Friday, March 28, 2014
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
The Fun and Games Continue....
Challenges just hasn't stopped here in the last few weeks.
Yesterday morning I decided to move some of the does and kids. I thought I had the right kids with the right does...Nope, I had a bunch of screaming kids and mad does. I finally got them back where they were to begin with. Gave the doe who I've been treating for infection her shot and came inside to the computer to order more medications from Jeffers. I also found some temporary collars (ID bands) that are assorted colors you can write on. When they come in I will color code everyone. When I see a kid nursing and the doe is not shoving it away I will figure out who belongs with who.
After placing my order I went out to check on my doe who is due to kid any moment. She doesn't look like she has any intention of giving up those kids any time soon. I met up with Papa Bear and we walked around to the see the new pigs. It has become a habit to count them all each morning to make sure they are all there. Miss Piggy was nursing them. When she got up and all the little piggies started running around I saw one of my worst fears. One of the bigger piggies had been stepped on and had a gaping wound from his neck down and around to his shoulder.
Papa Bear got a loaf of bread to try to keep Miss Piggy occupied so I could get the baby out. I finally caught the pig and handed him across the fence to Papa Bear while dodging Miss Piggy who was highly upset. We got the little pig into the kitchen, threw an old towel on the table to "try" to lay him on so I could see how bad it was. As little as this piggie was, he was strong and did not stop squirming. I have a suture kit here but when I pulled the huge patch of skin back it was very nasty with dirt and pieces of hay. I was afraid I would not get all the trash out and cause a huge infection so I called my vet and left a voice mail.
By the time I had put on clean clothes I still had not had a call back from the vet so I decided to take him to the large animal clinic a little less than an hour from the house. I called and told them what had happened and was on my way. My niece told me not to worry about the Marine. She would stay late if need be.
The vet assessed him and said she could fix him but he would require anesthesia, cleaning the wound and inserting a drain to drain off any infection and then closing the wound. She said it would be approximately $200.00. She also told us most people would just put that young of a pig down. He is only 12 days old. I looked at Papa Bear, he looked at me and then he told the vet to fix him. She said to come back and pick him up between 4:30 and 5:00. When Papa Bear went back to pick him up the bill was $165.00 a little less than we expected. Gourmet Bacon for sure now!
So Porky Pig is in the house in a large bin until I can take take the drain out in 5 to 7 days. I will also have to give him a shot of Pen G every day for 7 days. He hates the baby bottle. I finally poured some milk in a pan and got him to drink a little of that. If I can continue to get nourishment in him. I think he will survive.
Now I must go and wrestle a goat for more milk. Have a great day everyone!
Yesterday morning I decided to move some of the does and kids. I thought I had the right kids with the right does...Nope, I had a bunch of screaming kids and mad does. I finally got them back where they were to begin with. Gave the doe who I've been treating for infection her shot and came inside to the computer to order more medications from Jeffers. I also found some temporary collars (ID bands) that are assorted colors you can write on. When they come in I will color code everyone. When I see a kid nursing and the doe is not shoving it away I will figure out who belongs with who.
After placing my order I went out to check on my doe who is due to kid any moment. She doesn't look like she has any intention of giving up those kids any time soon. I met up with Papa Bear and we walked around to the see the new pigs. It has become a habit to count them all each morning to make sure they are all there. Miss Piggy was nursing them. When she got up and all the little piggies started running around I saw one of my worst fears. One of the bigger piggies had been stepped on and had a gaping wound from his neck down and around to his shoulder.
Papa Bear got a loaf of bread to try to keep Miss Piggy occupied so I could get the baby out. I finally caught the pig and handed him across the fence to Papa Bear while dodging Miss Piggy who was highly upset. We got the little pig into the kitchen, threw an old towel on the table to "try" to lay him on so I could see how bad it was. As little as this piggie was, he was strong and did not stop squirming. I have a suture kit here but when I pulled the huge patch of skin back it was very nasty with dirt and pieces of hay. I was afraid I would not get all the trash out and cause a huge infection so I called my vet and left a voice mail.
By the time I had put on clean clothes I still had not had a call back from the vet so I decided to take him to the large animal clinic a little less than an hour from the house. I called and told them what had happened and was on my way. My niece told me not to worry about the Marine. She would stay late if need be.
The vet assessed him and said she could fix him but he would require anesthesia, cleaning the wound and inserting a drain to drain off any infection and then closing the wound. She said it would be approximately $200.00. She also told us most people would just put that young of a pig down. He is only 12 days old. I looked at Papa Bear, he looked at me and then he told the vet to fix him. She said to come back and pick him up between 4:30 and 5:00. When Papa Bear went back to pick him up the bill was $165.00 a little less than we expected. Gourmet Bacon for sure now!
Now I must go and wrestle a goat for more milk. Have a great day everyone!
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Busy...Busy....Week
To say we've been so busy we didn't know if we should scratch our watch or wind our butts would be an understatement. Never in my life will I ever again allow 14 does to be bred in a two week period. Thank God 3 of the 14 didn't get pregnant. We still have one more doe who should give birth around the 18th. So far we have 6 sets of twins, 2 sets of triplets and 2 single births. Eight does and twelve bucks so far.
Papa Bear was so tired he laid down in one of the stalls that wasn't occupied at the moment and fell asleep.
Goofy Lacie wants to know if she can have the stall when the big blue thing is finished.
Lacie had two beautiful does. One is solid black. We have never had a solid colored kid before now.
I had to take her in and show her to the Marine
All of the kidding went well except for the last one. I thought we were going to lose the kid and doe. She is a first time freshener. The kid had one leg folded back and the does pelvic area was too small for me to get my hand in far enough to release the leg. I even tried to push the kid back in to reposition it and that didn't work. Our vet has moved and is over a hour and a half away from us so there was no need in even calling. The kids tongue started turning black, the doe was weak and screaming I knew I had to do something. When the doe gave a couple of more weak pushes I held around the kid behind the leg showing and pulled down on the kid as hard as I could and got him out.
The doe was very weak and showed no interest in the new kid. I got both of them cleaned up, gave the doe a shot of pen G in case of infection and then took the new kid around to a couple of does that had recently given birth hoping to adopt it out but had no takers. I finally got one doe to stand still and let it nurse for a moment. I even rubbed some of her milk all over him hoping to get her to take him in but she was having none of it. I finally took the kid in the house and put him on a towel in a laundry basket and set him by my side of the bed. I don't have any fresh colostrum in the freezer so I still have to go back out to the barn and wrestle a new mama to get milk for the new kid. That was fun! I finally got enough for a few bottles if I needed it. I am glad the kid only woke once during the night wanting milk. The next day I took the kid back out to her. To begin with I held her in order for him to nurse but now she has accepted him. She doesn't do a very good job of cleaning him yet so I am still having to wipe his butt several times a day so it doesn't become plugged. The does vagina is very swollen. I can't tell if it's a prolapse or not. I am rubbing Preparation H ointment on it to get the swelling down and will continue with the antibiotics twice a day. If it continue to look bad I will treat it like a prolapsed rectum which I have treated before. You do the same for a vagina or rectum.This week has had several cold and frosty nights but everyone is doing well. The kids only have a few hours of shaky legs and then leap around like they have springs on their feet.
They are so joyful to be alive and a joy to watch.
Triplets and such an attentive doe.
Springtime.....So close! I think we have had our final frost.
Our Camellia Bush is in full bloom.
Almost every bloom has a honeybee in it.
Magnolia Jane busted out in full bloom. I haven't noticed any bees on this one.
I still have not planted the apple trees.
The little piggies are venturing out further into the pen.
When they hear Mama grunt or huff, they run scurrying back to their nest. They are too funny and look like they have doubled in size in a weeks time.
The pear tree blossoms made it through the last freeze. We may actually have pears this year! Hang tight everyone. Spring is just around the corner.
All of the kidding went well except for the last one. I thought we were going to lose the kid and doe. She is a first time freshener. The kid had one leg folded back and the does pelvic area was too small for me to get my hand in far enough to release the leg. I even tried to push the kid back in to reposition it and that didn't work. Our vet has moved and is over a hour and a half away from us so there was no need in even calling. The kids tongue started turning black, the doe was weak and screaming I knew I had to do something. When the doe gave a couple of more weak pushes I held around the kid behind the leg showing and pulled down on the kid as hard as I could and got him out.
The doe was very weak and showed no interest in the new kid. I got both of them cleaned up, gave the doe a shot of pen G in case of infection and then took the new kid around to a couple of does that had recently given birth hoping to adopt it out but had no takers. I finally got one doe to stand still and let it nurse for a moment. I even rubbed some of her milk all over him hoping to get her to take him in but she was having none of it. I finally took the kid in the house and put him on a towel in a laundry basket and set him by my side of the bed. I don't have any fresh colostrum in the freezer so I still have to go back out to the barn and wrestle a new mama to get milk for the new kid. That was fun! I finally got enough for a few bottles if I needed it. I am glad the kid only woke once during the night wanting milk. The next day I took the kid back out to her. To begin with I held her in order for him to nurse but now she has accepted him. She doesn't do a very good job of cleaning him yet so I am still having to wipe his butt several times a day so it doesn't become plugged. The does vagina is very swollen. I can't tell if it's a prolapse or not. I am rubbing Preparation H ointment on it to get the swelling down and will continue with the antibiotics twice a day. If it continue to look bad I will treat it like a prolapsed rectum which I have treated before. You do the same for a vagina or rectum.This week has had several cold and frosty nights but everyone is doing well. The kids only have a few hours of shaky legs and then leap around like they have springs on their feet. 
They are so joyful to be alive and a joy to watch.
Springtime.....So close! I think we have had our final frost.
Our Camellia Bush is in full bloom.
I still have not planted the apple trees.
The pear tree blossoms made it through the last freeze. We may actually have pears this year! Hang tight everyone. Spring is just around the corner.
Sunday, March 9, 2014
First Spring Kids on the Ground!
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Derby Day (Grandma and Grandpa's Brag Day)
and THIRD PLACE in all age divisions!
GO GRANDSON!!!!!!
Friday, March 7, 2014
Of Pigs and Goats
Wednesday morning Miss Piggy's hooha was swollen, she was making her nest and when I checked her teats at 7:45am I was getting droplets of milk. All of these are signs that birth is 12 to 24 hours away. I texted a picture to a pig person friend and she even said that it looked like Miss Piggy had 6 to 12 hours. So began the watch.
One sign of birth is most pigs will turn down their food. Miss Piggy was still eating like a pig.
All day long Miss Piggy would tear apart her nest and rebuild it.
She drank massive amounts of water. Mom brought her snacks of sour cream and a loaf of bread. She ate it all!
By 9:30pm there were still no piggies. I needed a shower and sleep. I set my alarm clock to go off every two hours and Miss Piggy was doing the same she did all day long.
11:30 PM she would work on her nest, drink water, pee, work on her nest and lay in it for 30 seconds...no kidding I timed her.
1:30am she was doing the same, 3:30am the same, since it was close to my regular getting up time, I just stayed up. Around 6:30 am I poured her grain in her trough. She sniffed at it but turned it down. Miss Piggy never turns down food.
10 AM Miss Piggy finally laid down in her nest and started having contractions and pushing. My pig friend text me to see how many piggies I had and I told her none, that she had just started into labor. She asked if I wanted company and I said sure as this was my fist piggie births.
Before my friend arrived Miss Piggy jumped up and had the first Piglet standing up. I grabbed it, dried it and when Miss Piggy laid down I put it on a teat to nurse.
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Almost an hour later we had two. Miss Piggy did the same thing. She jumped to her feet and had it standing up.
After the second one, she had a very large piglet that was stillborn. After that one things began to happen fast. I could not let the others nurse as Miss Piggy would jump up and step on them, they would squeal and upset her more so Papa Bear was taking them into the house and putting them into a box to stay warm until Miss Piggy finished giving birth. She had the last 4 lying down. Papa Bear and I tied off all the umbilical cord with dental floss and dipped them in betadine and took them back out to Miss Piggy.
She had a total of 9 including the stillborn. Here they all are lined up at the milk bar.
It was very cold yesterday and all Miss Piggy had was an open shelter. Papa Bear put up two half walls to block the wind and hung a heat lamp. Miss Piggy was still jumping up and stepping on them. Kermit the boar in the pen next to Miss Piggy was going nuts, making Miss Piggy nuts. Around 7PM last night I couldn't take it any longer. I wondered if any piggies would be alive this morning.
I had just made it into the house longing for a hot shower and a nap when Papa Bear called to tell me our doe Brownie had lost her mucus plug. Brownie is not due to kid until March 18th. Everything I have read on premature kids is they very seldom survive and if they do have health issues for life. I put my jacket and gloves back on and found Brownie with no other signs of impending birth other than a little mucus stringing. I had read that a doe can loose her mucus plug several weeks before giving birth but ours never had before.
I finally got my shower and had a good nights sleep. When I went out to unlock the gate this morning around 5am I could not stand the torture of not knowing if I had piglets still living. I took a quick peek and they were piled up asleep next to Mama. I could not count them. Hopefull when I go feed in a few minutes I will find them all there safe.
She drank massive amounts of water. Mom brought her snacks of sour cream and a loaf of bread. She ate it all!
By 9:30pm there were still no piggies. I needed a shower and sleep. I set my alarm clock to go off every two hours and Miss Piggy was doing the same she did all day long.
11:30 PM she would work on her nest, drink water, pee, work on her nest and lay in it for 30 seconds...no kidding I timed her.
1:30am she was doing the same, 3:30am the same, since it was close to my regular getting up time, I just stayed up. Around 6:30 am I poured her grain in her trough. She sniffed at it but turned it down. Miss Piggy never turns down food.
10 AM Miss Piggy finally laid down in her nest and started having contractions and pushing. My pig friend text me to see how many piggies I had and I told her none, that she had just started into labor. She asked if I wanted company and I said sure as this was my fist piggie births.
Almost an hour later we had two. Miss Piggy did the same thing. She jumped to her feet and had it standing up.After the second one, she had a very large piglet that was stillborn. After that one things began to happen fast. I could not let the others nurse as Miss Piggy would jump up and step on them, they would squeal and upset her more so Papa Bear was taking them into the house and putting them into a box to stay warm until Miss Piggy finished giving birth. She had the last 4 lying down. Papa Bear and I tied off all the umbilical cord with dental floss and dipped them in betadine and took them back out to Miss Piggy.
I had just made it into the house longing for a hot shower and a nap when Papa Bear called to tell me our doe Brownie had lost her mucus plug. Brownie is not due to kid until March 18th. Everything I have read on premature kids is they very seldom survive and if they do have health issues for life. I put my jacket and gloves back on and found Brownie with no other signs of impending birth other than a little mucus stringing. I had read that a doe can loose her mucus plug several weeks before giving birth but ours never had before.
I finally got my shower and had a good nights sleep. When I went out to unlock the gate this morning around 5am I could not stand the torture of not knowing if I had piglets still living. I took a quick peek and they were piled up asleep next to Mama. I could not count them. Hopefull when I go feed in a few minutes I will find them all there safe.