Ep115: Our biggest pig loss on the homestead ever!

[@lukeboyer4071]

Hearing these storys always gives me chills, im so sorry you had to deal with all this. All people whove raised animals can understand the feeling of what if, but sadly its just the way things go sometimes,only thing that you can do is take a lesson out of loss and carry it with you through your days

[@FrankLutz2]

I’m a newbie. First year with a couple of young gilts coming up. Taking my time. Very thankful for all the folks here on YT sharing the good the bad and the ugly of raising pigs. Heartbreaking episode here; hard lessons learned. Thanks for sharing and best of luck going forward. I’ll keep all this in mind as I start my pig rearing.

[@brianclayton6305]

Sorry for your loss, and thanks for the video, it’s helpful to allow us to learn from all of your experiences, the good and the bad. Your channel has been a huge help in getting my homestead up and running, keep up the great work!

[@elizabethtomczak4279]

Peace be with you and yours. You and your family are cheerful givers helping others by teaching them to be selfless as well as being self reliant. Knowledge is power. Please continue to share with us your experiences as a family, and your heartfelt generosity for homesteading God bless the United States of America !!! Our prayers are with you. Warmly, Tony & Elizabeth

[@maryedmo7798]

Thanks for being real. I'm so sorry that you lost so many pigs. God bless your future endeavors.

[@thomasschmitthomesteadproj6025]

......We are sorry for your loss Troy. We know how hard we all work to keep our animals healthy, but it does happen from time to time. I am still counting on your knowledge in the future for my pigs..Thanks Troy for sharing the bad part also..

[@liznyp6209]

So sorry for the loss of your pig and piglets. Thank you for being real and showing the hard times too.

[@danielschneider1504]

Oh man, what a horrible week. So sorry this happened! I really hope things go back to normal quickly.

[@Blueridgetimbermill]

Sorry to hear about your loss. Hang in there. You are doing great work and things happen we can't explain. God bless y'all

[@seamonsdoug5141]

Dude sorry man, been there done that many many times. Those who have will lose those who don’t surely won’t. Like grandpa also said if you have livestock you’ll have dead stock. I have been raising pigs 23 years. I’m at a 20% death loss. Even though my heart is immune to this, it’s very very hard to cope with. You put a lot of love hope and energy into this, and then to have back to back negative results. Like we say at the shows we go to. You never lose you either win or you learn, but never lose. Good luck man.

[@Theorimlig]

Do you know why you have such a high death loss? What are the pigs dying of?

[@seamonsdoug5141]

Yeah mostly crushing, I usually have 12-14 so losing 2 I feel comfortable with that. I budget on 8 saleable babies

[@cowboythomas5904]

I think our worst year was 15% but on average it's about 7%. We only have about 100 but I'm a third generation farmer so luckily some old wisdom was passed down. Hope you get those numbers down sucks losing piglets. Also do you keep them in pens or pastures? I've noticed people using pastures tend to lose more

[@starmountainvalleyhomestea938]

So sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing your sad and very difficult story.

[@lisakukla459]

My gosh, this must have been so difficult to experience. I'm so sorry, Troy and Kelly. You guys are really smart so I'm eager to continue on and see how you decided to proceed.

[@RedToolHouse]

Thanks, Lisa. Things seem to be improving with the pigs.

[@Nightowl5454]

@@RedToolHouse do you have 1 or 2 litters each year per pig?

[@hoffmansforhim7365]

So sorry for your loss. Sad. But thank you for sharing this and being real about the reality of homesteading. We had some big issues with our pig farrowing a couple months ago and we are newbies at this, so hearing that seasoned homesteaders have losses like this gives us hope. Thanks

[@MrLaftis]

wondering, if it is good to keep watch the pig through the labor to remove the babies from the mother so they don't get crush?

[@cowboythomas5904]

Yeah he's clearly not the best person to get advice from when it comes to pigs. There's a reason big pig farms have pigs in pens not 10 acre pastures. If you know when your piglets are due put her in a separate small pen two weeks before so she gets comfortable and once they go into labor you watch them the 13 piglets were all his fault off the first pig but when he saw the other one having a hard time he should have took the piglets away from her.

[@Jake-ji1or]

​@@cowboythomas5904 False information. Have seen pigs farrowing on pasture with good success.

[@cowboythomas5904]

@@Jake-ji1or So have I but I've seen much higher success in pens in the first weeks.

[@Jake-ji1or]

@@cowboythomas5904 Fair enough. Maybe I'll change my mind if I experience the loss.

[@mi.sheila7456]

So very sorry for your sad losses, my heart goes out to the two of you and your family.

[@robertsteinbrecher5269]

Sorry for your loss. Losses like this are always hard. Keep looking up.

[@butterflyforlife3432]

Thank you so much for sharing this video. Very sad news, and I am sorry for your loss. I have learned a lot from your videos, and they have helped me with my own pigs. You have helped me to make decisions of how to handle different issues that have come up raising them. I am new to this. Thank you, again, for showing the ups AND the downs. That takes guts to put yourself out there during the tough times. Please continue on going strong and teaching all of us.

[@bevlower6793]

Thank you for sharing this. I don't know about you, but i learn more from failures many times, than i do from successes.

[@jasonmadairy2280]

Wow I’m so sorry for the loss of such amazing animals. I watch your videos all the time. I am in Maryland and have been looking to move in eastern WV for the past 6 months. Prices are getting way out of control atm. You guys are doing a great job and I really appreciate all that you share with us. Ups and downs. That’s what makes a great person. Being able to be humble enough to share when things are hard . Great video even with the unfortunate content. Thanks to you and your awesome wife ! !

[@robertveronda4225]

Wow, that is a nightmare. Sorry you had to go through this, definitely not the prettiest side of homesteading. Thanks for the update and stay positive.

[@pmessinger]

I"m sharing your pain and disappointment, but I know that it barely hints at what you've gone through. Keep the hope and faith that brought you this far and know that you have still succeeded in so much else, including the interest and care of those of us who are now with you in holding on to the determination to feed our hopes for the future and faith that more of the best will come. Keep going. The sun shines again.

[@SunfireWoods]

Troy and Kelly, I am so very sorry for your losses. Before I even pushed the play button I had a feeling Mercy had farrowed and died. Not quite accurate but still equally devastating to lose nearly everything. You have my sympathy and prayers that there will be a silver lining. It may not show itself this year, but your quote from Will Rogers is very apropos. You have a litter on the ground to choose from to re-start next year so it won't exactly be starting with nothing. I wish you well and I will be praying for your family thru this challenging time. I want to add, I appreciate you for sharing this with your youtube community. I watch your channel to learn from you. I don't have my homestead yet, but I'll be ready because of what I've learned, in part, from you. Thank you.

[@lindagrasse]

all animals - even humans the most dangerous animal of all - have a mortality rate for giving birth - it's dangerous & they need extra care & attention when they are struggling like that - I know I couldn't make it as a farmer - maybe he will be more diligent next time

[@betty8173]

Sad for your loss, glad for the sweet piglets you have, glad you have a heart to share them, may God bless your efforts.

[@h20dad1]

My heart is heavy for you guys right now, but knowing the optimists you are, I'm sure you will prosper. I went through something similar with a litter of Golden Retrievers. Momma dug a hole under a tree and nested. I could not find her for 2 days and when I did, she was trapped in the roots. By the time I dug her out and cut the roots, she had 13 pups but only 2 were alive. How they survived in the rain and cold is beyond me. When I pulled her out, she couldn't stand or walk for over an hour. and was laying on top of 11 of them. It was very sad and heart breaking but that didn't stop me from having more litters. God speed to you and your family.

[@robertmalis4493]

Hey Troy sorry to hear about all the loss of the piglets and the sow our first experience was quite miserable we had 18 piglets and we ended up with only four piglets so I get it our second go around farrowing we only lost three God bless you Troy and your family I love watching your videos and my wife does well

[@homesteadwannabee4253]

Took a day to watch this. I'm sorry for your loss. Tomorrow is a new day, to put you boots back on and get back to it. Blessings ~

[@homesteadblessings8886]

Sorry you are going through a hard time. God is with you and will see you through this

[@adamgipson6151]

So sorry for your loss. It's very disheartening to raise livestock and have any of them to die. Prayers for you and your family.

[@PudgyPastures]

Sorry to hear that. I think people need to realize that raising animals on a homestead is not always sunshine and roses. Animals will pass, fences will break, and other things will happen. Thanks for sharing Troy and hang in there!

[@waltobringer2928]

I'm sorry about your hard time. I suppose you have to take the bad with the good. Every time I watch your videos I learn something. This video was no exception. Things will get better. You have a good mind and a strong spirit. Thank you for everything you do. The friend you didn't know you had, Walt

[@updownandallaround]

Thanks for making the video and sharing the loss thereof... A reminder that life isn’t all wine and roses. Truly enjoy your videos, and on other days, your humor. All the best.

[@RedToolHouse]

Thanks! Some days makes me want to spend more time in the wine department!

[@EternalLifeNews]

I've had days like this with pigs. It's discouraging! You invest so much time and money in them. You try to do everything right and one little step missed does so much damage. That's farming. I haven't had a sow for a few years now. I got a nice young guilt that I'm considering raising for pigs. This video reminds me of my troubles of sow farrowing. Thanks for sharing.

[@TheMathMax]

man that sucks but your a good farmer. you learned we learned. thanks for sharing your story

[@RedToolHouse]

Thanks!

[@richardriehle4159]

we (farmers) have all gone through this one way or another . sorry for your tribulations.

[@lindagrasse]

I'm not a farmer but I have had babies & this video just upset me that he would let those pigs suffer like that & the vet is never called? He seems to genuinely care about his animals but surely he could have done a better job with these ones especially when the animals suffered like that?

[@patricklucia7926]

Sorry for your loss

[@hollandspinehaven2634]

So sorry your going through this.. sad sad news...

[@lkhfun6575]

So sorry to hear that. Your evaluations seem appropriate. You can take blame like captain of the ship but there are factor that you have to look at as you go forward. Sounds like you had one of those imperfect storms. The loss after you got the first mama back to the barn is just crazy. I hope you will share more about this so we can learn with you.

[@nkyhomesteading6500]

Wow, that's rough. Sorry to hear.

[@dennisst.germaine3497]

So sorry for your loss and tragic learning experience. Maybe you should also consider a farrowing barn with escape rails partitions in the nest for the piglets, separate enclosures for each brood, and get them inside and nested earlier next time.

[@Theorimlig]

Yep, that's how to farrow pigs. You can let pigs farrow on pasture if they have good shelters or excellent spots and plenty of materials to build a nest, but not with anything less.

[@HjCrawford]

I'm so so sorry! Been there my friend. It's hard, and my heart breaks for y'all. 😔

[@stephencampbell4145]

That's rough sorry about your tough week

[@jasonmikkelsen8869]

If you raise livestock your gonna also have dead stock it's not always easy but it's just how it is thanks for keeping it real and you will get back on your feet cause that's what farmers do

[@ubetchya78]

Oh wow Troy (Kelly and boys) I am so sorry to hear this! I wish YT had a third option besides the thumb up or down cuz it feels so wrong to give this a 'like'. My deepest condolences. I would not cull Mercy from your breeding program, she did after all give you a HUGE litter of piglets, their loss was due to too many negatives combined (outside, inclement weather, etc), I think next time lock her in the barn a week before farrowing to make sure she has a sheltered nest and you'll be fine. I'm surprised at her reaction to the move, too many stressors piled on her shoulders is the only explanation. The loss of Hoss and most of her litter is devastating but it sounds to me like she wasn't a candidate for brood sow due to unforeseeable internal problems. Sad to say for those remaining piglet's fates but I do not think I'd want to add any of them to a breeding program because those reproductive issues could be genetic, so they're all bound for the plate. It's good that they will be donated so you will be spared the feeding out and harvesting of them. Maybe Merida has some piglets that are quality enough to add to your breeding stock? I like a Duroc x *shire cross hog, so I think your breeding program is doing okay breed choice wise. Hopefully it won't be too hard or expensive to find a breeding quality gilt or two for adding to your stock.

[@Tsiri09]

I'm so sorry. This tragedy happens and there's really nothing that can be done to prevent it. My Grandmother had dairy cows- when one Angus lost her calf, she was aggressive to the point of being lethal- we all stayed out of her way until she calmed down. Thank you for making and posting this video- people need to know things do happen, not all perfect.

[@terrymorrison7263]

Man that's really a bummer all them little pigs and the other ones I've just sad I hate to see your loss but them three little piglets you got it'll grow up

[@RickMartinYouTube]

Very educational....my grandpather was an Iowa farmer with pigs didnt realize he dealt with this kind of thing.....

[@ravenridgehomestead4596]

How heart breaking.. I'm so sorry

[@debrablum1632]

God bless you; you are a good Stewart of the earth. Your animals are cared for

[@RedToolHouse]

Thank you.

[@sergiocantoli5783]

It is a good reminder that being a farmer has up and downs.

[@nuclearthreat545]

sorry for the recent events

[@RBMawby]

Never have had an experience of this kind of loss; I do FEEL your pain. Based on all the info in other videos the financial impact has to be substantial. And, that is without consideration of the time and energy invested to get to the point of loss. Sorry for your loss does not come close;. I FEEL YOUR PAIN!

[@Revilo419]

I know you will come out of this with more how to raise pigs! Sorry for your loss.

[@lukerushton5656]

love your videos keep up the hard work I recently had a 2 litters back to back as well been doing this 5 years or so an I I thought I had it bad 11 in one litter 6 survived she had crushed the rest an the other who only had 6 piglets an they all lived an I felt horrible for weeks I can only think how depressing this could have been I hope things start looking up !

[@RedToolHouse]

Thanks. It is a drag to have that much loss but that is part of farming.

[@robertaplatter6050]

Sad for guys and thank you for sharing!😢

[@cjennmom]

Aww. :( The one rule of thumb I've learned throughout the years - the one time you get too comfortable with breeding/birthing is the time something will go wrong.

[@arvilpollard7026]

Good info even though it's a bad situation. Loss is part of farming. I hate loosing animals, and will do all I can to keep from it. But you can't be with them 24/7 and even if you could bad things still happen. This video may well save alot of animal lives and monetary losses to many others who go into raising animals without really knowing what to expect.

[@larrrymeyers6695]

sorry for your loss.

[@candiwallace6605]

Omg...so sorry for your loss😣😣

[@OverdoneAndUnderpaid]

Wish you the best. I know this must be extremely disheartening.

[@sniperal77]

sorry to hear please contiue your quest

[@slamsshenanigans2296]

Prayers sent, hard week

[@samanthabrown9671]

So sorry

[@thetreestylist6681]

Great video, very educational.. thank you for sharing though we know it was hard

[@dollyperry3020]

I'm so sorry!

[@MrLaftis]

thank you for the information.

[@chjarrettjr]

This is why people go to the trouble of building farrowing houses. Build it on runners so that you can drag it around with your vehicle. Nail a stopper baton the rear of it so the piglets can avoid being rolled onto by mama. Use a white board taller than your knees to fend off an agressive sow. Once they taste your blood they don't stop eating.

[@wvcruffler123]

Howdy fellow West Virginian. We are hobby farmers up in Randolph Co and we too have had the occasional catastrophe from a mink killing 26 of 30 French Maran chickens to 4/4 baby goats dying after a vet student disbudded them. Don’t get me started on the alpaca deaths.... anyway we feel you. Enjoy all your pig videos. I’m sure we are going to mess up at times with pasture pigs too.

[@RedToolHouse]

It makes farming hard but it is part of it. Sorry for your lose to. Thanks for watching!

[@cassityart7001]

Ahh...so sorry. 😕. Are there breeder boards online that discuss this very problem of healthy production longevity? I don’t know anything about pigs. My Grandparents raised pigs and I remember my Grandpa rolling corn on the cob in clay and oak charcoal for the pigs. He said it keeps them healthy. That was in 1973.

[@newtoolgaming559]

best wishes sorry for the loss

[@HarshmanHills]

Sucks for the loss. Learn and work for better results

[@maddawg5374]

Keep your head up buddy! Best Wishes...

[@MichaelLPena]

Really appreciate your honesty and desire to teach. Wonder if you should have been a profesor.

[@arnoldromppai5395]

i know what it is like having calves from daeiry farmers for 37 years and this past winter was the biggest loss i have ever had as each calf turned 4 months old, they never responded to any treatment, yet they would eat well but never get up, the after 2 weeks they die, i had one sent away for tests even and no answers, the loss keept coming,, not this spring i been having someone stealing, 10 month old.. out of the yard at night, i lost many subs due to all the loss, as seemed they blamed me, in spit of month of no sleep and thousands spend on meds, test.. you name it

[@p-m--essing441]

Bottle fed piglets are too cute to boot!! Not gonna be easy sending them to market... 🐷

[@RedToolHouse]

Yeah, I donated them to a Nonprofit after weaning because I knew I couldn't process them.

[@poodledaddles1091]

thanks for sharing the story, bivocational work stinks sometimes.

[@jeanettewaverly2590]

Oh man, that's rough, Troy. I'm so sorry it all happened. Don't get mired down in the "I shoulda done's" -- hindsight is always 20/20. Sounds like the gilt was just not a viable breeder and might well have died under any circumstances. Re: Mercy, I agree with ubetchya78, that you should give her another chance. She sounds like a good breeder that fell prey to some unfortunate circumstances this one time. In any case, thank you for having the courage to do this video. I know it must have been hard, but we subscribers profit from the whole picture, not just the pretty bits.

[@rogerbradley7509]

It’s hard losing animals. We have lost goats, baby goats, chickens, chicks, etc and it never gets any easier!

[@RedToolHouse]

It really doesn't...

[@elizabethyates5933]

How odd! We had three litters around that time that all died. all three sows were acting frantic and not very careful, ended up smashing them or stepping on them to a point where they had to be dispatched, or fell into puddles and inhaled a bunch of water and basically drowned.... A lot of rain that we didn't see in the forecast... A good 20 or so piglets... One sow had one stuck and I had to go in and help it out, another sow ended up with an infection and we thought we'd have to put her down because she couldn't walk. They came around and had big beautiful piglets and the one we thought we'd have to put down had the largest litter she'd ever have of 10. Before the nightmare they'd have smaller litters of very large piglets but would be CRAZY very aggressive and protective- couldn't go closer than 10 or so feet. This go around they're calm, very careful wit hthe babies and don't mind us touching the piglets... It's wild how mother nature works!

[@RedToolHouse]

Sounds like you had a tough go of it like we did. Yes, it is odd how litters can vary from time to time.

[@johnjohnson-sm3yf]

Just found your channel recently, subbed. Sorry for the lose . It happens to all of use in raising animals.

[@RedToolHouse]

Thanks

[@phoebemckenzie5707]

they are so cute so glad they made it

[@RedToolHouse]

They are still going but they haven't grown much. They are stunted for some reason.

[@newt13spacerider7]

sorry for your heartfelt loss! Farms are life & death so life goes on. Instead of retiring your whole line maybe try to keep some since their 1st 2 litters go well try to find a farmer whose line does especially well after the 1st 2 litters. n

[@charlielewis6849]

Sorry bout everything but u can't do anything but keep on keeping on be blessed

[@solarpoweredfarm8813]

This was a good video and I have been there done that but chin up its just hard with sows and farming in general.

[@exoscrewdriver4213]

Sorry to hear that , it just happened to me to mamma pig passed and also her 8 piglets believe she still had piglets inside giving her problems I wasn’t there as well only thing we can do is keep going on, I breed in bulk so I keep the most females as possible and get a different males for next generation!

[@keithclinker4497]

Sorry to hear that. That just stinks. Some depends on what they are used to. A farmer I worked for raised hogs in the woods and just herded up butcher sized pigs a couple times a year, no care at all. Where did you get your sows? I am just mentally going back with several options. I grew up working on a large hog farm and I raised some on my own pasture using old rail road car tops. They were Lacombe pigs. They are a Canadian breed.

[@reneebrown5598]

Get some heritage breeds to breed into your line. They are wonderful mothers and grass eaters that don't always tear the heck out of your land. Mix them with wild boar and you have a pig that nothing will slow down.

[@jamiemckenzie8516]

So sad you must be gutted ! The 3 piglets look good tho !

[@caroldorsett8170]

So sorry. Been there with my cows.

[@GrizzlyGroundswell]

Sorry for your losses but you know what they say, Hogs Happen. I have had a similar farrowing this year, below expectations for sure. I think you need to shit can the AI and put a live boar to work for you. Just like a father has a role in a family, so does a boar. But that being said, life just happens. We are going from a breeding and feeder provider back to a small homestead herd of tops 3 sows and 1 boar. We will raise for our homestead and bring up the remainder for feeders to sell in the Fall. Simplify, Simplify, Simplify is what my herd is telling me here. I am interested in what direction these challenges will take you into. You have a lot of land that I don't here, so I hope you stay the course minus the AI. But that is just my two cents. Not like I have anything figured out here!

[@dataknowledge5973]

very informative ! thx a lot .

[@angelarai1]

awe man im sorry xx

[@cjennmom]

Have you thought about what you'll do if you decide to scrap your current lines and start from scratch? I keep rehashing the potential breeds I want to work with when I finally get my land and this one stood out for me today, a heritage breed called Gloucestershire Old Spot. Here's the blurb: The "Gloucestershire Old Spots" is an English breed of pig which is predominantly white with black spots. It is named after the county of Gloucestershire. The Gloucestershire Old Spots pig is known for its docility, intelligence, and prolificity. Boars reach a mature weight of 600 lbs and sows 500 lbs . The pigs are white with clearly defined black spots. There must be at least one spot on the body to be accepted in the registry. The breed’s maternal skills enable it to raise large litters of piglets on pasture. Its disposition and self‑sufficiency should make it attractive for farmers raising pasture pigs and those who want to add pigs to diversified operations. "Docile", "prolific", "maternal", and "good pasture pig" is what stood out for me while reading up on it.

[@RedToolHouse]

I have considered the GOS. We are looking at all options at this time.

[@tealkerberus748]

It's by talking about the things that go wrong that we all learn from them. Would it work to lock the sows into a small pasture attached to the barn a week before farrowing so that they make their nest where you want them to?

[@davidj.mackinney6568]

Sorry

[@haroldrisner2057]

no .your animals come first they depend on you. learned young sorry it took you so long

[@jbbrown7907]

I always say one litter per sow. Subsiquent litters get crushed.

[@georgewvandoren6626]

Sorry. Keep chin up.

[@bluetickhunter9867]

just curious why you picked duroc and Berkshires... neither one is really known for great maternal instincts. as a homesteader/farmsteader I would've thought more pasture oriented breeds. sticking with more commercial breeds for mothering I use Yorkshire Landrace cross females for maternal side with duroc or hamshire terminal meat quality on male side. just found your channel and have enjoyed your candidness and videos. subscribed and keep up the good fight.

[@RedToolHouse]

I was happy with their production. Starting out with our first season, I had zero loss from both litters. I am considering mixing the breeds up some. Even toyed with heritage breed idea even with the slower growth. Thanks for watching!

[@rosejafari8917]

I had a similar problem. I went out of town Friday and came back Sunday afternoon. My doe looked like she had delivered babies but none to be found. I called my friend that fed them for me but she didn't notice her showing signs of labor. So I decided to see if she would deliver during the night. Next day, no babies but she still had long discharge hanging out. Got my husband to hold her head while I went in and the baby was backward and helped pull it out, Dead. She started pushing but couldn't deliver, so I ended up pulling 3 more out, dead. She finaly passed placentas the next day. I gave her electrolytes and echinacea for antibiotics for several days. She's back to fighting for food. I think she'll live. What a loss for her. I'm not going to milk her and let her dry up.

[@RedToolHouse]

That is an unfortunate part of farming. Those make for hard days. Glad she is recovering!

[@nancyfahey7518]

Sorry for the loss. But you are not God. Just like you can't take credit for last year's success, (you are a steward) you can't be taking blame for this year's loss. Thank you for sharing, its made us all a little bit stronger.

[@seamonsdoug5141]

Have you ever thought of running half the sows and breeding yearly? I breed my sows 2 times a year and get 8-10 litters before they are terminated

[@RedToolHouse]

I just hate to have a large herd on pasture over the winter. They are hard on it when it can't grow.

[@seamonsdoug5141]

Sale the babies off and don’t keep fats through the winter

[@mdw1274]

You need to leave the farm to people who know what they're doing and has the time to learn