How to know if a pig is covered. How long does a pig's pregnancy last and how to know that a sow is pregnant if for the first time

Breeding pigs is impossible to imagine without insemination. Young females begin to happen at the age of ten months, but only on condition that the live weight of the animal is more than 10 kilograms. Before fertilization, the individual must be healthy, active and without signs of obesity. Hunting occurs approximately every 20 days.

This article details the signs of hunting, which will tell you when an individual is ready to mate. In addition, you will learn what methods of mating pigs exist and how to carry them out correctly.

Hunting in pigs and its signs

Hunting is manifested by mild swelling of the genital loop and nipples, as well as the secretion of mucus from the organs of the reproductive system (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Signs of hunting

During the hunt, the animal refuses to feed, shows anxiety, sniffs, listens, if you press it with your hand on the back, it will stand still, and if you try to move it forward, it will rest. To obtain a high-quality offspring, crossbreeding of breeds (using boars of a different breed) is also allowed.

The best results are achieved if not only a boar of a different breed is used for mating, but also a different direction of productivity. For example, a boar is taken of the Estonian bacon breed, and the uterus belongs to the meat-fat direction of productivity. With this crossing, the offspring are more viable and productive, and the carcasses contain more meat than the carcasses of the Large White breed.

Note: Before using a boar from another holding, it is necessary to consult a veterinarian.

Pigs are covered twice: immediately after the detection of heat, and the second time after about 18 hours. The second time it is recommended to use another boar. This is done with the aim of increasing the fertility of the sow and getting better quality piglets. From the video you will learn how to practically determine the sexual desire of an animal.

Frequency of hunting

Hunting in females, ready for pregnancy by age and weight, occurs regularly. If, after mating, insemination did not occur, the hunt will come again after 21 days. However, depending on the individual characteristics of the individual, this period can vary from 18 to 24 days.

In animals, an interesting phenomenon is also observed: the female can bear cubs of various ages. Accordingly, two farrowings occur with a very short interval. This is due to the fact that some females, even after pregnancy, may show signs of hunting and the hint to the boar is repeated.

Pig mating - video

Fertilization is not always successful. It may not come from the disease of the female herself, and if the boar has poor sperm, or there are violations in the maintenance and feeding of the pig, fertilization does not always occur.

To get a healthy offspring, after about 2-3 weeks, a pregnant individual is carefully monitored. An individual is considered pregnant if signs of heat do not appear 22 days after the last mating. However, if signs of hunting appear again, she is prompted to another boar.

Figure 2. Natural and artificial insemination

Large farms also practice artificial insemination. This allows you to control the quality and quantity of offspring, and also ensures high productivity of breeding young animals. In addition, with artificial insemination, you can choose the breed of boar, the sperm of which will be used for insemination. Figure 2 shows the basic principles of artificial and natural insemination. The procedure for artificial insemination is shown in the video.

How many days does a pig walk

After the appearance of the first signs of hunting, estrus begins. As a rule, it lasts from 40 to 60 hours (2-3 days). At this time, insemination should be carried out. If fertilization does not occur, hunting will occur again.

After how many days walks again

On average, repeated hunting (in case of unsuccessful fertilization) occurs after 3 weeks. But taking into account the individual characteristics of animals, this period can vary from 20 to 24 days.

It is important to determine whether an individual is capable of becoming pregnant in principle. Some of them are not suitable for breeding. Fertilization does not occur and such animals are usually sent for slaughter.

All the subtleties of the mating process

Natural mating is a fairly simple process. It is enough to bring the female to the male. But to get productive and healthy offspring, you need to choose the right pairs of animals. In some cases, preference should be given not to natural, but to artificial insemination, which gives more guarantees that pregnancy will occur the first time.

Pair selection

A particularly important role is played by the productivity of the boar. Ideally, one should check his seminal fluid before the prompt. Since it is difficult to do this at home, the male and female are selected according to breed and physical parameters.

Note: The best indicator of a high productivity of a boar is a healthy offspring. Therefore, be sure to ask, or if possible even look at the young, born from a particular male.

The female, which will be used for breeding for the first time, is selected solely for external signs. It must be fully consistent with the breed and free from external defects or serious health problems. With individuals that have already been fertilized earlier, it is easier. It is enough to evaluate the quality of their offspring.

What are the methods of mating

The case is natural and artificial. Each of these types has some features. Natural can be manual and freestyle. In the manual method, the female is placed next to a specific boar one or more times.

In free mating, the boar is in a corral with several females and fertilizes them. However, in this case, the quality of sperm and future offspring decreases, and the boar quickly loses productivity.

Artificial insemination is considered more effective. In this case, the likelihood of fertilization increases, since the sperm is injected into the vagina by a veterinarian. In addition, with artificial insemination, it is easier to choose a breed, and the seed material can be stored on the farm for several years.

Pig mating technology

Mating, including natural, requires compliance with a certain technology. If insemination is carried out artificially, you need to bring the female to the male, and not vice versa. The boar, getting into unfamiliar conditions, begins to examine the area, his interest and sexual activity decreases.

Note: It is desirable that during this process there are no unauthorized persons in the corral. Any exclamations, pushes or strokes will only worsen the situation. The longer the male and female sniff each other, the higher the likelihood that fertilization will be successful.

The technology for artificial insemination is different. A pig that is in heat is placed in a special separate pen. The veterinarian, using special tools, injects seminal fluid into the female genital tract. In some cases, after sperm, a glucose-salt solution is administered to the animal to increase the likelihood of successful fertilization.

Sooner or later, every pig owner is faced with the phenomenon of pig pregnancy. Unlike many other inhabitants of the household, pigs are able to bear offspring twice a year. Of course, in order for a sow to farrow safely and be able to produce a healthy offspring, it is necessary to have certain knowledge related to aspects of her pregnancy. So, how do you know if a pig is pregnant and what are the signs?

Pregnancy in pigs is one of the most complex physiological processes, which, as a rule, is accompanied by lethargy and toxicosis in the female. In addition, the body volume of a pig during pregnancy can increase several times.

As you know, the average duration of pregnancy (pregnancy) in pigs is 115 days (almost 4 months). However, in order for a pig to become pregnant and bear offspring, its weight should not be less than 120 kg, and mating is possible only after the pig reaches 10-11 months of age. In general, how to determine the pregnancy of a pig is not such a difficult task. To date, there are several effective ways to find out that a pig is pregnant:

clinical;
laboratory;
visual.

After the mating of a pig with a boar, on the third day after fertilization, it is possible to determine the initial stage of the pig pregnancy, which is confirmed by the presence of indicative symptoms, which we will discuss below.

The main signs of pregnancy in a pig

Symptoms of pregnancy in pigs are very diverse. One of the first signs of how to determine pregnancy in a pig is its lack of sexual desire, which is expressed in its calmness and even some lethargy. She often loses her appetite. After 4-5 months, the appetite returns, the pig moves little, eats and sleeps a lot.

It is not difficult to learn how to determine the pregnancy of a pig at home, the main sign is the cessation of sexual hunting.

In the event that her sexual desire has not returned within 15-30 days, then we should expect an early offspring. This method of determining pregnancy in a pig at home is called a reflexological study.

Of course, in addition to this sign, the pig also has other characteristic visual indicators of pregnancy: an increase in the size of the abdominal region, swelling and redness of the nipples. But all these signs begin to appear only in the second half of pregnancy. You can determine the “special position” of a pig by the rapid weight gain that is characteristic of it during this period.

So, the main symptoms of pregnancy in a pig are the following:

Pig lethargy (poor sleep and appetite in the animal).
Redness of the nipples (when pressing on the nipples, the so-called colostrum is released).
Lack of sexual desire.
Mucous discharge of curd consistency on the genitals.

Pig gestation period

The normal gestation period for a pig is considered to be within 4 months. But in young females, a slight delay of up to 5-7 days is possible. Such a delay is not regarded as a deviation from the norm. More mature sows, on the contrary, may under-produce and farrow prematurely by 7-10 days.

Unlike mares and cows, sows are prolific. Those. for one pregnancy can bring from 2 piglets or more. However, it is almost impossible to determine the exact number of piglets at home. This largely depends on two factors: the age of the sow and the overall productivity. According to statistics, one mature pig aged from 1 to 3 years, on average, brings from 10 to 12 piglets. In some cases, this figure can reach 15-16 heads per offspring. Read more about when a pig starts walking.

Important to know: in the first year of pregnancy, a young sow brings no more than 8 piglets.

How to determine if a pig is pregnant: methods for determining pregnancy in pigs

If you want to be more certain of a sow's pregnancy, a rectal diagnosis should be made by palpating the pulsation of the urogenital and uterine arteries. But the most accurate data can only be given by ultrasound examinations of the pelvic and abdominal cavity. The method of ultrasound diagnostics is able to detect the pulsation of the fetus inside the uterus.

Another effective method of knowing if a pig is pregnant is a biopsy, during which a tissue sample is taken from the pig's vagina, after which it is examined in the laboratory. You can feel the fetuses in the last stages of pregnancy using the palpation method. To do this, the pig is gently laid on its side and the abdominal region at the level of the nipples is probed with gentle gentle movements.

Vietnamese pig pregnancy

Like ordinary pigs, the pregnancy of a Vietnamese pig lasts no more than 114-118 days. How to determine the pregnancy of a Vietnamese pig can be found in the list of visual signs.

External signs of pregnancy

As for such external signs as an increase in the abdomen and chest, in Vietnamese pigs they are not very pronounced in the first half of the term. The animal eats well, continues to grow, gain weight, so such changes are hardly noticeable. However, already closer to the last month, pregnancy of mumps can be accurately recognized. She has a strongly protruding rounded belly, nipples are poured, the back of the body is slightly expanding.

Behavior can also determine pregnancy. Mumps in the second half of the term rests and lies more. May show some territorial defense actions, sometimes becoming more shy. At this time, it is important to protect the female from other animals, to protect from excitement and stress.

How to feed a pregnant Vietnamese pig

In order to increase the productivity of the Vietnamese pig breed, proper feeding is a priority. In general, feeding Vietnamese pigs is no different from feeding a regular breed. The best option for feeding a pregnant Vietnamese pig is grain feed (rye, wheat, barley). In summer, the basis of their nutrition is "green fodder". Note that oats and corn in the diet of Vietnamese pigs during their pregnancy are undesirable, as they contribute to excessive accumulation of fat.

False pregnancy in pigs

As you know, pigs can experience such a physiological phenomenon as a "false pregnancy". So how do you know if a pig is pregnant or not? During the period of the so-called "false pregnancy" in an unfertilized female, estrus stops and signs characteristic of a normal pregnancy are noted.

In order not to be deceived, you need to be very careful about the mating. In order to avoid false pregnancy, the pig is gradually brought together with several boars at once. To determine whether the female has been fertilized, she is placed to the boar. If the pig exhibits aggressive behavior and does not allow the male to approach her, then the fertilization was successful. Read more about the case.

Pigs are capable of producing two offspring per year. In order for farming to bring a good income, you need to be savvy in many issues related to animal physiology. Pregnancy in pigs is a complex process that the farmer needs to know everything about: how long the gestation period of piglets lasts, how to determine that the mating was successful, how farrowing occurs. The success of farming depends on knowledge and skills in these matters.

Signs of pregnancy in pigs

The farmer can assume that the mating of pigs was successful if he observes the behavior of the female. At the initial stage of pregnancy, the pregnancy of a pig can be determined by the signs:

The animal becomes apathetic, lethargic, rests more, moves smoothly.
A curdled secret is secreted from the vagina.
Nipples swell a little.
In due time (after about 3 weeks), sexual hunting does not occur.
Change in appetite. Some guinea pigs lose interest in food, while others increase their appetite.
Increase in body weight.

Attention! In pigs, there is also a false pregnancy, its signs are similar to those listed above. However, with false pregnancy, after 2-3 weeks, the animal's condition returns to normal when the time comes for the next estrus.

Methods for determining pregnancy

To confirm or deny the presence of pregnancy in a pig, farmers resort to various diagnostic methods. These include:

rectal method;
reflexological method;
palpation of the abdomen;
vaginal biopsy;
blood test for progesterone;
ultrasound procedure.

Rectal examination

The rectal method of research is allowed to be used 4 or more weeks after the mating of animals. By this time, the uterine arteries of the pig are dilated and begin to vibrate, which makes it possible to ascertain gestation. Before the inspection procedure, the pig is securely fixed so that it remains motionless. The veterinarian puts gloves on his hands, lubricates them with petroleum jelly or another slippery substance. Curling his fingers into a cone, he gently inserts his hand into the animal's rectum. You can start diagnosing after relaxing the muscles of the anus, otherwise the intestine may rupture.

The task of the specialist is to probe 3 arteries:

external iliac;
middle uterine;
urogenital.

By the 30th day of gestation, the middle uterine artery begins to vibrate, and its diameter increases. By the end of 2 months of pregnancy in pigs, the diameter of this artery usually increases by 50 percent or more, and the vibration is felt even stronger. A month later, the urogenital artery also begins to vibrate, and the diameter of the middle uterine artery is equal to or exceeds the diameter of the external iliac. By these signs, the veterinarian can not only find out whether the pig is pregnant or not, but also approximately determine the period of gestation of piglets.

Attention! If the specialist failed to fix the vibrations of the uterine artery, it is recommended to re-examine after 21 days.

Reflexological method

This method does not give a 100% guarantee of the accuracy of the result, but its advantage is that it can be used as early as 3 weeks after mating. It is widely used in private farms. The essence of the method is that a boar is brought to pigs that were inseminated 15-30 days ago every 2 hours. According to the reaction of animals, the presence of sexual hunting in females is determined. Those pigs in which its signs are found are not pregnant.

Palpation of the abdomen

By resorting to the method of palpation of the abdomen, it is possible to determine the pregnancy of a pig only 3 months after its insemination. By this time, farmers usually already know that the pig is pregnant. This is the shortcoming of this technique.

To feel the piglets in the womb through the abdominal wall, the animal is laid on its left side. You need to calm the sow by scratching her belly. You need to palpate the fruits in the area of \u200b\u200bthe last two nipples, which are located closer to the lower abdomen.

Attention! Before the palpation procedure, the pig is not fed for 12 hours. It is best to conduct this study in the morning on an empty stomach.

Vaginal biopsy

This method involves taking samples of tissue and secretions from the pig's vagina. The biomaterial is sent to a laboratory where it is examined under a microscope. This procedure allows you to accurately diagnose pregnancy in the early stages, but it is rarely used due to the high cost.

Blood test for progesterone

The blood test for pregnancy testing allows to determine the gestation of pigs with an accuracy of 98% from 20 days after coating. Biomaterial is taken from the parotid vein. In the blood of a pregnant pig, the level of progesterone gradually increases, which allows us to draw a conclusion regarding the onset of pregnancy. If by the twentieth day after mating the level of this hormone has reached 9 ng / ml, pregnancy is confirmed.

Ultrasound

This type of study is absolutely safe and can be used to diagnose pregnancy as early as 20 days after mating. With the help of a special sensor on the monitor screen, it is possible to fix the heartbeat of the embryos, and later to consider their outlines. According to statistics, the most accurate data can be obtained starting from the 30th day after the mating. During the ultrasound examination, the animal should lie motionless on its side. The skin in the belly area is lubricated with a special gel, then a sensor is applied.

Duration of pregnancy in pigs

All pig breeders know that pregnancy in pigs lasts 3 months 3 weeks and 3 more days, that is, it is 114-116 days. This is an average value, since some pigs farrow after 110 days after insemination, others after 125. According to statistics, a fourth of the animals give birth to piglets on the 114th day after mating or earlier, the rest - later.

The duration of pregnancy is influenced by such factors:

Belonging to a particular breed. In Vietnamese pigs, farrowing occurs after 110 days.
Season. Farmers note that winter farrowing always comes a little earlier than expected, and summer farrowing comes later.
The age of the animal. Young sows give birth a little earlier.
The number of born piglets. The fewer babies there are in the womb of the sow, the more likely it is that she will farrow later.
Conditions of detention.
The health status of the pig.

Signs of pig pregnancy should be known to every farmer if he wants to be successful in his business. Experienced pig breeders can determine gestation at its initial stage without resorting to expensive diagnostic methods. It is important to fix the date of mating and record your observations in the gestation calendar.

Every livestock breeder who keeps pigs on his farm faced the question: how to find out if a pig is pregnant or not? After all, pregnancy is an important stage in breeding pigs. To get healthy and strong offspring from pets, you need to know all the main features of gestation and follow the rules for caring for pregnant cattle.

There are several age and sex groups of pigs allocated by experienced farmers. With this knowledge, you can properly organize the selection. The first group includes boars-producers used on a home farm for breeding. The next category is sows that are involved in the production of offspring. Suckling piglets live with their mother and feed on her milk, weaners are separated from the mother from the age of three or four months. Some individuals replace culled cattle, and fattening ones are kept for further meat production.

day of pregnancy	Approximate weight of the cub (in grams)
36	4
63	158
91 (3 months)	558
112	1286

The note! Individuals for mating are selected when they reach the age of four months. Give preference to the largest and calmest animals, they will be good mothers, and the mortality of newborn babies will be minimal.

Puberty

In pigs, intimate maturity and hunting for a male begin at the age of five to six months, but it is still too early to send them for breeding - they have not lived up to physiological maturity, their organs are not sufficiently developed, they can bring underdeveloped and inferior cubs. For the first time, it is recommended to send for breeding a pig that has reached nine months or more. You can focus on the mass, the ideal weight for the first reproduction is 100 kilograms.

The boar is a male pig

Adult individuals begin to hunt for a boar, regardless of the time of year, periods of excitement and sexual decline are cyclical. If you send the female to breed during this period, conception will be successful. To detect heat, send the pig to the pen to the producer and observe its behavior. If she is motionless in the presence of a male, most likely, the hunt has already begun. At the same time, the genitals turn red, mucous secretions appear, and the pet behaves restlessly, refuses food.

sexual intercourse

The hunt lasts several days. When the activity of the pet drops sharply and it becomes motionless, run the animal to the male. In a familiar environment, he feels more comfortable, he does not switch to unfamiliar smells and other environments. Sexual intercourse lasts from 15 to 20 minutes, but experienced farmers recommend leaving the uterus for a couple of hours for successful conception. The presence of the owner is not required. The sexual cycle of animals lasts from 18 to 24 days, and if after hunting does not occur, then the conception was successful.

If breeding is unsuccessful, the cause should be determined by a veterinarian. This can happen for various reasons: poor-quality sperm, diseases, improper maintenance and feeding. If the conception was successful, the female became pregnant and gave birth, after six months, mating can be repeated. If pregnancy has not occurred twice in a row, do not happen to these individuals, and it is recommended to take the animals to the veterinarian.

Coverage is carried out several times: first after the detection of heat, then again, 12-16 hours after conception. If possible, spend the next mating with another male - this increases productivity and contributes to the development of stronger and healthier piglets.

pregnancy in pigs

Pigs are prolific animals that give birth to more than two cubs once. On average, an adult (from one to three years old) produces about 10-12 cubs, but sometimes 15-16 cubs can appear. In the first few pregnancies, the uterus usually brings 6 to 8 babies. After the sixth pregnancy, fertility declines.

Farrow	Number of piglets at farrowing (year)	Amount will be asked at two weeks of age (year)	Average nest weight at 3 weeks of age	Average piglet weight at 3 weeks of age
1	9,7	8,3	47,8	5,76
2	10,5	8,9	53,2	5,95
3	11,1	9,2	54,2	5,90
4	11,2	9	53,4	5,95
5	11,2	9	53	5,90
6	11	8,7	51,4	5,90
7	11	8,7	51	5,86
8	10,7	8,5	49,3	5,82
9	10,8	8,5	49,2	5,82
10	10,2	8,2	40,2	5,82
Average	10,6	8,8	51,4	5,86

Duration of pregnancy

The pig carries the offspring for four months (114 days in total). Experienced breeders calculated the exact duration: three months, three weeks, three days. Females pregnant for the first or second time carry babies a couple of days longer, and mature individuals are able to give birth seven to ten days ahead of schedule. The normal duration of pregnancy is from 101 to 126 days. Most give birth between 110 and 118 days. Lop-eared Vietnamese queens give birth to cubs no later than this period.

The duration is determined by the time period, weather conditions, methods of keeping, feeding, heredity, the number of past pregnancies and the number of individuals born during past births. If the female brings less than six piglets, the duration of pregnancy will be increased. After feeding, the uterus can conceive again, but it is not recommended to have pets more than twice in 12 months - the beast is exhausted and brings weak and unviable cubs.

The duration of pregnancy may depend on the time of year. In winter, the uterus carries the fetus less than in summer.

Signs of a false pregnancy

Livestock breeders sometimes notice such a paradox as a false pregnancy of pigs, accompanied by all the usual symptoms. In some individuals, estrus is delayed and primary symptoms are noticed, and all this happens immediately after mating. In order not to get confused, take the reproduction of animals seriously. Accidentally pet with different boars. You can also determine whether the conception was successful - some time after the first communication of cattle, place the pig in a pen with a male. If the sow behaves rudely and does not let her in, the mating is a success and conception has occurred.

Methods for determining pregnancy

Symptoms during pregnancy are greatly influenced by the well-being of the pet and its behavior style. If everything went well, the farmer will be able to observe signs of pregnancy on the sixth day. The cattle ends in estrus, white translucent discharge from the organs of the reproductive system begins to appear. Such secretions signal that the fertilization process was completed successfully. A pregnant female may occasionally show a worsened condition and well-being.

See how the expectant mother behaves. After a few weeks, her appetite disappears or increases, she becomes lazy, mostly lies down, and moves little. The mass of the pet increases sharply, the hunt does not begin. This behavior is observed throughout the entire period of gestation. To determine if a pig is pregnant, the following methods can be used: home diagnostics, as well as laboratory or clinical methods.

If the pig does not hunt from 15 to 30 days after conception, you can expect a quick afterbirth.

Diagnosis at home

A visual inspection method will help to accurately determine the pregnancy. But the effective method is only at the very last period of gestation (one month before the birth). To determine pregnancy, carefully follow the following instructions.

Step 1. Carefully and carefully lay the pet on its left side. At the same time, scratch the cattle in the abdomen. Avoid sudden movements. The main thing is that the female is calm and balanced.

Step 2 Move the hind paw to the side, feel the front walls of the abdomen in the area of the extreme nipples.

Step 3 Feel the fruits near the mammary glands. A layer of fat will complicate the procedure, but if the animal is of medium fatness, this is not at all difficult to do.

Step 4 Finish the procedure. Don't wait until you feel a stir. All movements must be careful, otherwise you risk harming the health of future babies.

At the end of pregnancy, hyperemia of the nipples appears. They swell, increase and become a little red. Also, during this difficult time for the body, the amount of milk increases and colostrum begins to be produced - a liquid that appears from the mammary glands before farrowing and in the first days after them.

Laboratory methods

Laboratory methods and analyzes are one of the most effective ways to determine pregnancy.

You can also establish pregnancy by Burkin's test. On the 15th day, collect urine from the pig, filter it and add a drop of hydrochloric acid, an aqueous solution of phenylhydrazyl hydrochloride and hydrogen peroxide 3%. Boil and cool the mixture. The urine of the pregnant uterus will have a red-brown tint.

Clinical Method

The clinical method consists in rectal diagnostics. It requires special care - if you are not confident in your abilities, entrust this procedure to a specialist. It is applied after the third week from the time of the alleged conception. First you need to wait until the female releases the intestines from feces. The veterinarian puts on clean rubber gloves and starts probing. On palpation, you can find an enlarged external artery, this is a sign of pregnancy.

Six weeks after mating, the artery enlarges even more and the rectal method gives more accurate results. With a clinical method of examination on a farm, you can feel a slight vibration of the middle uterine artery. 30 days after a successful conception, the vibration intensity increases, and the urogenital artery in most cases pulsates weaker.

In order for the offspring to be healthy, you need to carefully care for livestock in position. If the farm is large, keep pregnant females with the same terms in a separate pen. Up to a period of two months, keep four individuals in one room, each should account for at least three square meters. When the third month of gestation comes, increase the area to six square meters, put no more than two animals in one stall. Experienced farmers equip the corral with rectangular machines.

Also transfer the expectant mother to a special diet. Young animals need to gain from 25 to 55 kilograms of live weight during pregnancy. Give nutrients (protein feed), but remember that excess protein feed can result in fruit death. An adult female needs to gain no more than 45 kilograms, if the cattle is gaining more, change the diet and increase physical activity. Feed animals carbohydrates and proteins (which are easy to digest) three times a day. Provide constant access to clean drinking water.

Weight of the pregnant pig (kg)	First half term		Second half term
	Feed units (kg)	Digestible protein (g)	Feed units (kg)	Digestible protein (g)
Under the age of three
120-140	4-4,4	320-340	4,6-4,8	460-470
140-160	4,2-4,6	340-370	4,8-5	480-500
160-200	4,4-4,8	350-370	5-5,2	500-510
200-250	4,6-5	370-400	5,2-5,4	520-540
250-300	4,8-5,2	390-410	5,4-5,6	540-560
Ages three and over
160-180	2,6-3	210-240	3,2-3,4	290-300
180-200	2,9-3,3	230-250	3,5-3,7	315-330
200-240	3-3,6	240-290	3,6-4	320-360
240-260	3,5-3,9	280-310	4,1-4,3	360-370
260-300	3,8-4,4	300-340	4,4-4,8	390-430
300-320	4,3-4,7	340-380	4,9-5,1	440-450

Do not give pregnant females hard cake, sunflower husks, chaff, rotten and frozen food - this will disrupt the pregnancy process. In summer, introduce green grass, in winter - hay and juicy food (beets, carrots, potatoes, pumpkin).

Farrowing Vietnamese pig

Prepare the corral before childbirth:

Clean the room, remove all dust, dirt and rinse with a warm solution of alkali (12 liters of substance per 55 liters of water).
Get rid of drafts, it is also necessary to keep dry and warm in the paddock. Comfortable temperature - from 18 to 21˚С.
Place fresh straws, sawdust or corncobs on the floor of the room. It’s great if a birthing cage is equipped, in which you place the uterus three to four days before the birth.
Before farrowing in the barn, install special lighting or an infrared lamp.

Signs of approaching childbirth:

the ligaments of the pet's pelvis relax, the genitals increase in size, the mammary glands become covered with pinkish spots;
the pig begins to build a kind of nest from the litter;
at the very beginning of childbirth, the animal is restless, it does not eat, it is difficult to breathe, it walks around the paddock or is laid on its side;
attempts with a range of three to five minutes are a sure sign of the start of farrowing;
a meager amount of amniotic fluid comes out of the neck of the shirt.

Childbirth process: how to help?

After the initial signs of farrowing appear, take a clean rag and a thick sheet. You will also need scissors, burlap, 5% iodine solution. Wash your hands thoroughly with detergent, remove any jewelry, and trim your nails. Wear clean, loose-fitting clothing, including an apron and gloves.

Step 1. If the amniotic membrane has not ruptured when the baby emerges from the genital slit, help her. Make sure that the mother does not crush the newborn with her weight.

Step 2 Rub each cub with a burlap or towel, clean the nose and remove the remaining mucus from the mouth.

Step 3 Cut the umbilical cord (5 centimeters from the abdomen), cauterize with iodine solution. Place the pups in a basket with warm bedding.

Step 4 Wait for the placenta to come out and remove it. If the uterus eats the placenta, be careful: it is possible that in the future she will be able to eat her children.

Step 5 Wash the rear area of the sow's body with warm soapy water and wipe with a soft cloth, give a few liters of warm water to the new mother, feed her after two hours.

After half an hour or an hour, newborn piglets should dine with the first portion of colostrum. If the placenta does not come out or you notice other problems during childbirth, be sure to contact your veterinarian.

Video - Pregnant sow in the third month

Raising piglets is not only interesting, but also profitable. The profit from the sale of newborn cubs covers all the costs spent on their maintenance. Properly conduct mating, follow all the rules of keeping, feed pregnant females in a balanced way and pets will give you strong and healthy offspring.

Keeping pigs at home can be a very profitable activity. These animals are quite unpretentious in care, and their population is growing rapidly. One sow per year provides two offspring, an average of 10 piglets. But now, in order for the young to give good growth and be healthy from the first days of life, proper living conditions and a balanced diet must be provided to the pig at the beginning of pregnancy. At the same time, it is important to have at least a general idea of how this process proceeds in a sow, how to determine it, and how to care for her at this time.

What is gestation in a pig?

Pregnancy of a sow, in other words, is defined as pregnancy. Puberty in piglets begins quite early. By 4-5 months, the females are ready to mate. In males, this stage of development occurs at the age of six months. But, as a rule, breeders ignore the first mating hunt of pigs at this age, waiting until the animals reach full physical maturity.

Farmers who are responsible for breeding in the herd choose the most suitable females from the entire population for gestation. They must be firmly and correctly (taking into account the characteristics of the breed) folded. The skeleton, especially in the dorsal region, must be healthy and without deformities, the body is oblong. Also be sure to pay attention to the appetite and activity of the individual. If both values are high, then such pregnant sows are quite capable of producing healthy offspring and there should be no problems during farrowing.

In order to get healthy, strong and strong piglets from a pig, she needs to ensure the right conditions at the beginning of pregnancy. This includes high-quality and plentiful food, regular walking, the correct temperature regime. That is why pregnancy in a female must be detected as early as possible.

How to determine the pregnancy of a pig at home?

Of course, the most reliable way to determine if the pigs on the farm are gestating is through laboratory tests. Pregnancy is diagnosed using a blood sample or an ultrasound examination, which is carried out with a special scanner. But, such procedures take a lot of time, and are not cheap. Therefore, it is often better to detect pregnancy in a pig by monitoring at home.

Certain assumptions about the presence of pregnancy can be made as early as 4-5 days after mating. If the process was successful, then the corresponding symptoms appear:

No desire to mate.
A sharp decrease in appetite in an animal.
The absence of a leak.
The presence of specific secretions, similar to the curd mass, in the genital area of the female.
A pronounced indifference of the individual to what is happening around.
A sharp increase in body weight of the sow.

All of these symptoms, appearing at the beginning of pregnancy, no longer disappear until farrowing. If, after a two-week period, they began to disappear, the pregnancy was false.

Also, in the early days, other signs will help determine pregnancy. For example, a pig often sits on the ground for no reason. In certain cases, toxicosis can even be traced.

Another popular method for determining whether a sow is pregnant is a visual inspection. But it is effective already in the later stages of pregnancy. Visual observation allows you to determine the number and location of fetuses in a pig. To implement this method, the animal, gently stroking, is laid on its side. Further, without stopping stroking, they probe the front of the abdomen with a slight onslaught. In the process of probing, you should be guided by the mammary glands of the animal. A little higher than them, you can easily find the fruits, determine their location and quantity.

A special diet is the most important condition for keeping a pregnant sow. Moreover, it must be planned based on the age of the animal. In this regard, all sows are divided into growing and adult.

Growing are considered individuals that have not yet reached 2 years. For them, significantly larger volumes of food are allocated than for adult pigs. On average, one sow, regardless of her weight, consumes the same amount of feed supplies as an animal weighing 180-200 kg. The reason for such a large expense is that one part of it goes to the growth and development of the fetus, and the second is necessary to maintain the still growing body of the female herself.

An approximate diet for an animal during pregnancy looks like this:

Flour from hay or grass - 5-10%.
Fresh grass or other succulent food - 15-30%.
Concentrated feed stocks (compound feed, cereals, some waste from grain processing) - 60-85%. Moreover, it is desirable that 10-20% of the total volume of concentrated feed is occupied by peas.

Many experts also advise adding 5 to 7% of fish and meat production waste to the diet. In the absence of such, they can also be replaced with dry bone or fish meal.

At the beginning of the third month of gestation, the percentage of succulent feed and roughage should be increased, which increase the excretion of milk in the body of the animal. Compared to fattening pigs, the proportion of highly nutritious feed stocks should be significantly higher.

Also in the process of feeding a pregnant sow, it is important to constantly monitor her condition. In no case should food shortage or obesity be allowed at this stage. Both conditions can cause miscarriages or extremely weak piglets.

Winter

In many ways, the construction of the diet also depends on the season at which the main part of the pig's pregnancy takes place. So with the onset of winter cold, it is not possible to walk the animal. Therefore, walking is replaced with a large amount of green fodder. Also, a large amount of hay is added to the winter diet, including 0.2 - 0.3 kg (per day) of legumes.

Succulent feed should be at least 4 kg in the first 2-3 months of gestation, and about 6 kg thereafter. In this regard, raw beets, carrots, boiled potatoes are the best solution. 1.5 kg of the total mass should be bran, barley, rye, corn.

It will also be useful for the development of the fetus in the winter to include whey or milk in the nutrition plan. The daily volume of such products should be at least 2.5 liters. Moreover, it is best to introduce milk not in its pure form, but to interfere with it with concentrated feed.

Kitchen waste that goes into the queen's diet should be thoroughly boiled before serving.

Summer

In the warm season, it is necessary to replenish the reserves of vitamins of a pregnant sow to the maximum. To do this, the main focus is on succulent and herbal feed. Particular attention is paid to replenishing the animal's need for amino acids, vitamin D and B vitamins.

A good solution would be to allocate a pasture for the animal, where it can feed on grasses on its own. If this is not possible, you need to provide the animal with a sufficient amount of alfalfa, clover, green wheat and erysipelas. Also, beet tops and cabbage leaves are allowed as green fodder. To balance the diet, greens are crushed, mixed with milk, cereals, root vegetables and served as a mixture.

If the first month of pregnancy in a pig falls in the summer, then the daily norm of juicy and concentrated feed for it should be at least 6 kg. After two months from mating, both types of food are significantly reduced. And already 10 days before farrowing, roughage is completely excluded from the diet. At the same time, the rate of grass and root crops is reduced by half. This measure is necessary to prevent obesity. It is also important that, along with vitamins, the animal receives enough minerals. Most of them enter the uterus with food, but sometimes it may be necessary to add chalk to food to fill the need for calcium.

With regard to the frequency of feeding, the sow should be provided with 3 meals per day. Determine the time of each of them should be at the beginning of pregnancy and not change it until farrowing. At the end of feeding, the pig must have access to clean warm water.

Pregnancy dates

The average gestation period in pigs is 114 days (3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days). But, it should be remembered that this value is quite approximate. In practice, this indicator is influenced by a number of factors, the main of which are the age of the female, breed, and conditions of detention. Accordingly, if we take into account all the nuances, then farrowing occurs in the period from 101 to 126 days. But according to the results of numerous studies, it was found that only 5% of piglets are born earlier than 110 days or later than 119. Therefore, to calculate the day of farrowing, it is usually taken exactly 110 days of gestation. And for the next 9 days, the appearance of offspring is expected.

The duration of pregnancy in the uterus is also affected by other points. For example, gestation may be longer if the female carries fewer than 6 fetuses at a time. In addition, the time of year makes its own adjustments. So in winter, farrowing occurs faster than in summer.

Conclusion

Thus, knowing how gestation progresses in a sow is extremely useful when breeding pigs at home. It allows not only to expand the scale of the farm at the expense of low-quality livestock, but to grow strong and healthy individuals, starting even before they are born. In addition, knowledge of the necessary conditions and factors affecting the gestational age will allow you to accurately predict the time of the appearance of the offspring and carefully prepare for its reception.