A big pig on ageing legs
The Yorkshire is a large, productive white pig, and an older sow or barrow carries serious weight on limbs and feet that were built for a younger animal. She may still trot to the gate at feeding time, yet struggle with the rise from lying, choose shorter routes around the pen, or lie down again quickly after standing. Care changes from feeding for growth or breeding to protecting comfort: every extra portion now works against the joints she depends on, while too little feed in a bullied pen-mate situation leaves her quietly short.
Weight, measured feeding and pen mates
Feed an older Yorkshire by measure and by her condition, not by the scoop you used for years. Feel along her ribs and backbone — you should be able to find them with firm pressure without them jutting sharply — and adjust gradually with advice from your vet or pig adviser if she is drifting either way. Feed her where pen mates cannot drive her off or steal her ration, and scatter or space feed so mealtimes stay calm. Treats and household scraps add up fast on a slow metabolism, so keep extras occasional and small. A pig who still hurries to greet you at the gate but then leaves her measured feed unfinished is asking for investigation, not for a larger portion tomorrow.
Skin that needs watching
That pale Yorkshire skin shows problems early and suffers in strong sun. Look over her regularly for dry, flaking patches, sores where she rubs, cracks around the ears and any lump or wound that is not healing. Provide real shade she can choose, and a wallow she can get into and out of safely — mud cools her and coats the skin — while making sure drinking water stays clean and separate. In cold weather the priority flips: a draught-free, deeply bedded shelter matters because an older, less active pig generates less warmth from moving about all day.
Hooves, ground and the daily rise
Check hooves for overgrowth, cracks and uneven wear, and watch her walk on a surface where you can judge the stride. Slippery concrete, steep ramps and deep churned mud all tax stiff joints and sore feet. Keep her main area level and grippy, bedding dry on top, and gateways wide enough that she is never rushed or turned sharply by other pigs or people. The morning rise is your best daily test: a pig who needs repeated efforts, rocks before standing, or cries out needs attention, not patience.
When the vet should hear from you
Call the vet if she stops eating, cannot or will not rise, bears no weight on a leg, develops a hot swollen joint, or has skin wounds that spread or fail to heal. Rapid breathing at rest in mild weather, sudden weight change, constipation or scouring that does not settle, and a normally social pig withdrawing to a corner all warrant prompt advice too. Note when you first saw the change and what she has eaten and passed since.
Weight notes, hoof trims, skin findings and vet visits blur together across seasons unless they are written down, and KinsLe's Pet Passport holds this Yorkshire's record in one packet you can hand to any vet or caretaker.