For the past few weeks I haven't noticed Lava, the female pig, coming into heat. And Shelly, the boar is leaving her alone. Perhaps I just missed the signs, but I'm getting to think that she might be pregnant. It's really too early to tell for sure, but I'm noticing a few changes.
#1- Her ribs have sprung. That is, she has gotten thicker across the area of her hindmost ribs. This is a change I'm familiar with in dogs. Does it apply to pigs too? We shall soon find out.
#2- Her teats have become most pronounced. She no longer looks like a young little girl.
#3- Her clitoral hood has changed position. When I last checked to see if she was in heat, the pointy thing in the photo below, circled in yellow, was pointing down more. It has definitely shifted upward. If it continues to point more and more upward, then Lava is indeed pregnant.
The gestation period for pigs is 3 months, 3 weeks, plus 3 days. So if she is pregnant, it will still be awhile before she delivers. But knowing how slow I can be on some projects, I had better start getting ready now. Lava needs a proper shelter to deliver her babies in. I'd prefer her to deliver back in the new pig pasture, but since she is comfortable in the front pasture, maybe I'll leave her there and just move Shelly out back.
My sow didn't clitoral hood never did point up when she was pregnant, so farrowing day was a surprise. In fact, I missed the big moment both times! Here's hoping all goes well with Lava.
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting me know. I've never kept a sow until it birthed, so this is a new experience for me. Cone to think of it, I don't think Hammie's clitoral hood shifted all that much either.
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