Outside Fostering Routines

1	Move cull sow to a separate fostering area/paddock
2	Inject with a sedative using a 16g 1.5" needle intramuscularly into the neck
3	Even litter sizes between sows and gilts which have finished farrowing 24 hours previously
4	Only provide piglets to correspond to teat numbers and numbers normally reared by parity
5	Gather together all additional piglets. Ensure they are the stronger piglets
6	Ensure all additional piglets have their teeth clipped and are ear notched
7	Administer warm colostrum to each piglet to be fostered
8	Move piglets to a sow six day farrowed (no more than 10 piglets/sow)
9	Remove her piglets
10	Ensure her piglets are teeth clipped, ear notched and then move them to a cull sow (see point 1). Note teeth clipping is only allowed to piglets less than 7 days of age
11	Administer warm colostrum to each piglet
12	Encourage the cull sow to suckle the 6 day old piglets by rubbing her teat line, observing and talking to the sow
13	Lock the sow in arc for 12 hours with the piglets
14	Record fostering to weaning mortality
15	It is essential that fostering routines do not interfere with all-in/all-out farrowing paddock practices
16	It may be necessary to place hurdles around the arc of the foster sows for one day
17	If adult sows are unable to rear 10+ piglets, investigate why