_ CHAPTER IX. THE FARROWING SOW
The pregnant sow usually carries her pigs about sixteen weeks. The variations are neither great nor numerous, when they do occur it is usually with sows with their first litters or aged sows which sometimes farrow ere the full time has expired, or with robust sows in good condition which occasionally carry their young beyond the one hundred and twelve days which may be taken as the average period.
We assume that each owner of a breeding sow keeps a record of the date of service of the sow in order that the necessary preparation of the sty, etc., can be made in readiness for the arrival of the expected litter. Even when this wise precaution is neglected nature gives a sufficient warning to the observant owner. Apart from the increasing size of the body, the udder gradually becomes more prominent, and each pap becomes more defined, the vulva becomes enlarged and the muscles on either side of the tail fall away and lose their tenseness, whilst in the vast majority of cases milk appears in the udder some twelve hours before the arrival of the pigs. The teats shine and become more prominent, the presence of milk is easily ascertained by gently pressing the teat between the finger and thumb.
Another certain indication of the early arrival of a family is the act of the sow carrying straw about in her mouth wherewith to make her farrowing bed.
One of the chief causes of trouble with the farrowing sow arises from the sow not having been allowed to take sufficient exercise. Of course, the best of all systems is to allow the sow its complete freedom at all seasons of the year save when she is within about a fortnight of her time, and when she is rearing a litter of pigs. Even if there be no grass field or paddock in which she is able to pick up a good portion of her living, or a roadside where she can get a few blades of grass, an open yard is infinitely better than the confinement of a sty, as apart from the reduction in the cost of keep, the sow will produce stronger pigs, and have a decidedly easier time of farrowing.
In the case of a sow showing a disinclination to take a sufficiency of exercise either owing to laziness, to high condition, or heaviness of body, it is advisable to exercise her by walking her about quietly for a short time each morning and evening before and after the heat of the day has become excessive, or has passed off.
There is a difference of opinion amongst pig breeders as to the desirability or the reverse of having someone in attendance on the sow during the time she is farrowing. Those who object to this procedure do so on the ground that the presence of a man simply tends to irritate the sow, and to frequently cause her to become restless, with the result that the little pigs are trodden upon or become laid upon and killed. This view is generally held by those who are not particularly fond of animals, as evidenced by that occasional intercourse between pig and owner which consists of rubbing the head of the pig, or scratching its side, when in response to the pleasant sensation it rolls over on to its side like Oliver and asks for more. The trouble if any, which arises from the owner or pig man being in the sty with the farrowing sow almost invariably arises from the absence of a sympathetic feeling between the two. Sows, and indeed wellnigh all animals, pine for sympathy and company, and no animal more so than a pig. Still there are very occasional instances where the young sow becomes very excitable as she commences to farrow even when she and her owner or attendant have previously been on the best of terms. But there the cause is not the presence of a human being, but the arrival of one of her own little pigs. So long as the pigling remains quiet there is peace, but as soon as the youngster endeavours to get to the teat and especially if in the endeavour it utters a cry or a squeak, the young sow will jump up from her nest and endeavour to seize the youngster in her mouth, when unless prevented the sow quickly squeezes all life out of the pig; and in some cases when the pressure has been so severe as to break the skin of the piglet, and the sow tastes blood, she will proceed to eat the dead pig. When affairs have arrived at this sad state, the chances of the remaining pigs having a pleasant reception into the world are comparatively slight.
When there exists a good understanding between the sow and attendant, as there invariably is when the latter is not rough and unkind, as only bad tempered men can be, the trouble in a case such as just referred to is greatly reduced, as the attendant runs no risk in entering the sty and in removing the little pigs as they arrive, and placing them in a hamper or box partially filled with straw until such time as the sow has completed her farrowing, when the pigs can be placed against the sow's udder, and providing they do not bite her, all will settle down in peace and comfort.
In order to avoid the slightest risk of trouble it is advisable when the pigs are apart from the sow to break off with a pair of pliers the four little teeth with which the pigs are endowed prior to their birth. Care being taken to remove the pigs beyond the hearing of the sow each little pig in turn is tucked under the left arm, the mouth is opened by the left hand, and the teeth pressed hard with the pliers, or even a slight turn of the wrist given, when necessary, and the brittle teeth are crushed.
As soon as the placenta or afterbirth is ejected this should be removed. A little slop food should be fed to the sow, and whilst she is eating it, the wettest part of the bedding should be replaced by a little short and dry straw just enough to render the nest comfortable for the little pigs. The nest should be disturbed as little as possible, as should the whole of it be removed and fresh straw given, the sow will probably spend a considerable time in remaking the nest, and in the meantime the little pigs will be in danger from a chill, or in being mixed up in the straw and being laid upon. The risk from delay in the sow laying down and suckling her pigs is much greater in cold weather, as not only will they become chilled, but they will persist in crowding round the sow and so run the greater risk of being trodden upon, or rolled up in the bedding in the effort of the sow to remake her comfortable nest.
Some persons strongly recommend the giving of a strong dose of medicine to the sow after she has farrowed. In ordinary cases this is not necessary, the farrowing of a litter of pigs is a simple and natural operation. In those occasional instances where manual assistance has to be given to the sow owing to the unusual size of the pig, or wrong presentation, or even of a pig which has been dead for a day or two and has begun to decompose and consequently to increase in bulk, it is advisable to give medicine to the sow, since there is every probability of some amount of inflammation due to the insertion of the hand. As the sow's bowels are likely to be somewhat constipated it is always advisable to exercise her for a few minutes during the morning after she has farrowed. In most cases the exercise will at once cause her to relieve her bowels and her bladder, when she can be returned to her sty.
We found sharps, or the finest portion of miller's offals (which usually go by varying names in different parts of the country), the most suitable food for newly farrowed sows, and until the pigs were at least four weeks old. Some persons recommend that a portion of the food should consist of bran, this on two grounds--the first that its use tends to prevent constipation, and secondly on account of the food analysis which it gives. Our experience has been that when sharps are fed to the sow no trouble should arise from constipation, whilst as to the nutriment which bran contains the claim may be good, but the pig is unable to extract it; so large a proportion of the bran passes through the pig in an undigested condition. As a rule the pig, unlike the horse, cow, or sheep, does not masticate its food, nor does it, like the two last named, chew its cud, but it usually bolts its food, and thus casts a greater labour on its digestive organs which have neither the time nor power to extract the whole of the nutriment from the bran. In addition to this, bran tends to too great looseness of the bowels, which in the case of young pigs tends to become diarrh[oe]a.
There is a tendency on the part of some pigmen who are over anxious to succeed to feed the sow too large a quantity of food during the first ten days or so after she has farrowed. During this period the demand on the sow is really not much greater than it was during the last two or three weeks of carrying the pigs. As the pigs grow older an increased supply of food is necessary, but for a week or two after the arrival of the pigs twice feeding of the sow should suffice unless she is very low in condition, or a very large litter of pigs is left on her. In such cases it may be advisable to feed her three times per day just as much as she will promptly clear up. It is a great mistake to give so much food at one time that a portion is left over in the trough, particularly is this so when the pigs are over three weeks old, as nothing so quickly upsets the stomachs of the youngsters as sour food. If in ordinary cases feeding the sow three times daily is persisted in, the same quantity of food given should simply be distributed over the three feedings, as an excess of food is only less a mistake than underfeeding.
Three of the most common troubles with young pigs are diarrh[oe]a, fits, and loss of the tail. There is a belief amongst many old pigmen that every litter of pigs is bound to have at least one attack of diarrh[oe]a ere it is weaned. They look upon it as a fatality which is certain to eventuate, no matter what steps may be taken. Of course, this is folly. The liability of little pigs to an attack of what is commonly called scouring is great as the causes are several, amongst them the greatest is perhaps a chill which may arise from draughts owing to faulty construction of the sty doors or ventilators neglected; insufficient, unsuitable, or damp bedding; neglect of proper sanitation, or the frequent cleaning out of the sty; and most frequently of all from injudicious feeding of the sow. In fact, anything which affects the health of the young pig to any great extent appears to result in indigestion, which causes constipation, and this in turn nature endeavours to remove by a special effort which softens the faeces somewhat. On removal of the cause of the constipation, the bowels perform their duty normally, but if this be not removed the result is diarrh[oe]a, which again if continued for any length of time often becomes dysentery, when the fever is acute; the pigling neglects its mother's teat, and instead sucks up any moisture however foul which it can find in the sty. This is almost invariably a precursor of death.
From the above it will be gathered that prevention is better than cure. In case of an attack, the first thing is to discover the cause, and the second is to remove it, when, generally speaking, the trouble ceases. As a help to this end, depriving the sow of one meal is recommended. Coal, cinders, or even earth will be readily eaten by the young pigs and prove of benefit. Medicine is not often required if the steps recommended are promptly taken.
In our earlier days hog's madder was the common medicine used with pigs for most ailments, but of late years sulphur appears to have taken its place. It is less violent than castor oil, which is apt to cause constipation of the bowels after its first effect has passed off.
The soreness of the tails, which if not attended to generally results in the pig becoming bob-tailed, appears most generally in damp and cold weather, and is the result of impaired circulation of the blood. The cure is simple. The application of fat or oil as soon as the tail becomes red and cold, twice per day, and continued for two or three days will almost always result in a cure. For some years we used boro-glyceride, a compound, we believe, of boracic acid and glycerine, but we are not certain that it is now procurable.
The third of the common troubles of the young pig is fits of an apoplectic and epileptic character. As a rule the shortest, thickest, and fattest pigs of the litter are those which are affected. This points to the chief cause, too much food in the form of mother's milk. A reduction in the quantity of the food fed to the sow will generally be effectual, except when the pigs are old enough to eat. Then both the quantity and the quality of the food given to them should be reduced. Prompt removal of the cause is usually sufficient, but it may be necessary to mix a little medicine in the food in persistent cases, or when remedial measures are not promptly taken. The ordinary symptoms are unmistakable, the pig falls on its side, struggles and gasps for breath, then in a minute or two it rises and appears to be little the worse. Unless continued over a period, fits are not usually fatal.
Very occasionally young pigs suffer from the protrusion of the rectum, or as it is commonly termed "shooting of the gut." This is due to various causes which result in straining. Of these constipation and diarrh[oe]a are the two most common. As soon as the protrusion of the gut is noticeable, the enlargement should be carefully washed, then oiled and gently pressed back into its natural position. Some pigmen advise the dusting of flour on to the protruded portion before it is returned, but there is a risk of increasing the amount of inflammation which is generally present. If known the original cause of the trouble should be removed, but in any case it is advisable not to give any solid food to the pig for two or three days after the operation.
Still another of the troubles to which pig flesh is heir is hernia, or rupture. This is of two kinds, umbilical and scrotum. The former is the escape of a portion of the bowels through an imperfectly closed navel opening, whilst the latter shows itself in an enlargement of the scrotum or purse due to an escape into it of a portion of the abdominal contents. Both of these ailments are considered to be hereditary, but the most common and the most troublesome is the latter, since there is always a chance of strangulation of the escaped portions, which nearly always results in death.
At one time it was considered to be inadvisable to castrate the boar pigs affected, but of late years the plan has been adopted of making only one incision in the scrotum in place of two, and making that one as high as possible. Then after the operation is performed, the aperture is sown up. The pig should be fed lightly for a day or two in order to give time for the healing of the wound.
Umbilical hernia is not generally of much importance, the navel opening gradually closes as the pig grows stronger and the enlargement disappears. It is advisable not to breed from a sow pig which has been affected, nor to continue to use a boar which has begotten ruptured pigs, as both failings are hereditary.
For a time at least, there is certain to be a difficulty in obtaining a full supply of sharps, even of the greatly reduced feeding value of the present quantity available. It may, therefore, be advisable to refer to another system of feeding the suckling sow and the young pigs. It is now perforce being generally adopted, but the result is not generally considered to be equal to the old system recommended. It is that of feeding pigs of the kind mentioned on vegetable food, and a mixture of palm nut, cocoa nut, ground nut, or linseed cake. The proportions fed at the Cambridge University Farm are mangolds 20 lbs.; a mixture of two parts palm nut cake, and one part cocoa nut cake, 2 lbs.; linseed cake, 2 lbs.; and ground nut cake, 1 lb. The two former were fed in the morning and evening, and the other two at midday. The various cakes seem to have been fed in a dry condition, but other pig feeders have found it beneficial to soak the cake in water for some twelve hours. This view seems to have received support from the practice at Cambridge, which was to mix the cake with the cut mangolds twenty-four hours before being fed to the pigs so that at least a portion of the cake would become softened by the mangold juice. Almost any kind of vegetable matter containing a fair amount of nutrition would be equally as suitable as mangold, indeed more so during the period from October to April. In the winter months cooked potatoes; kohl rabi, swedes, parsnips, cabbages, artichokes, etc., fed raw; and in the summer grass, lucerne, clover, vetches, rape, or almost any kind of vegetable food will be readily eaten by the pigs. Even where the wasteful practice of peeling the potatoes before being cooked for the household is still followed (and just how wasteful this old-fashioned plan is has been lately proved to be a loss of nearly one quarter of the nutriment)--it is advisable to boil the parings and then mix the whole with the pig's food.
It cannot be too strongly impressed on pig keepers that a certain proportion of vegetable food is most beneficial for pigs of all ages, as not only is a saving in cost effected, but the pigs will continue in a more healthy condition than when fed solely on meal or other concentrated food. _