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West Central Iowa | I farrow about 30 sows here and do everything myself.....because I have to. There are many times during farrowing that you walk by and that runt pig is on its side and you know it's hours are numbered. Many might question "How do you really know? If given a chance it might make it." In a perfect world that is the warm and fuzzy optimistic view, but but in reality I am 99.9% sure when I know that runt isn't going to make it. Sometimes I don't feel like euthanizing the piglet in the manner you described (even though it is an approved method according to approved animal husbandry practices) and figure I will dispose of it in the morning. Often timed after I get in for the night I feel more guilty about not euthanizing it as I know it is unnecessarily suffering per my decision.
Just had a situation yesterday where a sow had stepped on a piglet less than 6 hours old, tore open its belly, and its insides were no longer inside. The pigs destiny was set and I had the option to humanely remove it from it's misery or let it die a slow and painful death. I chose the prior. Sometimes it seems hard to carry out an act that seems contradictory to our nurturing characteristics, but it's really not about us or our feelings, it's about doing what is best for the animal(s) we are responsible for. | |
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Pig/Piglet "Bouncing"
