At What Age Can You Take Piglets from Mom?

*sigh*

"Farm" pigs are routinely weaned far earlier than 4-8 weeks. 5-10 days is not uncommon and is the norm in both SEW and MEW systems with 14 days being another common cut off point. The mortality rate of pigs weaned at or around 1 week is NOT 50% unless the farmer is doing something very, very wrong. Don't believe everything you read online. Piglets should be up, steady on their feet, rooting and stealing food from the sow by a week old.

The argument that weaning early causes stress and/or fear is moot. A piglet of any age will be scared and stressed when first separated from their sow, even when done in groups. I recently took 9 1/2 week old pigs off a sow and they responded just the same as younger pigs; squealing, pacing the fence, calling for the sow, etc. Fortunately, they're easily distracted and quick to adjust. Keeping pigs alone stresses them, but that doesn't stop backyard pet breeders from selling them as lone pets.

Early weaning in potbellies is often used as a way to stunt growth in order to produce "teacup" pigs. It wouldn't surprise me if that's what your buyer had in mind.

That anyway probably means she just got them and she isn't giving them the time a day to bond so yes i'd turn her down!

We have raised a lot of potbelly pigs for other people in the past, and I can tell you from my experience that I want them young as possible when they come to us. If they are weaned off their mothers they actually adjust worse (for us) to being brought here. If I can take them in within the first week and get them depending on me for their food and seeing me as momma, they are a lot easier to socialize and train. I guess it might vary depending on how the breeder socialized the babies before selling them somewhat, as most around here do not handle the babies at all until the day they sell them. We do not use a bottle, instead we get them eating a formula/oatmeal or cereal mush out of a spoon and into a bowl within the first few feedings. They do great on this method. We have not had anywhere near 50% mortality with taking on unweaned babies. In fact, out of a couple dozen babies I can only think of 1 we lost and he simply got too cold when his heating pad went out and my husband was stuck at work for overtime and I was out of town.

I've never had a issue weaning my babies although eating at 4 weeks I wait 5 weeks. UNLESS they can see mom and she can see them thats the only thing that really stresses them because I handle them and they are pretty used to being taken around and being played with without the mom near Typically unhandled feeder pigs will be stressed if you put them where their mom can cause a ruckas and they can see her and when pigs are only used to other pigs yes it stresses them. When you are in the nest with the sow at the time of birth and about every other hour for a whole week then just every 4-5 hours during the day the piglets tend to just think your another pig. I harness and leash train them and bring them indoors and really do all sorts of things with them. No bottle feeding doesn't growth stunt a pig thats another silly persons gossip. My sow raised pigs are actually smaller then a female I bought and raised to a bottle and a boar as well. As long as the pig is eating normal there should be no problem. Under feeding stunts growth! A miniature pig should not have to have a diet to stay small. I feed 5 gallon bucket a day to 5 pigs and often feed fruits and veggies.

Often sow raised pigs are not handled the woman probably bought 2 - 12 week old pigs and they are scared and wild and she isn't trying even with them to bond which can be easy done if given time and love and petting!

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And how best to do that from the start? BINGO! Pull them and limit feed them with a bottle/pan.

I guess sow raised verses bottle raise and weaning age and how they react to weaning will remain a matter of opinion. My husband grew up on a large hog farm, as did the generations before him since they came over to the US from Germany. In fact, they still maintain about 500-750 hogs at any given time, though my husband is no longer part of the running of the farm (his brothers took over when he moved to Texas from Iowa). So he does have a lot of pig experience. I know what my own experiences have been and from those experiences I have concluded that sow raised piglets are not for me.

Also, I do not believe in under feeding to purposely stunt growth, but I do believe in portion control. I have seen very many an obese pot belly who will end up in worse health than a skinny pot belly.

I sow raise my farm pigs, but even the vet said the personality of my pigs is much better than most pigs. I raise Gloucestershire old spots.

Thanks for all the input and advice, everyone. The info. I posted on piglets came from pigs4ever.com and these people seem to really know what they are talking about. I got my boar at 5 weeks old, and have kept him outside from day one. He has always gotten attention---belly rubs, scratching, and such. He hasn't been raised being held daily, or dreesed up or kept in a playpen like a human baby, but he remains extremely friendly and not agressive at all. He actually lays down on my feet when I rub his belly! My point is this, if he was naturally weaned from his momma and hasn't had lots of cuddling and such from humans and is still so friendly and loving, then I think these piglets of mine will be wonderful housepets even if left with their momma until they are weaned.

I, myself, don't feel comfortable selling a baby under 5-6 weeks old. I have a feeling that lady wants a pet she can treat like a human baby.

Also, my little boar was given as much food as he wanted when little, and he remains a smaller size. I feed about 2 cups of feed twice a day with 1/3 cup of cracked corn at each feeding----they don't seem overweight at all.

Just had to add, that Marilyn is not people-friendly at all (I think that once the baby cuteness wore off, her previous owners just stuck her outside and only went out when they fed her. But she is a great mom----very, very protective of her little darlings. I wish Marilyn was more friendly, I don't get it, because her previous owners had her from birth, and carried her around and dressed her in doll clothes and had her in the house for quite some time----go figure.

I think any pig's personality has a lot to do with how it is treated.

my pot bellied pig is gonna have her baby's any day so i wanna be prepared. how old does a baby pot bellied pig have to be to leave its mother?