How Long Do You Have to Bottle Feed Piglets

Bottle Feeding

Bottle feeding a pig is very similar to bottle feeding a human baby, however there are a few significant distinctions.

When I gave both of my children bottles, I held them either on their backs (usually with a slight angle so they woundn't be lying down flat) or sitting up. Lucky would not have accepted drinking on his back, or even being held lying down, like a baby.

As a baby, Lucky's favorite feeding position was standing on his back legs with his chest supported, as if he was standing with other pigs nursing from mom. This worked well for the first two weeks, when we was 3-7 lbs since I held his chin and helped position him just right for maximum milk flow and minimal mess.

At 8 lbs, he seems to have shifted his preferred drinking position to standing. I don't mind this position, although it's a bit tougher to get the bottle in his mouth since he moves his head more.

Of course, there's no right or wrong way to feed your pig. As long as he's eating, getting the nutrients and vitamins he needs and staying hydrated, the feeding portion isn't that important.

In our research we read that we should slightly cut the top of the bottle's nipple to enlarge the hole to hasten the delivery system.

This enabled us to immediately resolve his hunger, and continues to work well in a few ways. With a smaller opening, Lucky collapses the nipple. When he drinks, I love watching him, for he latches just like a human baby. Watching both my daughter and Lucky drink, I realized that the process is about the same.

This opening in the nipple seemed too large since the rate the milk poured out was so fast, Lucky couldn't swallow it all and he ended up drooling some of it out. Depending on my feeding position, this left my arms and legs slimy and sticky as they were often covered in pig saliva-formula cocktail.

Despite having a large opening, Lucky still collapsed the nipple. He would latch and unlatch as he tried to gulp down the milk. Since the hole was so great, the milk spilled out while Lucky was unlatched or adjusting his position.

This opening in the nipple seemed too small since it collapses almost immediately. Since Lucky's a voracious eater when healthy,

Despite having a large opening, Lucky still collapsed the nipple. He would latch and unlatch as he tried to gulp down the milk. Since the hole was so great, the milk spilled out while Lucky was unlatched or adjusting his position.

The pig may suck air while he tries to get the milk once the nipple collapses. This happened one night and lucky got the hiccups!

Happy Lucky!

This seems to be the right size slit for Lucky. It's not so tiny that the nipple collapses immediately and he swallows air, and it's not so huge that the drink spills all over.

The larger opening also allows Lucky to drink quicker. I don't mind sitting with him, giving him belly scratches, watching him fall asleep while he drinks. I can easily spend an hour or more with him. However, middle of the night feedings are much faster when I use a bottle with a sliced nipple. Rather than spending twenty minutes cuddling and nursing him, I can wake up, make a fresh bottle, feed him and return to bed in less than 15 minutes. The larger opening allows my hungry babe to down as much milk as he wants within a few minutes. As you can imagine, this makes the "night shift" much easier than with my son or daughter who would nurse for longer than half an hour.

While Lucky seems indifferent to a small or large hole, there's a notable drawback. The larger hole yields a messier eating experience. I don't mind washing my hands, arms or even showering just before bed, however a middle-of-the-night shower or even multiple showers throughout the day isn't usually at the top of my "let's do it!" list.

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Source: https://breegoldstein.com/bottle-feeding-a-pig/