396 Western Live-stock Management 



farrowing, there will ordinarily be milk in the teats, al- 

 though neither of these signs is infallible. If the presence 

 of any one in or near the farrowing pen seems to annoy 

 the sow, the attendant should keep out of sight, but near 

 enough to be of service if required. As labor comes on 

 the sow usually lies on one side, and frequently appears 

 oblivious to everything going on around her. She will 

 get her breath at longer intervals, and after a few hard 

 pains will usually give birth to her first pig. If after much 

 labor no pig has yet appeared, the attendant may insert 

 one or two fingers in the vulva to determine whether a 

 pig has yet appeared in the vagina. Frequently if a pig 

 comes hind feet first, the head will be wedged in the pelvis 

 in such a way that the circulation through the umbilical 

 cord will be cut off, and a pig so held will very quickly 

 suffocate. If the feet are felt in the vagina, they should 

 immediately be seized and pulled gently but firmly -until 

 the pig escapes, else he will come dead. Unless a sow is 

 immature, high in the pelvis, or has run considerably 

 over time, there should be little difiiculty in giving 

 birth. As soon as a pig arrives, if he gasps and gets his 

 breath, the only precaution is to remove the mucous 

 covering from his body and rub him vigorously to get 

 him dry, and even this latter will not be necessary if the 

 weather is warm. It is usually best to rub the mucus 

 from the nose and after drying the pig, place him in 

 a basket or box in which a woolen lining has been placed. 

 However, if the sow is perfectly quiet, it will not be 

 necessary to remove the pigs as they are born, unless the 

 attendant is to leave the farrowing pen for a time. If any 

 pigs fail to show signs of life when born, they should be 

 examined to see whether the heart is beating, which can 

 be noted by the palpitation in the umbilical cord. A 



