Raising animals isn't for the faint of heart or the soft-hearted. Birth can be one of the greatest joys on a farm, but it can also be one of the hardest days you'll ever experience when things don't go as planned. I'm sharing this for educational purposes and to update those who have been following Tiana's journey. Yesterday around 1:00 p.m., I noticed something moving in Tiana's mud hole. She had chosen to farrow in muddy standing water. I grabbed towels and rushed out to save the piglets. Sadly, two piglets had already drowned before I got there. We moved the surviving piglets to a warm, dry place and tried repeatedly to get Tiana out of the mud. She delivered another piglet on dry ground but kept returning to the mud hole despite our efforts. After more than an hour, I finally climbed into the mud myself and was able to help move her into the barn. Once settled, the piglets were able to nurse and receive the colostrum they desperately needed. By 4:00 p.m., she was still in labor. Around 9:00 p.m., she delivered another healthy gilt, who also began nursing. At that point, we had four live piglets nursing, but Tiana was still laboring. This morning, I found she had delivered another full-sized stillborn overnight. She still would not get up and was clearly in distress. After speaking with our veterinarian, we learned that an emergency C-section had very little chance of saving either Tiana or any remaining piglets, while also carrying a very high cost. I called a friend with years of experience raising pigs, and after looking at Tiana together, we made the heartbreaking decision to humanely euthanize her to end her suffering and give the remaining piglets their best chance. They were able to process her afterward so that her meat would not go to waste. It's never an easy decision, but we believe it was the most compassionate one. In the end, Tiana delivered seven piglets. 💔 Four were lost. 💔 One of the surviving piglets was accidentally crushed by Tiana. ❤️ Three piglets remain and are now bottle babies.

All boys, healthy and eating. Check out God’S Creatures Farm Edition for the Animal Science classroom.

Pig/Tiana Due the 24th Goats due July 26-August 7th TinkerBell/Yellow Collar Carmel /no collar Callie / Turquoise collar Cinnamon/ Navy Collar Pixie/ Red Collar Lou/ Buckskin no collar Cleo/ Black Collar Clover/ Purple Collar #MMHFarm #KunekunePigs #Kunekune #PigMama #FarmAnimals #PregnantPig #PigPregnancy #PigletsOnTheWay #HomesteadLife #FarmLife #CountryLiving #FarmFun #NigerianDwarfGoats #nigeriandwarfgoats #goatkids #goatkids🐐

We have a working farm, so all the lessons posted here are from real life lessons not just theory. We would like to know what y’all think occasionally.

When you’re a pregnant pig on a hot summer day, there’s only one thing to do… find the biggest mud wallow and don’t move! 😴🐽 Mud isn’t just fun—it’s a pig’s natural air conditioner! Since pigs don’t sweat like we do, a cool mud bath helps regulate body temperature, protects their skin from the sun, and even keeps pesky insects away. This mama has the right idea… staying cool while those little piglets continue to grow! ❤️🐷 #MMHFarm #Kunekune #PregnantPig #MudSpa #FarmLife #HappyPig #TexasSummer #HomesteadLife #KeepingCool #PigLife #GodsCreatures