My 1st litter

I am going to be having my 1st litter coming this may....i dont really wanna hassle with crates & decks but would it be okay if I put her in a fenced corner & let her farrow with straw & mats around it??

You can do what ever you want but crates are designed to protect the litter and maintain a high turnout and they also help for when you handle the little babies for docking and so forth. They are not really necessary though many people dont use it and have no problems at all. Many try without them and then regret it. I have seen many alternatives to them but they all have three main things to take into consideration. They protect the babies, allow them access to feed, and are as sanitary as possible

i pen farrowed my gilt and she did alright. but on the other had lots can go wrong really quick with first time gilts. the pen i had my gilt in had a rail around it about a foot out from the wall. what i have her in now is my horse trailor. i have put a tarp over it o the wind will stay out and i build a box, cut a whole in the top and the baby pigs run in and out of that. i also have a heat lamp on the part with the sow so when the babys come out it isnt all that cool for them. i also made the top of the box to where i can open it up to get the babys out.

i was just lucky to have a gilt like the one i have. i just happen to come home and she already had 4 by herself and did not eat or maul them. she has been a very good mother. even now i go in and mess with her and them, i have gave them shots cliped teth and tonight docked there tails and she stood there and watched but didnt attack us. but i messed with her ALOT. she was my sisters show gilt this last summer and even the judges would comment about how she acted more like a pet than a eating animal.

OH and also i have a baby pig water in the box witht he litter that way they have water. when time come i will put there feeder in it aswell.

thank u...& im a younger guy...in 4-h but thank u soo much...may is still awhile away, i will probably get the decks out..THANKS!!

lol well i tell you this litter i had the other day was my first litter aswell. and i am only 24 years old. lol

hahaha...lol....glad it turned out well for u....what were they for?..& what are they?cross..york..hamp?

& I'm not 19..I'm actually slot younger lol

they are registed yorks. there sire is the boar in my avatar i own him he is Night Tripp X Super Power and the gilt she is Woody X New Beginnings lol. i am going to keep a barrow and a gilt for shows this summer and they rest i am going to sell as show pigs (knock on wood). as look as they grow and stay healthy i think they will be alright

That cool..I love yorks & wanna buy a York gilt to breed for our state fair...who knows though cause I want slot of things...lol..sounds like the litter will be pretty good...r u starting your own boar stud or farm??

well i am going to start trying to collect both my boars but as far as doing it for a living no lol. i am breeding fr our local kids around here and such.

i have a hamp appreain cross boar that i call Nova he is Paint X Alias 106-3 X New Beginnings..

my york gilt that just had her litter i am going to bred her for a cross litter this fall to Nova.
you are along ways away from me or i would say you could lokoat my litter. she had 4 gilts and 6 boars. the gilts look good right now... but at this stage it is hard to tell..

Yeah...sounds like u got some pretty goodpigs at your place...thanks again...if I need anything I will come to u..lol..cyah