Overdue expectant mums

[HappyHippy]

Hi guys

Okay, I have a quandry and need some advice
I have 3 kunekunes who (I'm fairly certain, but more on that in a mo) are in pig (one sow and 2 gilts) by my reckoning they were due on 26th of May - that's 120 days since we took the boar out of the field and put him in his colditz style pen with someone else's gilt (we had to - he was trashing fences to get to our Tamworth who was also in season ) We had assumed he was infertile and didn't see service or any signs of service, but we heard from a man who'd borrowed him to use on his 2 gilts to say they'd farrowed, so he was fertile after all !
Now, all 3 girls have bagged up, we're even getting small drops of colostrum but not proper spurting milk, as we have had from our sow in the past (normally 24 hours pre-farrowing) but now.......6 days past when I thought the last possible date was (assuming 120 days), there's still nothing

Has anyone experienced a longer gestation period than normal in kunekunes ?
Has anyone had gilts or sows who have had 'false' pergnancies ?

I'm not the most patient of people at the best of times and this is driving me nuts And I'm hoping by posting this it'll work a bit like when you loose your purse, cancel your cards then it turns up

Can anybody offer any words of wisdom ?
Karen x

[Di]

I always work on the 3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days and then assume it could be up to 10 days over possibly. So give it a bit longer. Signs of milk would seem positive I have had sows go over by more than 7 days and everything has been fine.

Let us know how you get on.

[truella]

I did have a kune that was producing milk for about 2 weeks when I sqeezed her teats, even occassionally naturally 'leaking' before she eventually farrowed - all the piglets were fine & healthy.
I have also had a kune sow milk up without ever producing a litter & managed to feed some of my orphaned piglets until the got to weaning age. As soon as the piglets were taken away, her milk dried.
I don't know how helpful this is for you but I have experianced both the situations you talk about.

[The Rushbury Pig]

Hi there,

I don't wish to cast doubt on your dates but I would be very surprised if all 3 of your gilts/sows would go over by this amount so, personally, if it were me, I would be re - checking my dates to see if it were possible I'd got them wrong.

The normal gestation for all pigs is 115 days with a range of 5 days on each side as normal. Variations that are greater than this do happen and pose no problems but frequently arise because the conception dates were not accurate. You are definitely looking for squirting milk to show farrowing is imminent you're right.

What I find most peculiar, I have to say, is that it's all 3 so I come back to the possibility your dates are wrong, is that at all possible??!!

I know Simon and Wendy have experience of other pregnancies where there has been a possible re-absortion so maybe they can add to this?

You may already have piglets by now.........hope so, do let us know what happens

[The Rushbury Pig]

Really interested to know if you have had some litters of piglets!

Hope all is well if you have, I've had my fingers crossed for you!

[HappyHippy]

Sorry I've not been back before now !
I did have my dates wrong
My little sow farrowed on 13th July, producing 15 piglets (worth waiting for !)
but there's no sign of either of the younger ones (her daughters) farrowing
Neither of them look to be coming into season, there was definately colostrum but the date the boar was taken out (to go and serve other pigs, who've since farrowed) has passed so I am well and truely confused. My vets, and other vets I've asked don't have the doppler scanner to come and listen to their uterine sounds and the sheep scanners I've asked about it say they're not experienced with pigs and won't do it - until I can save up for a doppler (about £350) I'll have no way of knowing for sure if they are or aren't - though I just can't see that they are still pregnant this time.
I think they might have been pregnant and perhaps aborted and reabsorbed - but there's been no changes in their routine or environment, no illness or anything that would explain it. I know the boar is working, so can rule him out.
Much as it pains me (cos I'm one of those folk who need to know all the why's and what if's) I'm going to have to chalk it down to experience/one of those things that 'just happens'.
Because of our dreadful 'summer' weather I've got them all in the shed at the moment (seperate from the boar) I'm going to give them another couple of weeks then put them all out together and watch what happens. I'll report back
Karen x

[The Rushbury Pig]

Wow, 15 piglets, definitely worth waiting for, Phew

It is a bit strange the other 2 not farrowing but this breeding business is never 100% straightforward is it

Love to know how you get on with these 2 girls in the future