- 01 October 2019
Brownie's Third Farrowing Brownie's Fourth Farrowing
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Cleaning the Maternity Pen and Servicing
the Fan
More Work Cleaning Up the Maternity
Pen
Work Continues in the Maternity Pen
September 25:
Auntie Brownie is Moved to The
Maternity Pen -Ready for farrowing
Auntie Brownie Appears Sick -She
is sluggish and not drinking
Auntie Brownie Eating and Drinking
Normally
....But her vulva is enlarged -Probably
due to hormones
Auntie Brownie Eating and Drinking
Normally in the Morning
...But Not in the Afternoon
Auntie Brownie Still Not Eating and
Drinking
Auntie Brownie Gets Her Morning Drink
and Medicine
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October 01:
-06.00 AM: Still being Treated
-06.30 AM: Dead -Probably from Heart failure
-10.00 AM: Burial Starts
Moving the Body
Digging The Pit
Covering Up
-12.00 Noon: Finished
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The Event:
Auntie Brownie died this morning (October 1st) around 6.30 am.
She was expected to farrow on October 5th.
As often happens -we thought she might be getting better. She was lying on her side -which had been impossible before, she was drinking (when we gave her water) -and (that was the danger sign) -she struggled to get up.
Unfortunately, her hind legs wouldn't work. But she struggled and struggled until her body just gave up. Fatima was going to try and give her a shower, but before she could do so it was all over.
As always, one thinks of so many things one could have done better -hopefully next time. We could have given antibiotic earlier (in drinking water) and we could have given her some food in water too (to keep her strength up)...
Just after she died, the man who delivers large bottle of drinking water arrived (he'd mistakenly though we'd run out).
He told Fatima he knows of vet 40 miles away (in a more rural area) who helped him.
Nice to know there are a few good people left. Fatima is trying to contact the burial party.: A "natural" burial under the trees behind the old boar pen.... The area with No.Three (and some piglets) is getting full already....
Sad as it may be, this is probably the best solution. We know from experience that piglets without colostrum don't stand much of a chance -and even piglets not brought up on mother's milk are much weaker too.
Nature solves its own problems..... Harshly perhaps -but cleanly.....
We suspect the piglets might have died earlier -her teats seemed smaller .
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The Effect:
Luckily, having a pension (as long as I live) means that we both have independent means -and so the pigs aren't an economic problem..... but indeed, if we were dependent on them for income -then it would be a terrible disaster.
If there is infection -and at the moment Fatima believes we have had Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome problems -then a period of quarantine -to kill the bugs is important. So we'll have to wait with restocking.
Hopefully, we still have a male and a female piglet (from No.Three). They should have a natural immunity from their mother (or not be infected at all). But the "immunity" period runs out this month -so we shall have to wait and see.
Pinky seems ok -but then so did untie Brownie for a while.
Basically, we now have three choices: Stop altogether with pig (breeding), try continuing the blood line with the remaining stock -or restock with (perhaps native) pigs.
It all depends on what happen with the existing animals....
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The Diagnosis:
Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome seems to fit many of the symptoms -however, this is supposedly more prevalent in cooler climates (according to some reports).
On the other hand, both the sows did have periodic problems: No.Three kept getting an infected fanny -and Auntie Brownie had a tendency towards fever after farrowing..... So they may have been sick for some time. No.One would have a weak immunity because she was hand raised -so she could have been a reservoir which re-infected the others.
Without knowledgeable specialist support for backyard farmers, it is very difficult to know exactly what happened.
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Notes on Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS)
https://vetmed.iastate.edu/vdpam/FSVD/swine/index-diseases/porcine-reproductive
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betaarterivirus_suid_1
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/generalized-conditions/porcine-reproductive-and-respiratory-syndrome/overview-of-porcine-reproductive-and-respiratory-syndrome
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Piglets 2015
Butlig's Operation
Butlig,s Diary
Death of Miss Piggy
Goodbye No.One(II)
Goodbye No.Three---------------------
