Farrowing is stressful not only for the animal, but also for the owner. After all, the health of the pig and its offspring depends on how correctly the birth will be taken. It is especially important to provide qualified assistance if the pig is giving birth for the first time. After all, she is characterized not only by anxiety, but also by various kinds of complications due to physiological characteristics that were not yet known about. If the owner wants to keep the sow and get healthy piglets from her, then he will have to thoroughly study the theoretical material and consult with experienced specialists on the farrowing of his pet.

Farrowing information

The sows are pregnant for 114 days. Practice shows that childbirth occurs from the 110th to the 120th day. To make it easier for farmers to calculate due dates, a sow farrowing table has been developed, with which owners can quickly find out the approximate due date of an animal.

Pig farrowing

Farrowing table for sows

NumberMonth           
123456789101112
121.04.201822.05.201819.06.201820.07.201819.08.201819.09.201819.10.201819.11.201820.12.201819.01.201819.02.201821.03.2018
424.04.201825.05.201822.06.201823.07.201822.08.201822.09.201822.10.201822.11.201823.12.201822.01.201822.02.201824.03.2018
727.04.201828.05.201825.06.201826.07.201825.08.201825.09.201825.10.201825.11.201826.12.201825.01.201825.02.201827.03.2018
1030.04.201831.05.201828.06.201829.07.201828.08.201828.09.201828.10.201828.11.201829.12.201828.01.201828.02.201830.03.2018
1303.05.201803.06.201801.07.201801.08.201831.08.201801.10.201831.10.201801.12.201801.01.201831.01.201803.03.201802.04.2018
1606.05.201806.06.201804.07.201804.08.201801.09.201804.10.201803.11.201804.12.201804.01.201803.02.201806.03.201805.04.2018
1909.05.201809.06.201807.07.201807.08.201806.09.201807.10.201806.11.201807.12.201807.01.201806.02.201809.03.201808.04.2018
2212.05.201812.06.201810.07.201810.08.201809.09.201810.10.201809.11.201810.12.201810.01.201809.02.201812.03.201811.04.2018
2515.05.201815.06.201813.07.201813.08.201812.09.201813.10.201812.11.201813.12.201813.01.201812.02.201815.03.201814.04.2018
2818.05.201818.06.201816.07.201816.08.201815.09.201816.10.201815.11.201816.12.201816.01.201815.02.201818.03.201817.04.2018
3020.05.201818.07.201818.08.201817.09.201818.10.201817.11.201818.12.201818.01.201817.02.201820.03.201819.04.2018
3121.05.201819.07.201818.09.201818.11.201819.12.201818.02.201820.04.2018

There is a special pig farrowing calendar, a table of approximate birth dates, which greatly facilitate the life of novice farmers. It is because of the lack of experience that it is sometimes difficult to guess exactly when to expect replenishment.

One sow is capable of producing at least two litters per year. The ideal time for offspring is mid-spring, when the piglets are less exposed to extreme temperature changes. To achieve the desired result, mating is carried out around the middle of winter.

Intrauterine fetuses cause significant changes in the body of the expectant mother, especially in the last month of pregnancy. At this time, it is important for the pig to observe the feeding regime, the rules of care and the implementation of sanitary standards. Food intake in the last stages of pregnancy is carried out 1 time per day, the amount of food consumed gradually decreases several days before the expected farrowing. Before the very birth of the piglets, the sow is not fed or allowed to walk.

Attention! In gilts giving birth for the first or second time, the delay in farrowing can be about a week. If the size of the animal is large, then it can give birth a week ahead of schedule.

Farrowing signs

How does a pregnant pig behave before farrowing? It is possible to understand that it is time to prepare for a responsible procedure by a number of characteristic signs. The animal's behavior is restless, it often lies down on the floor, then rises sharply, pulls the litter and tries to make something like a nest out of it. Before the pig is supposed to pig, its udder grows significantly in size and the sex loop turns red. The belly drops noticeably down and can touch the floor, the spine also bends to the bottom. One day before giving birth, you may notice that when you press on the nipple, a small amount of colostrum is released. It is more difficult to identify pregnancy on such grounds if the farm contains a Vietnamese pot-bellied representative of pigs. Their stomach is naturally lowered very low, therefore, during pregnancy, its lowering is almost invisible.

Farrowing signs

A characteristic sign of the beginning of the process is that the pig tries to retire, lies down on one side and calms down. This is followed by contractions.At this point, the room should be cleaned and disinfected, and the bedding should be replaced. A large amount of water is poured into a metal bowl so that the animal can always quench its thirst if necessary. Otherwise, a situation may arise when the pig has eaten its afterbirth after farrowing. There were even cases of eating piglets born.

A maternity area is prepared separately for future offspring. An infrared lamp is installed there, which makes it possible to dry small pigs and provide them with an air temperature of + 38 ° C. Further, this indicator is gradually reduced, while preventing the appearance of drafts. A week before the expected birth, the sow is soldered with an infusion of wormwood or drugs against worms. The animal should also be washed and treated with antimicrobial agents. As soon as contractions begin, wipe the nipples with a pinkish solution of potassium permanganate.

The following devices and accessories are prepared in advance:

  • sharp and sterile scissors;
  • brilliant green and iodine;
  • fresh potassium permanganate solution;
  • threads for tying umbilical cords;
  • sterile cotton tissue flaps.

Fixtures and fittings

Before giving birth, the owner should prepare boiled water, put on clean clothes, rubber gloves, wash and treat hands with an antiseptic. In the absence of practical skills and there is a suspicion that there may be complications, it is better to ask a professional veterinarian for help in advance.

How a pig gives birth

A pig gives birth for several hours. The first birth can take about 6 hours on average. The duration of farrowing depends on how hard the mumps are pushing. The amniotic fluid begins to drain at the moment when the interval between attempts is about 4 minutes. With weak attempts, the process drags on up to 10 hours, with normal everything can be successfully completed in a couple of hours.

Newborn piglets are born with a break of about 20 minutes. To stimulate the birth process in the summer, during a period of extreme heat, the sow can be watered with cool water.

Newborn piglets

Human assistance with farrowing

How to give birth to a pig in a standard home environment?

If there is a significant delay in farrowing for no apparent reason, then the following measures should be taken:

  • drive the pig out of the barn into an open enclosure;
  • massage the abdomen;
  • give sweet water to drink.

After leaving the mother's womb, the piglet may end up in the amniotic fluid. Typically, this bubble bursts on its own, but if this does not happen, it should be burst immediately. Otherwise, the newborn pig will suffocate. If necessary, rescue the piglet is given artificial respiration. To do this, the animal is lowered into a container of warm water, quickly removed and rubbed.

Human assistance with farrowing

Piglets that are born are immediately wiped off with a clean cloth, the patch and mouth are cleaned of mucus. The umbilical cord is cut with sterile scissors at a distance of 5 cm from the body. The wound is treated with brilliant green or iodine. After that, the pig is sent to dry under an infrared lamp. This is especially necessary in winter, as well as if it is damp and cold outside. Next, the born pig is applied to the nipples of the pig. He just needs colostrum, which will help protect against infections and foci of diseases, increase the immunity of a young organism. If in the first hour of life an ordinary Hungarian piglet does not receive colostrum, it will die due to the lack of its own immunity.

Attention! Weaker newborn piglets are tried to be applied to the nipples located closer to the mother's head, which are usually fuller, and it is easier to suck colostrum from them.

A few hours after the end of farrowing, the sow should leave the afterbirth.If this does not happen within 6 hours, then you need to call a veterinarian for help. The afterbirth that has come out is immediately removed from the barn and in no case is it allowed to be eaten by the pig. Otherwise, there is a possibility that in the future she will also eat her offspring.

Non-standard situations

It so happens that a pig cannot farrow itself. What to do and what measures to take? The incorrect position of the fetus provokes constant attempts in the expectant mother. In this situation, you need to worry in advance that a veterinarian is present during childbirth. If any reason prevented you from calling for help, or it is late, you will have to perform some actions yourself. However, a tip or advice from a professional will prove to be indispensable in any case.

Sometimes a pig needs help to farrow

First of all, you should put on a sterile medical glove and lubricate it with petroleum jelly. Then the hand is gently inserted into the birth canal and gently pulled out by the right or left leg of the pig. In this case, all actions are performed with the utmost care in order to prevent damage to the uterus.

In case of premature amniotic fluid withdrawal, it will be necessary to inject a cooled flaxseed decoction or boiled and well-cooled vegetable oil into the sow's birth canal. If the cervix does not open and the pig cannot give birth for a long period of time, water at a temperature of 45 ° is poured into the birth canal. It is better if such actions are performed by a qualified veterinarian.

Caring for a sow after farrowing

After giving birth, the mumps need special care. The animal may have discharge, the color of which changes from brown to almost transparent. It is not necessary to drastically change the pig's feeding diet after farrowing, as this negatively affects the health of the young. Also, after such a difficult process, the mother needs a good rest. Be sure to provide it with water and change the litter to a clean one. Only 12 hours later, the pig can be given food in the form of a liquid mixture of oat bran. This gruel stimulates the formation of milk.

Attention! Do not feed the pig after farrowing with corn or rye, which tend to reduce milk production.

In the first weeks after farrowing, the sow's diet should consist exclusively of liquid feed, which is prepared in a ratio of 1 part feed to 3 parts water. This gruel is given to the animal 5 times a day. After a while, the pig's menu includes juicy and concentrated feed, hay and fresh grass.

The birth of piglets involves providing them with special care in the future. First of all, they blunt the ends of the canines with the help of specially designed forceps. Next, the tails are docked, leaving 3.5 cm from the root. The sharpest 4 milk teeth should be removed altogether. To prevent the offspring from dying under the weight of the sow's body, a protective barrier is built. It will be possible to remove it after a couple of weeks, when the piglets are a little stronger. For the manufacture of fences, metal tubes or perches are used, strengthening them above the floor at a height of 20 cm and at a distance of 15 cm from the machine itself.

Piglet care

In the process of keeping piglets, it is necessary to monitor the health of the offspring and the mother. If sick or with deviations in the development of piglets are seen, then they are separated from the common nest. It is better to replace a sow showing aggression or a sick sow with another. The milkiness of the mumps is rationally assessed so that each newborn has free access to the nipple. If the young do not receive additional milk, then over time they may die of hunger. To avoid such unpleasant situations, the nests are equalized by the number of piglets.

Attention! Weak pigs from a numerous nest are trying to get hooked into nests with a small number of individuals and a dairy sow.

To avoid eating the offspring by her own mother, a special ring is put on her snout that does not allow the cubs to bite. It is advisable to use it if the aggressive mother cannot be transplanted to another enclosure. If such measures do not help, then the mumps must be discarded.

There is one small subtlety in growing pigs. Newborn piglets often suffer from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract due to a weak stomach. They should be given a drug such as colistop right away to avoid these problems. The medicine is prepared independently, a prescription can be obtained from a qualified veterinarian.

Piglet medicine

How many piglets does a pig bring

How many piglets are born in a normal pig? Sows are capable of producing a large number of litters at a time. If the pig is good and gives birth not for the first time, then it can bring more than two dozen piglets at once. However, in those individuals who are pigs for the first time, as a rule, from 6 to 8 cubs are born. One female is capable of farrowing twice a year with good care and keeping conditions.

Pigs that bring 10 or more piglets at a time and show the qualities of a caring mother are left for 2-3 years to obtain offspring. Each of them is capable of farrowing 2-3 times per year. 12 days after giving birth, the sow is ready for re-fertilization. If the animal is weakened or exhausted by previous births, then mating is postponed for some time. Females with an unevenly developed udder, weak limbs or poor health are not allowed to mate.

Farrowing is an important moment not only in the life of the pig, but also in the life of its owner. After the first birth, he can determine if his pet is suitable for further reproduction. Piglets are able to quickly breed, which is very profitable in a personal farm, it is not so difficult to care for them. Experienced farmers easily cope with the tasks and have the opportunity not only to provide their own family with lard and meat, but also to receive monetary profit from the sale of surplus products and young animals. True, to create the proper conditions for breeding pigs, it will take an effort, but all this will pay off over time.