Sows and Piglets

Sows are the female pigs that have given birth at least once. New female pigs are called gilts.

 Pregnancy in sows lasts for 3 months 3 weeks 3 days.

Both the sows and the gilts need nutritious feeds e.g grain and greenstuffs and water in order to get healthy piglets.

Gilts reach puberty at 5 months but it is best to serve them after the second time they go in heat to promote healthy pregnancy. Sows and gilts will come on heat every 21 days for 8-36 hours. If you miss this window you have to wait another 21 days. Keep records.

When pigs are in heat they get restless and may not eat, the vulva becomes swollen and pink, when you put pressure on the back of the pig it stands and does not move. These are ways you can use to check your animal for heat.

Boars (male pigs) can be kept in the next pen to bring the female pigs on heat because they can smell him especially if he is an older boar. You can also keep a sow in heat together with other sows to get them in heat.

After the pigs are served, look out for the following behaviors for farrowing(Time to give birth)

Restlessness, Tits will produce milk when squeezed, blood from the vagina 2 hours or 1 hour before. You can also rub the belly of the pig, she will feel relax and lie down in position to give birth. The pig also can start nesting by preparing somewhere to give birth.

When the pig is giving birth it is a natural process and the pig needs no help, once the first piglets is born the others come easy. This takes around 2 to 3 hours. The piglets start looking for tits and suckle almost immediately. There are times you can help the sow. If the next baby doesn't come in 30 minutes after the first you will need to help the animal.

Things you will need: Clean hands sanitized with soap, clean the vulva with warm water, use cooking oil to lubricate then put you hand inside to unblock the birth line. If its a piglet gently pull it out remove mucus blocking the nose if any or slap the animal to get it to breath.

Piglets

The first borns are very lucky because they get the first cholesterol and that is why some pigs are bigger than others. Piglets also have ownership for tits, the older ones take the tits next to the head of the mother while the last borns suckle the tits near the legs of the mother.

It is important to stay on the look pout for malnutrition especially with the smaller piglets. How the pig start determines how the piglets grow. You can supplement with milk from a cow or a foster sow with less piglets just to make sure the piglets are healthy.

Suckling is stopped after 1 month oversees and  2 months locally.

Male piglets are either kept to be future boars or castrated.

Castration is done after 14 days to 27 days. Castration is done to reduce the boar smell in meat when slaughted, gain more fat and reduce injuries through male fights. Separate the genetics or traits you would like to keep so that you do not accidentally castrate them as well.

Feeds are introduced 2-3 weeks together with the mother and start feeds from 1 month on.

Commercial feeds for piglets include: Pollard, Sow and weaners, maizegerm. You can mix them together and serve mixed with water to allow digestion and better utilization by the piglets.

Have you read about their housing? If not find it it Pig Pro house