Oi Delilah, where’s those piglets?
2 09 2007
Delilah is now more than a fortnight past her earliest due date and, while she’s truly vast with her milk in, she still appears to have no intention of farrowing just yet. Delilah posed beautifully for the camera today as she waited patiently for her fresh bed to be made up in the farrowing pen.
Making up a new bed for Delilah is one of the big weekly jobs as it involves moving her into a freshly cleaned, empty pen; mucking out the farrowing pen; washing the pen and rinsing it; disinfecting it and rinsing it; drying it with a squeegee and then putting down straw for bedding plus woodshavings in the dunging and eating areas.
We had to bring Delilah into the byre as she’d grown too wide to fit through the door of the farrowing ark. It’s been wide enough before but Delilah is absolutely huge this time around. And with a high chance of a very large litter it’s better that she’s inside with a heat source and good lighting anyway. Now, we wait!
ok Delilah, birthing centre is ready, now push those piglets out…….
She’s looking very comfortable - how many piglets do you think she will deliver ?
She delivered 12 live piglets from a litter of 14 last time and she wasn’t this big. So, either a bigger litter or bigger piglets this time around.
I took a photo of Doris, a sibling to Delilah, when she had her litter of 10 from 10 this year. At four days to go, Doris was nowhere near as big as Delilah is this time.
All the comforts of home Delilah, now get on and deliver the goods.
where are the veggies this time???
She looks quite comfortable with her load tho - and what a beautiful bed and accomodation she has! Made me feel quite tired…..
Fingers crossed for a safe and plentiful farrowing!
She’s beautiful! Good luck!!
She’s not eaten her dinner tonight and is frantically busy re-arranging her nest. Here’s hoping tonight’s the night!