Lucy’s First Litter: A Farrowing Story with Hard Lessons

This one’s a little tough to share, but we’re hoping our experience helps others avoid the same situation—or at least feel a little less alone if they’re going through it.

Ricky and Lucy are our Juliana pig crosses. We got them both when they were just 8 weeks old. We knew early on that we’d need to keep them separated once they got close to breeding age—pigs can start breeding as early as 3 to 4 months old.

Our barn pen setup kept them apart while still allowing them to be near each other, and we rotated them out into our pasture (which we share with the goats). But if you’ve ever lived on a farm, you know things don’t always go as planned.

Farm life brings chaos—and these two little Houdinis found their way out of their pens more than once.
And just like that—bam—Lucy ended up pregnant, a little earlier than we would’ve liked. She wasn’t quite a year old yet, and ideally, sows should be closer to a year before their first pregnancy to give them enough time to fully develop.

Still, once we realized she was pregnant, we committed to doing everything we could to support her. We monitored her closely for the next 3 months (pigs have a gestation period of around 114 days), preparing for farrowing—the term used for when a sow gives birth.

As we got close to her due date, I noticed Lucy starting to bag up—meaning her milk was coming in. We separated her from the others for safety, though she definitely let us know she wasn’t thrilled about it!

I had my birthing kit ready to go ahead of time. It included:

• Arm length OB gloves

• Sterile Lubricant

• Bulb syringe

• Dental floss

• Thermometer

• Scissors

• Electrolytes

• Towels

  The Hardest Part of Farm Life: When Things Don’t Go as Planned

  Most of the items in my birthing kit were there just in case mama needed assistance. Lucy started nesting about two days before active labor, really ramping up the behavior that last afternoon. She was non-stop—back and forth, gathering hay and sticks to build a comfy little nest for her babies.

  We didn’t get an ultrasound done beforehand, so we weren’t sure how many piglets to expect. Mini pigs can sometimes have only one or two. I had a feeling she would deliver late that night or early morning, so I set alarms and got up throughout the night to check on her.

  At 2 a.m., she was in active labor. When I arrived at the barn, the first piglet was already on its way. I dried the baby off, used my syringe bulb to suction any fluid, and waited for the placenta to detach so I could tie the cord with dental floss and make a clean cut. Lucy had no interest in doing that part herself, so I was happy to assist and let her take care of the rest.

  Unfortunately, the next two piglets didn’t make it. One was a mummified fetus, and the other was born still inside its sac. I did everything I could to revive that last baby, but she never took a breath. I couldn’t help but feel like I should have done more. I’m always hard on myself when there’s a loss on the farm. I care so deeply for all of our animals.

  I stayed with Lucy until I was sure she had passed all the piglets. Thankfully, she handled the rest on her own, and I didn’t have to intervene internally.

  After getting some much-needed sleep, I continued checking the surviving piglet throughout the day to make sure she was nursing and staying warm. My daughter had named her Jacie.

  But on day 2 post-birth, I was completely devastated to find that Jacie had passed. I cried and sat with Lucy for a long while, trying to process what went wrong and how this could’ve been prevented.

  Piglets are incredibly vulnerable the first few days—especially to being accidentally squished by the sow. I do believe that’s what happened.

  Things I’ll Do Differently Next Time (and Highly Recommend):

  • Use less bedding for nesting
    Looking back, I think I gave Lucy too much. It’s possible Jacie got lost in the bedding when Lucy wasn’t aware. As a young first-time mom, she was still figuring it all out.

  • Create a dedicated farrowing pen
    This is so important, and I wish I had double- and triple-checked my setup. You can look up DIY farrowing pen plans online to build something safe and structured. Here’s a link to a video I found useful https://youtu.be/_aP0brlIU-E?si=E5oMMcTBfGXZHEZC

  The Silver Lining

  Lucy is doing great. Her milk is drying up, and she’s shown no signs of post-farrowing complications or infection. Even though she only got to be a mom for a short time, she had every instinct a good sow should. She was attentive, built her nest, protected her space, and did her best—despite being young and this being her first litter.

  Accidents happen on the farm—and sometimes, despite our best efforts, things go wrong. If you’ve experienced a similar loss, please know you're not alone. These animals mean so much to us, and it’s okay to grieve.