after birth, causing their death. The piglet born dead in its mothers womb at the beginning of pregnancy is hard and deteriorating.

The piglet that died before birth looks normal except for its sunken eyes. To be certain if the piglet was born dead or just died soon after birth, slice a piece of the piglets lung and place it in a pail of water. If this floats, it means that the piglet had breathed before death (because of the presence of air in the lungs) so, it was alive when it emerged and nothing can be done to save it.

1. There are more piglets born dead among multiple farrowing, usually the fifth or the last three piglets. This is perhaps because of the length of the womb and the umbilical cord. For about one meter of the cord to be borne by the piglet, (while it is normally only 70 cm long) in its length of passage, the cord is stretched and cut and so the last piglets lose breath before they are able to emerge.
2. It could also be due to the aging mother, (which may have farrowed five or six times). Usually, delivering dead piglets start from the fourth to the seventh farrowing. The next farrowing can be seen in the piglets that have been delivered.
3. Other causes could be the stress borne by the mother pig before delivery — perhaps she has had a fight or had undergone much difficulty in the last weeks before delivery.
4. Fat mother pig have difficulty in delivery.
5. If the mother is anemic or lacks Vitamin E, the piglet cannot survive its delivery because it also lacks Vitamin E.
6. Death of the piglet could also be due to the mother pigs lack of Vitamin A in her diet, months before delivery.
7. If the mother pigs meal becomes contaminated with molds, it will deliver weak or dead piglets.
8. If at a certain time several mother pigs delivery dead piglets infections or sickness could be the cause. There are diseases for instance that are transferable from cats to pigs, but seldom vice versa. If the mother pig gets contaminated while the piglet is still in its womb, this could result in abortion. But if the infection comes about at the latter part of the pregnancy, the piglet will be born dead.
9. If the pig pen lacks proper ventilation, and much more when there is a gas leak around, or if the carbon monoxide level (from vehicle exhausts) is high, this could result in the death of the piglet in the pigs womb.

Healthy Piglet

In raising a pig, choose a healthy, active and fast growing piglet. Signs of a healthy piglet:

1. The hair is shiny and fine.
2. The eyes are not languid (or sad looking), clean and no dried up secretion in the eyes.
3. The belly does not sag.
4. The features are balanced. View the piglet from afar to see how it stands and move.

Care:

1. Keep the piglet in a clean and dry pen.
2. Give it clean food and water.
3. About 5-10 piglets can be raised in a 7 sq.m. pen.
4. Give the pigs a daily bath, especially in summer.
5. Always keep the pen clean.

Cure for Pigs Diarrhea

Diarrhea of piglets and growing pigs may be caused by active microbes they get from the soil. Upon delivery, the mother pig is sprawled on the ground where bacteria may adhere to its teats, which in turn are suck by the newly born piglets. The piglets further get bacteria when they learn to snout the earth in search for food. According to experts, the microbes that the piglets pick up from the earth end up in their abdomen where they adhere to the thin membranes of the stomach and obstruct the digestive process. Thus, indigestion results, excreting liquid and undigested what they ate. It is also because of this that their feces do not solidify and are thus secreted as liquid or watery. Worse, the microbes that get into the stomach, bruise the stomach, resulting in bleeding.

Cure

Give 5% powdered coconut shell charcoal and mix it with the pigs meal. Medicines for diarrhea are black like charcoal because this contain activated carbon which has a strong capacity to absorb. Charcoal from coco shell also contain carbon. Carbon negates the action of the microbes by driving them from the inner walls of the stomach by enveloping the microbes and absorbing the excess liquid from the stomach of the piglet, thus enabling the feces to become solid. If this will not work, give the piglet the necessary antibiotic against diarrhea. A long term cure for diarrhea or disease is cleanliness in their surrounding. Always disinfect the place besides keeping it clean.

Epidemic of Pigs

A particular disease of pigs called “pseudorabies” also afflicts other four-footed animals. Sometimes the symptoms begin to show around 90-120 days, but some pigs die within 2 days after the signs are manifest, and others die within 12 hours thus, pigs must be vaccinated before they get sick.

Signs of the disease:

1. The pig begins to cough and lose appetite.
2. It walks backward and has no coordination in its movements.
3. Fever is at 41°C.
4. The pig throws up yellowish or has salivary vomiting.
5. The pigs eyes are reddish.
6. Pigs weighing 40-50 kilos or more are easily vulnerable and die within 2 days.
7. Sometimes, this disease is like pneumonia because the infection spreads near the lungs, and once the animal is weakened, other sicknesses come in.
8. If the pig with this disease is slaughtered, the liver shows white spots.

To counteract the disease: Some pigs that have been afflicted with this disease may recover even without medication, but some stop growing. And even after recovering, the sickness may recur once the animal becomes weakened.

Vaccination:

1. Vaccination is necessary two times a year for farrowing pigs, and every 6 months thereafter.
2. Once at age 7 months for fattening pigs until they are sold.
3. Piglets of vaccinated mother pigs are immune only until 8 weeks. They should be vaccinated after this time.

Effects of the disease on the pig are as follows:

Male pigs:

• the testicles change shape
• they lose their aggressiveness in mating.

Female pigs:

• abortion may result, or deliver dead piglets or the piglet may die in the womb.
• may become sterile.

Vitamin C for Pigs

According to researchers from the UP at Los Baños, hogs given 800 mg Vitamin C in every kilo of feed gain weight and grow faster than those not given the Vitamin. And when slaughtered, those given Vitamin C in their diet have more lean meat and did not have much fat on their back.

Cheap Protein for Pigs: Scrap Fish

One of the richest sources of protein for pigs is fish. But fishmeal is expensive and not easily available in some places. However, in places by the sea, there are opportunities to provide their pigs with cheap protein. Manner of Preparation:

1. Place the fishes in containers that are not metallic, must be clay pot or enamel.
2. For every 100 kilos of different fishes, add 3 liters mallic acid (or sulfuric acid). Acid stops the growth of microbes in the flesh of the fishes and from deterioration.
3. Put in an equal amount of corn, cassava, or grains. This will increase the carbohydrate content of the mixture and will lower the acid percentage in the feed.

The resulting 1.5% acid will not damage the stomach or intestine of the pigs.

Pig Manure — Feed for Pigs

It has been studied at the UP at Los Baños that fresh pig manure contains more or less 6% raw protein, 3.77% fat, 4% fiber, 70% water, 4.8% ash, less than 12% carbohydrates, over half percent calcium, and over a half percent phosphorus (which is higher than those derived from plants). When dried, this provides 27.7% protein, 43% carbohydrate, 16.5% ash, 10% water, 10-87% fiber and different minerals, and a kind of bacteria from the large intestine of the pig that ferments. This bacteria digests food that are difficult to digest like fibers, and this adds to the protein content.

Manner of Preparation:

1. Mix with ordinary meal like: 4 kilo copra meal, 1 kilo rice bran in every 5 kilos of pig manure.
2. Allow this to ferment in seven (7) days.
3. Mix with an equal amount of regular feed.

It was seen by the researchers that this mixture was acceptable to the pigs. They weighed 93.3% kilos in 111 days which were formerly 35.7 kilos. Those not given this feed weighed only 89.2 kilos in the same manner.

Water Lily for the Pigs

Water lily contains protein that can be substituted 25% for protein provided by soybean for a growing pig.

1. Grind the water lily leaves and strain in 5 mesh wire to get the juice that contains the substance.
2. Let it stay overnight to allow the solids to settle.
3. Dry the residue in the sun or in a dryer. When dried, grind in 20 min. size.
4. Mix with the pigs feed.

Pigs Also Need Attention and Care

Many studies have been made and had shown that all forms of life — animal or plant respond to care. It was tried by researchers on 3 months old piglets. One group was talked to and patted about 2 minutes three times a week. Another group was simply fed, pushed aside, shouted at, or not shown any attention as in the first group. It was seen that the piglets that were “loved” grew faster than those “unloved.” And mother pigs given care and attention gave more or less 21 piglets a year, while those raised ordinarily gave only about 16 piglets a year.

Foot-And-Mouth Disease (FMD)

Foot-and-mouth disease is an infectious disease afflicting cloven footed animals like cattle, carabao and pigs, characterized by ulcerous lesions at the mouth, teats and hoofs. The sick animal has fever, suffers lameness and loss of appetite.

Mode of Transmission

Manner of Infection

The virus of FMD can be transmitted through the air as far as 50 meters away, by direct contact with the infected animal, or indirectly through carriers like humans, other animals, flies and mosquitoes, and infected things and utensils. Humans, however, seem to have a natural resistance to the disease and so far, no case has been reported of Filipinos having contracted it. When a human inhales the virus, he harbors the disease in his body for as long as 24 hours, and can transmit it to others through the respiratory tract.

Control

1. Spray the animals quarters with formalin to protect from infestation.
2. Treat with alum or wash with concocted guava leaves. With continuous treatment, the disease can be cured in two or three weeks provided there is no complication of other ailments. Weight loss however, could take time to recover.

Precautionary Measures

1. Cook well through boiling meat that is suspected to have the infection, or in vinegar to destroy the virus.
2. Observe the animals, keep them clean, vaccinated and apart from infected ones. Separate those suspected of having the disease or those already afflicted.

source: elgu2.ncc.gov.ph, photo from trouwnutrition.com

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