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| Waldo and Polly |
It's been a long time since I've done a pig post, over two months. I had hoped to have some good news for you by now, namely that we either had baby pigs or we had baby pigs on the way.
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| Polly. Pregnant? |
The problem is that I've not seen any breeding behavior whatsoever.
According to Walter at Sugar Mountain, a pregnancy is detectable in a sow by the hind end of her female anatomy. If it points up, she is pregnant. If not, then she isn't. What happens as the piglets grow in the womb, the weight pulls the uterus down so that her genitalia is pulled up.
Polly's does not point up, although it not longer points down like it did a week ago. So maybe?
Polly will be one year old at the beginning of June and according to Walter that's an average age for first farrowing. Until then, all we can do is wait.
That clitoral hood position looks like a pregnancy to me. My friend's sow's looked just like that on her first pregnancy with five piglets.
ReplyDeleteSu Ba, thank you! I'd been monitoring it and it has been looking definitely downward until I decided to try and get a photo. I set up a farrowing pen awhile back, but all this being new (and no mating sightings) I've been in a constant wonder. No mating sightings means no way to calculate a due date, which is maddening.
DeleteLeigh,
ReplyDeleteYou just never know, Polly may just surprise you!!!
I can't get over how much bigger they've grown.
Sandy they've really filled out in the last two months, haven't they? They're about full grown now, and I think the perfect size for us.
DeleteThose are two hairy hogs!
ReplyDeleteMichelle, they are American Guinea Hogs and they are so sweet! The breed has no standard so hairy goes. :)
DeleteHere's hoping that Polly is prego :)
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteHere's hoping for a knocked up pig for you! It just had a hen abandon a clutch of eggs, frustrating when things don't go to plan.
ReplyDeleteAw Kev, what a huge disappointment. I know I was disappointed when my broody abandoned her nest, except with no rooster there was no chance of a hatch anyway. Still, I've got 16 chicks I was hoping to graft on! Currently trying to decide on a plan B.
DeleteIsn't it just like Nature to keep us guessing?
ReplyDeleteAnd critters. :)
DeleteHoping you have piglets in the proverbial oven. :) I'd say if the sow isn't cycling into season, then she must be pregnant. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteWell, she hasn't been that I've been aware of, not that I'm anywhere near being a pig expert! So there's hope!
DeletePoor Polly everyone's looking at her butt.......here's hoping she's not shy!!!
ReplyDeleteShe mostly cares about being petted and scratched, and eating. :)
DeleteNever heard about which direction the genitelia was pointing as an indicator. We had an electronic gadget that we pointed at their uterous from the side to tell but that certainly wasn't fool proof either. Has she been in heat recently? Hope she is pregnant. I assume for that breed it is the same gestation of 3 months 3 weeks and 3 days as with most hogs so you should know for sure soon.
ReplyDeleteWas it something like an ultrasound? Yes, Guinea Hogs have that same 114 day gestation, but one has to know when day 1 began!
DeleteI don't know anything about pigs, but I would have to think that there might have been some sort of indication from Waldo that he was trying.
ReplyDeleteI likely missed it. I check on the pigs three or four times a day but they aren't as in sight as the goats are.
DeleteYes it was. It was about the size of a stud finder that you pressed against their side near their uterus and it gave you a green light if they were pregnant. There was a pretty good learning curve to it because you had to have it in the right place at the right angle to get a good response. We didn't use it too often since we did selective breeding so we knew who bred whom and on what days. Mostly it got used during the heat of summer when the boars started shooting blanks and not getting the job done.
DeleteIt was probably very handy to have. I researched ultrasound devices for animals when I researched for writing How To Make A Buck Rag, and learned they are pricey too. They would make sense for certain circumstances.
DeleteI sure do like your pigs. They are not at all like the hogs that come down out of the forest and ravage peoples gardens up here.
ReplyDeleteHarry, I would guess they're nothing like wild boars. American Guinea Hogs are more like dogs! They love attention, to be scratched, and treats. I suppose the biggest difference between them and dogs is that pigs adore their mud. Dogs not so much, LOL
DeleteI'm embarrased for Polly. I want to shut my eyes. Gosh they are hairy pigs.
ReplyDeleteThey are kinda hairy, aren't they? But it's think hair. Even so they often have bed head, which always makes me laugh. :)
DeleteNice to see them again. How exciting if baby pigs are on the way! I do hope so. :)
ReplyDeleteMe too!
DeleteI hope you have a piggy sow there, Leigh!
ReplyDeleteI often think of having pigs again - so useful! - but when I've looked at prices for heritage breeds, which is what I'd like to have, I had to think again. But I had plain ol' York/Hamp crosses in CO and I really enjoyed them!
Quinn, I have to agree about the prices. It seems folks are mostly trying to sell to other breeders rather than to a more common market. Initially i wanted to start out with one or two pigs to raise for meat, just to learn about the process. We ended up getting Waldo and Polly for breeders because it wasn't cost effective to pay so much for meat, I don't regret that, but it was a case of changing our plans to fit our circumstances.
DeleteInteresting! I'm thinking of getting pigs so this information is worth remembering. Good luck with the pregnancy!
ReplyDeleteLinda, hello and welcome! And thank you for the follow. I'm on my way right now to return the blog visit and follow you back. :)
DeleteHoping for piglets in the very near future! :)
ReplyDeleteMe too!!!
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