CLARKSON THOUGHT HE HAD IT BAD! - Nightmare weekend for our PIGS 🐷 

Matilda is worth keeping and breeding until she can't. If she is that good a mum and is willing to foster any piglet who needs her she's worth her weight in gold!

I know nothing about pigs, except what I learnt from you guys last year. When I was watching Clarkson's farm I was shouting at the TV that he needed to watch one of your videos! Then later in the series, they come up with an invention similar to the bar you had in your barn last year - i said to my missus, that someone on the Clarksons Farm crew must have watched your episode from last year... I suspect if you'd have seen the clarksons farm episode you might not have tried having piglets in the tunnels. Hopefully you will have a better result next time. 9

I grew up on a pig farm as a child (intensively farmed) and whilst I don’t agree with that type of farming, there are, I feel, a few points of interest to mention that relate to your circumstances here. Sows have a lot of piglets for a reason, their high mortality rate. And while predators may not be an issue, the mothers size and clumsiness can be problematic (and potentially biting them, although quite rare). This was why the sow used to be kept in a farrowing crate for, I think, 1 to 2 weeks. (I don’t condone this amount of time in a farrowing crate) but it was done to improve the survival rate of the piglets. But maybe 1 or 2 days in a crate until the piglets are (as you mention) mobile enough to get out of the sows way when laying down. Or, at least as you did before, moving them up to the barn, closer to you, and perhaps have a “baby monitor” on them (some potentially sleepless nights) but worth it if you only have a couple of sows farrowing and those piglets are very high value to you? Final thought, sows can be very mild tempered and passive. However, when they hear a piglet squealing it can make some of them very aggressive, and what you have to bear in mind is there capability for hurting you, they are large animals with a very strong bite. It was something my father always warned me about, as he had worked on a “free range” farm himself and had seen men horribly bitten by angry sows. I’m sure you’re aware of these things. I don’t claim to be an expert, this is just my memories from 30 years ago. But I thought they were worth sharing, and perhaps other people could add there knowledge too. Great channel, but hard work looking after animals 24/7. Hats off to you!

Keep your chin up Tim its great you show the realities of farming life but also good that you're questioning your management to improve for next time. Having the arks at the bottom of a hill you have found the problems of water running in and maybe allowing the sows more farrowing space will reduce your losses in future. Best of luck

It a tragic thing but you and especially the girls handled it well. a good argument for fitting bump bars in the pens to give the piglets a protected space when mum lays down.

Tough days. Pleased you show them alongside the good days.

What a shame, not sure if your allowed to do it in the UK but you could help a new tree grow and having the poor little dead piglets feed the roots if you buried and planted at the same time. Fingers crossed next time for Tiley, the girls look devastated, I hope they’re ok.

Omg.... so sad, got to take it sometime as hard as it gets. So sorry.

'Old fashioned' breeds of pigs are generally very careful in avoiding overlaying their young. We found that Saddleback sows were very careful, my father tried breeding Large Whites and they were a disaster, large clumsy sows and large numbers of piglets. I have an impression that housing with protective bars helps to reduce overlying even with old fashioned sows.

So very sad for the Mums and for you all. Thabk you for showing us this side of farming, although quite sad. You really do a wonderful job looking after your animals. Im curious to know....what happens with the piglets that didnt make it. Do they need to go somewhere official to look at cause of death? Then what? Loving everything you're all doing and we watch your channels all the time 🥰

That’s a tough lesson for you all 😔 good old Matilda

Rough time 😢

This is the grim reality of farming livestock, you always get dead stock. It should also show the benefit of farrowing crates, yes they do keep mum very restricted nut it’s not forever and there’s less piglets getting squashed.

Eh-oop. Hoglets. 🐖👍

Sad, but thats nature unfortunately. You are noticing it more because you've only got the 3 sows

😢

If you don’t trust the other sow, it might be worth seeing if someone else will take it on. She hasn’t had the time for understandable reasons to learn how to mother them. So I can’t see her being any different second time around. I’m not a pig farmer though, so may be wrong.

😔

All first times mums struggle at first, there is always next time. Other wise she will need to go…..

👊🫡

Careless farming ,those losses are avoidable with a bit of preplanning . 1 Anti crush bars off the walls .2 No fibrous bedding during farrowing .3 If she is nervous remove all piglets as they are born ( out of earshot ) and return them as soon as she finishes to feed .4 Have some oxytocin handy (or a homeopathic equivalent) 5 Don’t go on RU-vid saying farmings hard when you’ve not done your job properly .