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Piglet Birth, Mastitis Antibiotics, and Chick Feed Regimen

April 2, 2023 · by Drake Weinert

Short Ribs, a first-time mother pig, gives birth live on camera to eight piglets — seven males and one female. Drake covers why piglets fight for the front teats (more milk, closer to the top), and how calcium phosphate (knfStructure) plus fermented plant juice and whey yogurt support a nursing sow. Pigs carry two placentas, one for each side of the uterus.

On the dairy side, one front udder on the milk cow has mastitis. KNF inputs did not fully clear it, so Drake used antibiotics. He compares hand milking (20 to 30 minutes) to a Turkish milking machine (about two and a half minutes) and notes the back udders give more milk than the front.

Drake is rebuilding a ten-year-old pig pen after IMO contact rotted the wood and ate through the tin. He recommends logs at least five to six feet long — rose apple or coconut husk work well — plus a little soil, biochar, and IMO 4 to build the deep litter floor. He also covers when to apply pig pen compost to crops and Master Cho's 12-by-14-foot breeding pen dimensions.

Master Cho's chick feed regimen closes the show: raw brown rice for the first three days, then grated hard-boiled egg, then finely cut bamboo, tapering to regular feed by day 21 to lengthen the digestive tract.

Questions answered

  • 23:47 Why do piglets fight for the front teats? — Front teats sit closer to the top and give more milk, so each piglet claims one teat and keeps it for life.
  • 28:38 What KNF input helps a nursing sow keep up her milk supply? — Calcium phosphate (knfStructure) along with fermented plant juice and whey yogurt supports milk production.
  • 33:23 Can KNF methods alone clear mastitis in a dairy cow? — Drake tried KNF inputs first but had to fall back on antibiotics to get the infected udder under control.
  • 37:27 Is hand milking or a milk machine better for the cow? — The machine pulls the milk in about two and a half minutes versus 20 to 30 minutes by hand, with less stress on the cow.
  • 37:59 Do pigs have one placenta or two? — Pigs have two placentas, one for each side of a two-chambered uterus.
  • 38:26 Can you make LAB from pig milk? — Not really — pigs only drop milk in short, frequent bursts, so there is never enough to collect at once.
  • 45:34 What wood works best for an IMO deep litter pig pen floor? — Use logs at least five to six feet long, such as rose apple or coconut husk, since short logs are easy for pigs to dig up.
  • 47:17 When should you apply IMO pig pen manure to crops? — Top-dress it after plants finish their first changeover, heading into the reproductive stage, or mix it into raised beds from the start.
  • 49:34 How big should a breeding pig pen be? — Master Cho recommends about 12 by 14 feet, roomy enough that the sow will not crush her piglets, unlike a farrowing crate.
  • 50:47 How many of the 8 piglets were male and how many were female? — Seven males and one female, more males than Drake expected.
  • 51:59 Can spent brewery grain go into an IMO 3 pile? — Yes, but amend it with carbohydrates like mashed potato, since brewing strips out the sugars.
  • 56:49 What is Master Cho's feed regimen for new chicks? — Raw brown rice only for 3 days, then grated hard-boiled egg, then tiny cut bamboo, then regular feed, tapering off by day 21.

Topics: farrowing, pig birth, imo, fpj, calcium phosphate, mastitis, dairy cow, milking machine, pig pen, chick feed, brewery grain, master cho

KNF Office Hours is a free live Q&A every Sunday at 9 AM HST. Bring your question to pureknf.org/learn/questions or join live.

In this episode

  1. 0:00 Countdown and Welcome
  2. 6:15 My Pigs Had Pigs Last Night
  3. 9:34 I Ching Reading: Conflict
  4. 15:27 Short Ribs' Birth & Family Piggery History
  5. 21:41 Guessing the Piglet Ratio
  6. 23:47 Piglets Jockey for the Front Teats
  7. 28:38 Calcium Phosphate Boosts Milk Production
  8. 32:35 Larger Udders Give More Milk
  9. 33:23 Antibiotics for Dairy Cow Mastitis
  10. 37:27 Hand Milking vs Milk Machine
  11. 37:59 Pigs Have Two Placentas
  12. 38:26 Can You Make LAB From Pig Milk?
  13. 41:32 Pig Pen Maintenance After 10 Years
  14. 45:34 Best Wood for an IMO Deep Litter System
  15. 47:17 Applying IMO Pig Pen Manure to Crops
  16. 49:34 Master Cho's Breeding Pen Dimensions
  17. 50:47 Piglet Ratio Revealed: 7 Males, 1 Female
  18. 51:59 Spent Brewery Grain in an IMO 3 Pile
  19. 56:49 Master Cho's Chick Feeding Regimen
  20. 1:04:33 Thanks and Sign Off

Transcript

Auto-transcribed with Whisper. Click any timestamp to play from there.

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