How to Care for Piglets

There are few things cuter than newborn piglets, but they are helpless and weak in the beginning and need you to take care of them, as the sow will just let them fend for themselves. With a little preparation for farrowing, you will be able to raise a healthy litter of piglets.

Things You'll Need

  • Iodine
  • Sharp scissors
  • Alcohol
  • Heat lamps
  • Clean rags
  • Tusk clippers
  • Ear tags or tattoo tool
  • Iron supplement
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Instructions

    • 1
      After the first few days, your sow will be a devoted mother.

      Watch your sow closely a few days before the expected farrow date. When she begins to nest and show agitation, stay by her enclosure. Once farrowing has begun, you may enter her enclosure.

    • 2
      Piglets cannot maintain body heat at birth.

      Dry and rub each piglet as they are born. Unlike most other mammals, sows will not do this. Clip the umbilical cord about 2 inches from the belly with sterilized scissors, re-dipping them in alcohol with each piglet. Dip the end of the umbilical cord into the iodine as you cut it.

    • 3

      Clip the piglet's needle teeth, taking care not to cut below the gumline. This will reduce the risk of injury to the sow and to other piglets.

    • 4
      Piglets, once plugged onto a teat, will grow and thrive.

      Introduce the piglet to the sow's teats. Getting the firstborn to nurse will help the sow finish farrowing.

    • 5
      A first-time sow may eat or crush her own young.

      Place a heat lamp over one area of the pen, preferably a creep feeder where the sow cannot go and the piglets can escape from her ponderous body. Piglets need to have an environmental temperature of 90 degrees Fahrenheit on their first day, gradually reducing every day after.

    • 6

      Administer iron to each piglet after the first three days unless they have access to outside soil. Pigs draw most of their iron from dirt, and will become anemic on mother's milk alone. Iron can be given by injection, orally or as a spray that is applied to the sow's udder. Consult with a veterinarian if you have never administered iron to a piglet before.

    • 7

      Tag, notch or tattoo the ears for identification in the first week. Marking the piglets will allow you to keep better records and genetic stock. Castrate the males at a week old if desired.