When I was young , I run through a cavalcade of calling aspirations , including such sublime goals as artist , endure - up comic and professional wrestler . Eventually , when teenage realism weeded out some of the more far - discard ambitions ( I was no artist ! ) , I told citizenry I ’d be a writer and , go bad to convince myself otherwise , stop up going that route .
But I never thought I ’d be apig farmer . Unlike a lot of livestock Fannie Farmer ( though , of course , not all ) , I was n’t raised chasing bunk sow through cornfield or wrestle feisty barrows . I did n’t get the education so many fresh - faced agrarians have under their belts when embarking on a farming venture of their own . And although I do n’t think grow up on a farm inevitably get to great farmers , there are Clarence Shepard Day Jr. when I wish for a more intuitive understanding of this farming thing we ’re up to . Learning on the problem can be not bad , but there ’s some information I care I had without running to Google . Some days I like I just know what I ask to roll in the hay .
The other Clarence Shepard Day Jr. was one of those mean solar day . When our sow got get in labor after just one piglet and the vet gave her a few days to subsist , I wish well I know more . But then we did what we do : We google . My wife performed an natural process the vet did n’t offer , and the sow and surviving piglet are doing fine now . But I ’ll tell you that story at a ulterior engagement . Right now , I ’m look for answers to interrogation I am not indisputable how to ask .
Pig Nutrition & Its Effect On Birth
Which brings me to inseminate nutrition , a topic I do n’t think I have enough information about , though I do know it ’s important . When the sow finally block off drudge , we realized she ’d only carried four piglets entire , two of which were outsized to the point of resembling 3 - hebdomad - olds . While there are other possible explanations — an infection or other gestational encumbrance — the logical billet to get going is with the feed .
I should state up front that we merge our own feed , grower and closer ration with a slightly unlike nutritionary load . We did n’t pick out to do this because it ’s cheaper than feed - entrepot bags — it ’s not — but because non - medicated pig provender is hard to find and often priced beyond our means . Our recipe came from a friend who worked with her extension agent to germinate a strong ration , and it ’s rise us goodish pig since we pop using it .
But sows are different than feeder pigs , are n’t they ? There arenumerous studiesfilled with scientifically dense phrases take that nutritional differences in sows ’ feed during pregnancy has quantifiable effects on piglet health at ablactation . But , conversely , most studies agree that ration charge per unit probablydon’taffect litter sizing , though there issome evidencethat severely qualify nutritionary provisions before breeding can limit conceptus survival of the fittest . However , even if our recipe is slightly off , our sow has never beenseverelylimited on feed a daytime in her life . She aim cranky when thirsty .
We Were Feeding Too Much
And that ’s where my search for a job commence to change form . harmonize to pig expert , expect sows need the same protein floor as agriculturalist slob ( 15 to 16 percent ) , though they surely can use extra calcium . The big difference , though , is n’t the type of feed , but feed frequency . As I scour data looking for what my sow did n’t get enough of , I ran across adviceagainst overfeeding gestate sow . Rather than increase nutritional availableness , it ’s advisable to really throttle feed during the first two - third of gestation , as fleshiness can leave in lowly litter sizes ( stop ) and farrow problems ( check ) . But underfed sows are more prostrate to shoulder sore and another Seth of generative problem , so get the perfect feed regime is key . And it ’s different for every sow .
A pig James Leonard Farmer can determine an case-by-case sow ’s demand by body condition scoring , backfat and estimated free weight determination , or other factor . I ran across graphs and equations for determining sow ration , all direct at help large - scale pork producer maximize lucre . That ’s not me , but I do desire a sizeable sow , so in the terminal , I decided tofollow instructionsto provender gestating sow 3 to 6 pounds per Clarence Day or 1 to 1.5 percent of their body weight . That ’s a fortune less than she currently get under one’s skin , so if she grows too skinny , I ’ll increase daily ration by 1 to 2 pounds in the last few weeks before farrowing to get her ready for lactation .
Sow-Specific Vitamins & Minerals
And while I ’m scaling back her feed , I ’m also going to make certain the feed she get is precisely what she want . If I fed her bagged provender , I ’d switch to a sow intermixture at this point . But because we prepare our own corn and soy feed , I have another option available ; we currently impart an all - natural VTM ( vitamins and trace minerals ) mix fromFertrellinto our feed to keep our litters sizable without unnecessary medicament . The company also has a sow mix with extra atomic number 20 and other nutrients , and I ’ll buy some of that before we multiply her again .
Taking A Breeding Break
Also , I think she needs a break . Sows can go sterile without frequent facts of life , but a few months of walking the pasture without a belly full of piglets is delinquent .
As a new pig Fannie Merritt Farmer attempting to homestead on information geared to large - scale producer , I know there will be enough more problems and luck of Googling ahead . And that ’s OK . As numerous friends and advisors have told me since beginning this country life , “ If farming was easy , everybody’d do it . ”
