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Video clip of the birth of a pigletWe posted a video clip of a sow giving birth to one of 16 piglets! If you are interested in viewing it, you may go here http://www.lighthousefarm.com/video/piglets.movAbout 5 weeks ago, the sow in the video gave birth to 16 piglets one evening at 10 below temp's. For those of you who don't know, 16 piglets is phenomenal. As a matter of fact, that's a first on this farm, ever. Sows usually average around 8-12 per litter. I will add that the runt died due to his mother laying on him. This is not unusual. But to have 15 piglets and to have that many survive, brings us to our knees in humble gratitude. They are all doing very well at 5 weeks of age now. They continue to nurse from their mother and are now eating along with her. I grew red mangle beets this summer specifically for the animals and throw one in to them now and then. They love them. I left the dirt on the beets which they consume very quickly. Confinement piglets need iron supplements shortly after birth. We just give our pigs soil which contains iron naturally. Piglets are fascinating to watch. Unlike many other farm babies, their mother does not lick them clean after they are born. As a matter of fact, the sows never lick their offspring at all. The piglets know to go to the sow's udder and they know where to find nourishment and warmth. Within days of their birth, they begin rooting with their tiny disk-shaped snouts. They also quickly learn to get out of the way when big mamma comes along or they will get stepped on. If they are suddenly startled, they bark very much like a dog and scatter to hide and stand very still. Did you know that birds are not the only ones who build a nest for their young? Pigs also build nests to give birth in. They also build nests to keep their young warm. If they are outside, they will dig a deep pit (2 feet deep) in the ground which blocks wind. If they are inside, we provide hay, which they will pick up with their mouths and make elaborate nests - sometimes with edges 2-3 feet high. The piglets learn very quickly to bury themselves in the hay to keep warm. We do not confine our hogs like the hog industry does. We do not put the sows in tiny crates which do not alow them to move around, where they are forced to stay in one place with room only to lie down. Nor do we confine our hogs in buildings in tiny small spaces on concrete. We do not give them the hormone which is given to pretty much all confinement hogs which makes them lean. We believe in working with the way God created animals to be instead of working against His design. We believe this contributes to healthier animals and healthier people. We believe God made pigs fat for a reason and do not work against His design in that way by feeding them the "lean" hormone. We render the lard and use that for cooking much the way all of our country did prior to the industrial revolution. Enjoy the clip! The Farmer's Wife (Lisa) www.lighthousefarm.com 08:21 - 2007-Feb-23 - post comment
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Description Sharing our thoughts, events, ups and downs, as we restore a once profitable farm to its former greatness as a Christian agrarian family. Home User Profile Archives Friends Lighthouse Farm Our DVD's for homesteader's Homestead Series e-books Lighthouse Farm Podcasts No NAIS Recent Entries - Pig-headed or chicken-hearted???? - Health care - the way it used to be - The Egg Hog - Back in blogdom after chasing sheep - Ode to Winter 2007 - Chicken and Hog DVD's are now finished!! - Video clip of the birth of a piglet - News about Haitian friends!!!!! - Authentic AgricultureTM - Welcome! - A Peaceful Night in the Pasture - Big Sale at The Old Schoolhouse!! - Rendering Lard - Hog Butchering Time - John Ray - Founder of Biology - A Breath-taking Field Trip - Fat and Sassy - Real Men Eat Quiche - Green Tomato Recipes - Harvest - Two Cents Worth on Pinching Pennies... - Cockle burrs and stinging nettle a blessing? - Gourmet Meals At The Farm Table - Seeds Worth Saving - Sweet cartoon - Commercial rice supply has been contaminated - Spermicidal Corn - Agricultural Science Fiction Horror Flick or Truth? - SImple Entertainment - "Gardening is like a treasure hunt!" - Pigs don't stink - Diggin' For Gold!! - Rain - a Blessing or a Curse? - My Sheep Know My Voice - er - Chain Saw... - The Old Farm Dog - An Alarming Nightime Visitor - Farming Magazine - A Pig's Nest - Meager chicken harvest - Bacon + Garlic = Piglets? - A Rare July 4th Tribute to Farmers - Fencing in more pasture - Three months on our new place.... - Blood suckers in Minnesota :( - Miss Bacon and Rocky Mountain Oysters - Sheep without a shepherd - Haying with my man! - Mink solutions, anyone? - Goat meets pig... - I Smell a Skunk... - URGENT!! Please forward!!!! - Did Adam Smell Like That? - Minnesota!!!!! - Problem solved - God is good - The Rat Trap and One Happy Girl - New Podcast - Farm Restoration - The Beginning - An Honorable Gentleman Has Died - Why teach our children about agriculture? - Cheap, Safe Food??? - New NAIS links worth reading - Old Tractors Never Die - A Lawyer comments on Constitutional Rights and NAIS - Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks - Big Bellies and Big Bags - Hosting Haitians on the Homestead - Minnesota, Here We Come (after we sell our house) and "the Chip" - And God saw that it was good - Greetings |