17 October, 2010
Daisy, one of our Berkshire sows, started farrowing just before 9am today.
She delivered her first live piglet quite rapidly, then half an hour passed before she delivered three dead piglets in quick succession.
All were a good size but appeared to have died of asphyxia, indicating their placentas had separated too soon.
Half an hour after delivering the dead piglets, Daisy delivered three more live piglets. Two within seconds of each other and the third five minutes later.
A further half hour on and what turned out to be the last piglet was delivered.
The afterbirths were delivered an hour later.
Daisy’s litters are never as large as those from our Mermaid sows, but she usually makes it up for the smaller numbers by delivering larger piglets with fewer deaths.
Not this time.
Five live piglets from eight delivered is not the best of litters, especially as we need to sell eight piglets at £60 each from each litter to break even.
It’s not been a good year for piglets, either in numbers or in survival rates, but that’s what happens. Some years are good and some aren’t.
I wonder if this significant loss right at birth has had something to do with the wet summers you have had this year.
No.
What are known as Type II stillbirths are most commonly associated with prolonged farrowing, in piglets late in the birth order, where the birth interval is prolonged. The later piglets separate from from the placenta before being farrowed and asphyxiate. There can also be a genetic predisposition to what’s known as placental insufficiency, leading to perinatal asphyxia. Asphyxia also tends to be more common among piglets that are small, long and thin. If all three factors are present in a sow—placental insufficiency, prolonged farrowing and small piglets—then it’s possible to lose very large numbers of piglets.
However, that’s not to say that all cases of perinatal asphyxia are caused by those factors. Daisy’s previous litters had almost no still births (so no indication of a genetic problem), this farrowing was quite fast (so no delays), the piglets were high in the birth order (usually asphyxiated piglets are farrowed last) and all the piglets were 1.5kg or higher (the other sows usually have at least one below 1kg and average around 1.3kg).
Sometimes, things just go wrong and this looks to be one of those times.
Well done anyway!!
Does the age of the sow play into size of litters or mortality rates? Since I don’t know the age of Daisy – I’m not suggesting that’s the problem – just curious.
Sorry to hear that, Stoney. It’s been a weird year…just about nobody I know in smallholding/crofting/farming – esp here in the UK – has had a decent time of it in 2010. We’ve had a succesion of nightmares but hey-ho, that goes with the territory.
Just have to hold onto the hope for better days ahead….
Sorry to read this. Hope Daisy and her piglets are doing well, and that this doesn’t mean too many horrible things for you financially.