Our year old blue butt sow has been on the verge of farrowing her first litter. We expected this litter a good three weeks earlier, and to our disappointment she carried over, meaning that we had our breeding dates wrong. Woah boy! Now it was all guess work.
The sow has been in a foul temper with us because we moved her to a larger cleaner pen, one that we could more easily clean out with a tractor or front loader. We then commenced to run tin around the inside of the pen in attempt to keep the little ones in when they finally got here. Trying to make things better for us and for mama.
Mama of course had other ideas. Where there was no tin on the front gate, the sow would just lay down and mope. Looking out longing through the slats in the pallet at the world outside that would allow her to return to her beloved farrow shed from before.
You almost felt sorry for her. I found myself finding extra little treats to treat to improve her mood. I would spend more time with here during the day when Jacob was at work, rubbing her head, under her chin, or itching her back. Yet, when i left it was the same thing. the same big brown eyes sulking under floppy pink ears.
She has had milk for well over a week and we suspect that she fought off labor twice, but finally today she gave into nature and began her labor by our count at 10 am. She laid in her new shed, with her neatly mounded nest of straw around her, panting like a freight train.
I was so excited that for this litter I would have him here to help me. Given the last litter he left me less than half way through the delivery. Luck jilted me again, as 2 pm passed then three. After that i accepted the fact that it would be all me. Oh joy!
I resolved myself to continuing on with my daily chores, keeping the kids on task with their chores and homework, and trying, in vain mind you, to keep them close to home so that I could mind them and the sow. Eventually I rounded the children up and took them into the house with the exception of my oldest who was still finishing his chores outside. While i was gone I had two false alarms. I was Sure that mama was pushing her babies into the world. WRONG!
It was not until I gave myself more time to try to relax a moment that Skyler came running through the door. "Mom, grab a towel. Mama's got babies!" Finally! I rushed out tot he pen to find mama with three little ones.
I knelt down and rubbed her chin and said, "Ya know mama, If i ever had a labor this long I can't remember. Was it worth it for you?" As if answering me she picked her head up, looking me in the eyes, grunting a few short relieved grunts, then allowed her head to finish delivering her litter.
Nine live all in all. Not bad for a first litter. Yay mama!
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