A Sick Pig!!!

I picked up five free bales of straw after church today!  Woo hoo!  A Facebook find.  That's about $30 in free savings at Lowe's prices!!!

Dad and I headed out to the farmstead today in the late afternoon after church, and I was THRILLED to find that all of the pigs (but one) were out in the south pasture lot rooting!  And they were half-snout deep in the mud!!!  It basically looked like someone had tilled up the land!  This is so crazy.

It was another cold day, although sunny.  It's so good/fun to see the pigs out.

But that one pig that wasn't outside wasn't looking so hot.  And that reminded me of the single pig yesterday that wasn't eating when all of the others were eating.  Hmm, I would imagine this is the same one.  He is not hanging around the others.  I found him in the barn while the other 14 were outside rooting.

All 14 were over here rooting when we pulled up this afternoon.  I wish I had got a picture of all of them together.  It is such a neat feat to behold.

The ground all rooted up!  I don't know what they are eating in there, but they LOVE it.

Just like using a tiller.  It's amazing!

Finally, the little guy worked up the strength to slowly creep outside, but it was very, very apparent that this guy is sick.  He just stood there outside, wanting to eat, trying to eat, but not eating.  He looked very, very sickly.  Dad said we needed to quarantine him off from the rest of the herd.  This was definitely not on my list of things to do today, but you have to do it!

So we sequestered the sick pig in stall two with two fence panels and a few bales of hay.  This guy is so weak he barely moves.  He doesn't get too riled up when handled.  He just looks awful.  But what is it?!  Worms?  Something else?

A few of the pigs have been coughing...so much so that I wondered if I didn't get "sale barn pigs"...or pigs that are sick and the farmer wants to get rid of.  I'm not accusing him of that yet...but it makes you wonder!!!  But it was also VERY cold the day I picked them up, and they had a breezy ride home.  So it could also be that.

And they are being introduced to a new environment...with new parasites.  So it could also be that.

It could be anything.  But it kills me to not know what is wrong with the little fella...because I'm just not sure how to best treat him.

But one of the neat parts of today was teaching the pigs about the automatic feeder.  I had assumed that they would figure it out, and I saw some root marks around the feeder, so I assumed the pigs were out there using it.  Well, I think I was wrong!  Because as I lifted the lid for a pig to eat, he just wouldn't stop eating.  When it would close, he couldn't figure out how to lift it again.  Others would come by, and they couldn't figure out how to lift them either.  So I would lift them for them, and then they would all fight over the same holes!  Silly pigs.

Well, one by one, I would teach the pigs where the food was under the lid.  And they were hooked!  They definitely hadn't known this before.  They probably smelled the food but didn't know how to lift the lids.  But as soon as they learned, all heads were down.  It was so comical, though, that the pigs would all fight over the same holes.  And they would just squeal as another would jump on them to try to get in!  Finally when each had its own feeding hole, the whole herd was quiet.  But it's satisfying to see the feeder doing what it's supposed to do!!!  Now I just need the pigs to use the feed sparingly and eat those natural worms and grass!!!  Save me some money.  :)

Once they figured out how the lids worked, all pork butts were raised high, noses low!

They would close lids, then rotate around.  But they always ended up back with their head in the feed.

Notice the little runt!!!  She could almost fit her whole body in!  The smallest next to the biggest.

Some walking, some eating grass, others rooting, others with their heads in the feeder.  Happy pigs!

The little runt on the left, her siblings on the right.

After Dad and I got side-tracked with the unexpected sick pig, we headed for my house to see if we could load up my chicken coop.  I had originally planned on grabbing a trailer, but with the probably two-hour setback, we just decided to head to the house and see what we could figure out.

Well, that proved to be our downfall.  My truck bed is WAY too high for the coop, and it's unbelievably heavy.  I would imagine 700-1000 pounds?!  You just can't budge it.  We sure tried hard with a jack, some ramps, and various other thoughts, but the reality was that we weren't going to be able to move it today without a trailer.

Agh!!!  I have realtor pictures tomorrow!  I REALLY need this done to clean up the yard!!!

Well, I knew I would need a trailer, so I headed back out towards the farmstead and checked on the little sick pig.  I bought some de-worming pellets at Tractor Supply Company first to try and stop some of those pig coughs.  Dad thinks it's worms.  I then stopped by Mom and Dad's real quick to grab a piece of bread to put the medicine in for the sick pig.

But after checking him out again tonight, I'm just not so sure he is going to make it.  He is in sorry shape.  I have relegated myself to losing him.  I did some research on diseases, and it appears that he has the symptoms of pneumonia.  Lethargic, won't eat or drink, rapid breathing (called "thumping" I learned today).  Dad and I watched his entire body heave in and out this afternoon.  It looks so painful.  It's so sad!!!

I tried to feed him the bread, but he wouldn't eat it.  I tried with the medicine pellets, and he tried to eat one, but I can't tell if he got it down.  The outlook is bleak.  He is just a sad, very sick pig.

The sick pig.  He is sooooooo weak he barely moves.

We gave him his own small pen with his own food and water.

I covered him up in straw for warmth and bid him a good night.  I have prepped myself to see a dead pig tomorrow.

With no friends to keep him warm, I covered him in straw.  He didn't move.

Good night, pig.  I DO hope you make a recovery.  We're pulling for ya!!!

I did feed the other pigs in their inside trough, though, and mixed in the de-wormer pellets in with their food.  I don't know if any have it, or if all have it, but it's a good idea to put them on a de-worming schedule.  I'm just trying to get rid of that cough in a few of them!

I love that the little runt gets right in there with the rest of them.  She does not back down.

One little pig bum amongst the big ones!  The runt shoves her way in.

I then grabbed a trailer from a friend and headed home where I worked over an hour trying to get my chicken coop out of my backyard.  I FOUGHT that thing in the dark, trying to drag it through my very soggy yard.  My truck tires would just spin.  I finally gave up at 9:35 P.M.

Ugh.  A very demoralizing day.  A sick pig and a coop that not only won't budge but is creating quite the frustrations.