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Difficulties during birth
Although there are normally very few complications at birth it is advisable that someone be present. If the whole process of delivery takes longer than 8 to 12 hours then there is something wrong. The birth membrane may suffocate the piglet if they are not taken out. This may happen in particular to the last piglets.
Crushing of piglets Sows do not pay much attention to their offspring until they are all born. Piglets that waste no time in searching for milk may easily be crushed if the sow lies down again in the course of the farrowing. A sow will not always accept human company whilst she is farrowing. Remain at a discreet distance and be ready to intervene if it appears really necessary.
Slow Delivery
If the sow seems to be taking a long time before the birth of the first piglet it usually means that the piglet is stuck in the birth canal and may have to be helped out by hand. For this the utmost hygiene is essential.
The sow’s rear end should be thoroughly cleaned and even disinfected.
The hands of the person helping the piglet to come out should also be cleaned and disinfected. The helping person should then put a lot of vegetable cooking oil or Vaseline on the hand and the vagina to make both the hand and the vagina slippery. Do not use soap.
The prepared hand should then be worked slowly into the vagina with a forward and sideways turning or gentle rotating movement.
Simply by doing this it is possible that the sow will start her contractions and push the piglet out.
In some cases it can be relevant to give the sow Oxytocin (2 cc and not more). Depending on how experienced a farmer is, a veterinarian should be called to judge the relevance of this, or any other action. The situation should be carefully evaluated, and manual exploration of the vagina and uterus (someone with a small hand) has to be done before anything else. The piglets can in some cases be released manually, preferably by someone with a small and clean hand, and using cooking oil or Vaseline. A caesarian operation can be necessary, if there is a veterinarian with the right equipment quite close by. If there is no veterinarian who can be called easily and quickly, the sow will have to be slaughtered. It is very important to try to prepare for any problems which are expected before this happen.
Weak piglets
Some piglets may be born with weak breathing or may even appear dead. Piglets that have difficulty in breathing can be helped by holding their hind legs up in the air. By pressing their chest in and out their breathing can be stimulated. Pouring a little cold water over the head and chest can help, but the piglet should be dried off immediately afterwards. If many piglets are weak at birth, there might be something wrong with the sow, or the herd, and all practices including the feeding, vitamins and minerals should be examined.
Piglets born prematurely
Piglets that are born premature (at 110 days or earlier) have parchment-like skin, which is often very red with no hair or only very short bristles. They may have badly shaped claws, screwed up eyes and difficulty in breathing. They wander around the pen trying to find the udder. They should be helped to find a teat and suckle during a longer period. There is a great risk that they will not survive.
Accidental killing of the piglets by the sow
It is quite normal for sows to eat the afterbirth and any still-born piglets. Some people claim that it is by eating the afterbirth that the mother is encouraged to start on her piglets too. Some sows, especially young gilts, can be aggressive towards their litters. The reason for this is not clear. During farrowing, an inexperienced mother may become frightened by the new-born piglets. She may try to avoid them and start biting. One way of avoiding violent mothers is to choose or select young breeding gilts whose mother and grandmother weaned all their piglets every time they gave birth.
Protecting piglets from being killed by their mother
If the piglets are in danger of being killed by their mother they should be put in a box or covered creep area and kept warm (possibly with a heating lamp). A clean cloth or litter should be put in the box or on the floor to make the piglets comfortable. The mother will usually quieten down. Some veterinarians may advice to inject a tranquillizer (or sedative) such as ‘Stresnil’ (2 mg/kg) to make her calm down. In an organic farm, it may be advisable to try and calm her down in non-medical ways, and this is often possible.
The sow becomes ill after farrowing
The most common problems affecting sows after farrowing are inflammation of the uterus (metritis) or of the udder (mastitis). The sow appears dazed, refuses to get up and to eat, and is feverish. The main causes of these problems are lack of proper hygiene and care of the sow and the pen, before, during and after farrowing. Like with most diseases, these are also result of failures in the health management, which allows disease causing organisms to enter the uterus or udder. Constipation and uterine prolapse are also some of conditions that may arise. Treatment and prevention of these conditions are discussed under common pig diseases.