Breeding, Care and Management of the Sow
Loading ...Breeding Management. Most gilts of the improved breed reach the age of puberty at about six to eight months of age but they should not be bred until they are eight months of age or are weighing about 90 to 100 kg.
Care and Management of the Sow. Regulate the feed intake of gilts or sows immediately after breeding to prevent them from becoming too fat. Obesity of pregnant sows may result to a fewer number of pigs farrowed. Also, they suffer from farrowing complications. Keep the pregnant sow in an environment ideal for better conception. Sprinkle water on the sows when the weather is too hot or whenever necessary. To avoid constipation, provide a healthy but laxative ration. Provide plenty of water and newly harvested green feeds such as camote vines, kangkong, para grass and water lily.
Deworm sows and gilts against internal parasites and treat external parasites 14 days before expected date of farrowing. On the average, a sow will farrow in 114 days after a successful mating. The usual range is 109-119 days. Watch out for the following signs:
- the abdomen swells
- the sow becomes restless and nervous
- the vulva is swollen with possible mucus discharge
- milk is present in the teats if pressed
Attend to the sow during birth because this is the most crucial time in the life of the newborn piglets. Full-feed the sow or gilt with a high energy ration for about two weeks before mating to insure maximum ovulation rate. Observe proper time of mating to insure maximum litter size. A sow is in heat if she exhibits one more of the following symptoms;
- swelling and reddening of the vulva
- mucus discharge from the vulva
- restlessness and grunts frequently
- mounting other pigs
- frequent urination
- cocks her ears frequently
Mate each gilt or sow twice to the same boar in one heat period with an interval of 1 to 25 hours. A boar-to-sow ratio of 1:25-30 is generally recommended.
Care of the Boar. In commercial operations a new boar should always be checked for fertility and diseases associated with abortion and birth of dead pigs. Regulate the breeding load of a boar.
Recommended Breeding load of a Boar
| Age, Months | No. of Services |
| 7 or less | none |
| 7-9 | 2 |
| 9-12 | 5-7 |
| 12-18 | 7-8 |
| 18 and over | 8-10 |
Care and Management of Piglets at Farrowing Time. Prepare farrowing materials and equipment before farrowing dates. Using a clean dry cloth, wipe the mucus membrane and other birth material from the mouth and nose of newborn pigs. Assist the piglets’ breathing by swinging its head down or slapping it for a few seconds. Tie a string around umbilical cord two inches from the base and cut with a sharp pair of surgical scissors. Do not pull the cord away from the body while cutting so as not to cause hernia. Dip injured tip of cord into bottle of tincture of iodine.
Place piglets in piglet box underneath a heater. Whenever necessary, a 100-watt bulb is enough to provide the desired temperature. This can be changed to a 50-watt bulb after 14 days of brooding.
Cut the needle teeth. This is done by holding the pig firmly by one hand with three fingers supporting the jaw and the thumb pressing against the back of the neck. Insert the forefinger to one side of the mouth just behind the needle teeth reaching for the tip of the tongue. With a side-cutting nipper or ordinary nail cutter cut close to the gum level. Do not make a slanted cut or leave jagged edges for these are likely to cause injuries to the gums and tongue of the piglet and teats of the mother. Clean and disinfect nipper before working with another piglet.
Let the piglet suck the first milk (colostrums). Colostrums contains antibodies needed by the baby pigs to fight against diseases during the early life. Iron reserves in the body of a newborn piglet is consumed in a week’s time. Injection of commercial iron dextran is necessary to prevent piglet from newborn anemia. Repeat administration 14 days after birth or as soon as symptoms are detected. Wean piglets at four to six weeks of age. When weaning is done earlier than 56 days, a sow can farrow from four to five times in two years since sows usually come in heat from three to seven days after weaning. The proper procedure in weaning is to remove the sow, leaving the piglets in familiar surroundings. It is also important that all other routinary management practices like deworming, castration and ear notching or tattoing are carried out before weaning.
