Post by copperkid3 on Feb 26, 2016 6:55:29 GMT
Went out to check on everyone this afternoon after the big snow storm of the previous 36 hours and was doing the watering
prior to re-feeding the fowl, when I thought I heard that faint, far-away cry of a new born. Quickly checking the herd that was
approaching me, I noticed that one was absent and looked around for her face....which I noticed staring at me from the former
pig shelter.....about the same time I heard that cry again, which confirmed what I'd been noticing for the last few weeks.....
Lil Bit was due and had apparently had enough sense to get herself into a shelter to give birth. The last one she had, was
lost in a snow storm a couple years ago....she's always been the runt of the herd and beaten down upon by the other girls
and never got pregnant and I'd planned on culling her ages ago, as I figured she was barren, but then she up & surprised me
that she could get pg, but wasn't much cut out for being a mother. I was determined to try and at least change that with
this one's birth....if it was possible. Went down to the shelter and although I'd cleaned out the front area early this fall, to
a depth that was nearly a foot of dried down manure & straw bedding, was unable to get to the back half and hence it wasn't
easy to bend this tired, old frame in half and squat and get in to where the kid was in the back. Couldn't have been more than
15-30 minutes old; still wet and dirty, but hauled him out *(yep, another boy) and began stumbling up the pathway to the barn,
while he bawled. About 2/3rds of the way up, I turned half-way around, fully expecting Lil Bit to be bringing up the rear, but oh no,
she decided that the pig shed was the place for her and cared nothing for the pitiful cries of her offspring. I placed him into the
guinea coop/hen house and then sent the dog to try and 'encourage' the wayward mom to come on up and join us. Nothing doing....
he tried, but she wasn't about to budge, so we had to tag-team her and when he got her far enough out & close to the entrance,
I snagged her horns and literally dragged her back up the hillside about 150 feet and with a LOT of persistant prodding and pushing,
managed to get her into the area near her son, but she wouldn't even look at him. Feared that I'd probably either have to make him
a bottle baby, or that he'd be dead before I came to that decision, I gave her a firm warning to shape up and feed the kid or else....
and then left them together for an hour to see if she actually would. He seemed to be still alert and crying, but I certainly couldn't tell whether
she'd fed him or not, as well as his being very wobbly on his feet; particularly his front knees which made him appear like a first time ice skater with weak ankles.
Decided to give it a bit more time & came back about an hour & a half later and he appeared to have been cleaned up a bit and this time I stayed around longer
and made sure that she stood up and that he got a few shorts swigs from the teats of life itself. Just went back before going to bed and got them both up and
kept Lil Bit's attention focused on a scoop of grain, while the kid got ahold of BOTH sides back there. Hopefully with the light being on all night, he'll manage to
let her know and she'll respond and keep him filled up and alive. Time will tell. I worked like a dog for over an hour, trying to trace down where the extension cord
had come apart....buried in the snow, but after finding it & replugging together; still nothing. Turned out that the bulb was bad. But at least now we have light down there again.
prior to re-feeding the fowl, when I thought I heard that faint, far-away cry of a new born. Quickly checking the herd that was
approaching me, I noticed that one was absent and looked around for her face....which I noticed staring at me from the former
pig shelter.....about the same time I heard that cry again, which confirmed what I'd been noticing for the last few weeks.....
Lil Bit was due and had apparently had enough sense to get herself into a shelter to give birth. The last one she had, was
lost in a snow storm a couple years ago....she's always been the runt of the herd and beaten down upon by the other girls
and never got pregnant and I'd planned on culling her ages ago, as I figured she was barren, but then she up & surprised me
that she could get pg, but wasn't much cut out for being a mother. I was determined to try and at least change that with
this one's birth....if it was possible. Went down to the shelter and although I'd cleaned out the front area early this fall, to
a depth that was nearly a foot of dried down manure & straw bedding, was unable to get to the back half and hence it wasn't
easy to bend this tired, old frame in half and squat and get in to where the kid was in the back. Couldn't have been more than
15-30 minutes old; still wet and dirty, but hauled him out *(yep, another boy) and began stumbling up the pathway to the barn,
while he bawled. About 2/3rds of the way up, I turned half-way around, fully expecting Lil Bit to be bringing up the rear, but oh no,
she decided that the pig shed was the place for her and cared nothing for the pitiful cries of her offspring. I placed him into the
guinea coop/hen house and then sent the dog to try and 'encourage' the wayward mom to come on up and join us. Nothing doing....
he tried, but she wasn't about to budge, so we had to tag-team her and when he got her far enough out & close to the entrance,
I snagged her horns and literally dragged her back up the hillside about 150 feet and with a LOT of persistant prodding and pushing,
managed to get her into the area near her son, but she wouldn't even look at him. Feared that I'd probably either have to make him
a bottle baby, or that he'd be dead before I came to that decision, I gave her a firm warning to shape up and feed the kid or else....
and then left them together for an hour to see if she actually would. He seemed to be still alert and crying, but I certainly couldn't tell whether
she'd fed him or not, as well as his being very wobbly on his feet; particularly his front knees which made him appear like a first time ice skater with weak ankles.
Decided to give it a bit more time & came back about an hour & a half later and he appeared to have been cleaned up a bit and this time I stayed around longer
and made sure that she stood up and that he got a few shorts swigs from the teats of life itself. Just went back before going to bed and got them both up and
kept Lil Bit's attention focused on a scoop of grain, while the kid got ahold of BOTH sides back there. Hopefully with the light being on all night, he'll manage to
let her know and she'll respond and keep him filled up and alive. Time will tell. I worked like a dog for over an hour, trying to trace down where the extension cord
had come apart....buried in the snow, but after finding it & replugging together; still nothing. Turned out that the bulb was bad. But at least now we have light down there again.