Big Mama's Small Litter

Big Mama had an easy delivery on Halloween night, the last night of October.  But there were only four piglets in this litter, all females.

In trying to figure out why the litter was so small, a few things have come to mind.  One, Big Mama got sick and was off her feed at weaning time for the previous litter.  Since sows come into heat only 3-5 days after weaning, right when she was feeling poorly and not eating, her body probably went into starvation mode and didn't produce very many eggs at breeding time.

Big Mama in foreground, very pregnant and feeling just fine.

Another possibility is that we didn't catch her at the exact right time.  A sow's heat lasts only 36 hours, and we have to get her bred twice (12 hours apart) during that time to ensure a good "take".  The signs of heat can be subtle as a sow gets older, so it can be hard to catch her early enough for the second round to do any good.

We'll give Big Mama one more chance to provide a good-sized litter.  And hopefully Spot will come through with another big batch like her last one, to help off-set the costs of her sister's small litter.

All four piglets are healthy and growing fast, as one would expect with such an abundant milk supply!  They are such cute little things and very friendly.

Only one day old, already curious.

PS: The farm book is now available in .pdf form, as well as paperback.  This should make it easier for our international readers to obtain a copy.  See the links at the left to order your copy today.