Preparing for the birth of a pig at home, farrowing calendar and table by insemination date

To breed strong offspring, they choose not young animals, but adult females weighing over 100 kg, although a pig can go on a spree as early as 5–6 months. After the first mating, fertilization does not always occur, but if pregnancy has occurred, the animal does not allow the male to approach it, loses its previous mobility, becomes calmer, and gains weight faster. To prevent the birth of a pig from causing complications, the owner needs to study in advance what to feed the animal, how to provide assistance, and monitor the development of the offspring.

Preparing for farrowing

If the recommendations are followed, the resolution of the burden proceeds normally. To eliminate minimal risk to the health of the mother and cubs after conception:

• the animal must be examined;
• do tests;
• perform an ultrasound.

Complications during childbirth occur when the owner does not understand the physiology of the animal. The cause of severe consequences in pigs is usually considered to be late help.

Date calculation and calendar

After insemination, the female gives birth 114–118 days later, but only a quarter of the animals give birth exactly on time, and a third - before this time. The duration of pregnancy is affected by:

• Pig age.
• Number of offspring.
• A type of female.
• Conditions of detention.

To determine the timing of birth, a farrowing table for large, bacon, and lard animals is compiled. The calendar helps to find out the date of permission, taking into account the appearance of characteristic signs. It is recommended to keep the female separately from other animals.

On the left is the insemination date, for example May 16, which means in the “month” column we look for 05 and at the intersection we display the date 1.09.

Preparing the pigsty

In the room in which the birth will take place, the temperature should be maintained at 18–24 °C, and care must be taken to protect it from drafts. Everything unnecessary is taken out of the pigsty, the room is disinfected with a disinfectant solution, the ceiling and walls are whitewashed with lime and ventilated to let in fresh air. In hot weather, spray with cool water. The floor is covered with dry straw and hay.

Necessary equipment

When preparing to farrow an animal, you need to stock up on sterile gloves, scissors, a piece of clean material and thread.

Before childbirth, potassium permanganate is diluted to produce a light purple solution; liquid iodine is needed.

In the cool season, a place is allocated for piglets. To keep the cubs from freezing, infrared lamps are turned on and the temperature is maintained at 28–29 °C.

How does the farrowing process work?

Having created optimal conditions for the female and offspring, you need to prepare to provide assistance to the mother and monitor the behavior of the animal.

Signs of the onset of labor

Before giving birth, the pig lies down almost all the time, getting up only occasionally. A few days before farrowing, the lethargic and calm animal begins to rush about and rake the bedding, but then the behavior changes, and the pig goes to rest again.

It is not difficult to determine the approach of childbirth in a piggy female based on several signs:

• The belly begins to descend.
• The udder grows in volume and acquires a loose structure.
• When pressing on the nipple, liquid colostrum drips.
• A plug comes out of the uterus.

A day before the onset of birth, the pig behaves strangely, makes a kind of nest out of hay, gets nervous, and breathes quickly. If you carefully monitor all the signs, you can accurately find out the time of birth.

How does the first farrow go?

When an animal begins to worry, the presence of the owner can calm it down; sometimes the help of a veterinarian is required. When a pig gives birth, it turns on its side. Weak, infrequent contractions become more frequent, strong and painful. Between the birth of the first and second cub, the break rarely exceeds 5 minutes, then the process slows down, the interval stretches to 30. With weak attempts, the female is given water and her stomach is gently massaged.

A pig giving birth for the first time produces piglets within 7 hours, but sometimes the process continues much longer. The animal brings from 6 to 8 cubs.

How to give birth correctly

Before you start farrowing, you need to wash your hands, treat them with disinfectant up to the elbows, and put on an apron and gloves. If the bubble does not burst when passing through the pig's birth canal, the person will have to break it, otherwise the piglet will die. When the baby is not breathing, massage the chest and lower it into water heated to 45 ° C, open the mouth and blow into it.

At home, newborn piglets are wiped with a diaper and mucus is removed from the ears, mouth, and nose with a soft cloth. The umbilical cord is tied with a thread and cut, the wound is smeared with brilliant green or treated with liquid iodine. The piglets are placed in a heated nest. It will take 20–30 minutes to receive the baby.

If the fetus does not pass through the birth canal quickly enough, the process may take 7–8 hours. To speed up farrowing, a hand in a sterile glove is inserted into the female’s vagina, the baby is felt, and when contractions begin, they are removed from the uterus. The baby's bladder is broken, the body is wiped dry, the umbilical cord is bandaged and cut. When the pig’s placenta does not come out at the end of labor, you need to urgently call a veterinarian.

Possible problems

During the first farrowing, it is recommended to closely monitor the condition of the female; slowing down or accelerating labor often leads to the appearance of dead offspring and the death of the pig.

Large piglets

Sometimes during the first pregnancy, the female carries cubs with a large weight and cannot give birth on her own for a long time. In this case, the help of a veterinarian is required.

Wrong location

Babies die in the womb of a pregnant pig, causing severe inflammation in her, or, passing through the birth canal, they are injured and die.

If the female's farrowing is progressing normally, but the owner discovers that the baby is positioned incorrectly, a veterinarian must be urgently called to save the offspring and the pig.

Stillborn babies

Sometimes a previously dead fetus gets stuck in the birth canal. It must be removed, otherwise the female will develop inflammation, which will end in sepsis and the death of the animal.

Prolonged labor

If farrowing continues for more than 11 hours, veterinary assistance is required as both the gilt and the babies may be lost. The reasons for prolonged labor include incorrect positioning of the fetus and its delay in the paths, weakness of the peritoneal muscles in the pig.

What to do after childbirth

When the placenta is expelled, and the offspring are cleared of mucus and sent to a cozy nest, the back of the female’s body is washed with warm soapy liquid, wiped dry, and the sow is allowed to rest. Regardless of how many piglets are born, you need to make sure that the animal feeds all of them with colostrum. You should not let the female feast on the placenta; she may begin to eat the offspring.

Sow nutrition

The diet of a woman in labor should be balanced. Milk production decreases and its quality decreases if the animal does not receive adequate nutrition.

The pig's menu should include:

• at least 10 kg of green feed;
• half of this amount of grain mixtures;
• hay and fresh grass (minimum 1.5 thousand g).

The animal requires vitamins and minerals, because it spends its energy producing milk, which is necessary for the growth and development of healthy offspring.For the first time after giving birth, the female is fed 9–10 hours later and given sweet water to drink. If your pig has no appetite, which may indicate health problems, you should call a veterinarian. To prevent the female from crushing small and tender piglets when changing position, they must be constantly monitored.

If a pig lies on its stomach and refuses to feed its offspring, it is usually given a laxative to drink.

Caring for piglets

After the end of childbirth, you must immediately remove the afterbirth and prevent the pig from eating it. The reddish discharge in the female disappears after a week. In the first days of life, babies eat fatty and nutritious colostrum, which strengthens the immune system. To prevent babies from piercing their mother's glands, their fangs are trimmed. The tail of piglets is shortened, leaving a length of up to 4 cm.

The pig's offspring are kept in a nest heated by infrared lamps. To prevent an aggressive female from feasting on her cubs, a ring is attached to the muzzle. If possible, babies are isolated in a separate place and allowed near the pig only for feeding. When the piglets are 3 weeks old, they are offered to try hay. Two-month-old young animals are given the same as adult animals, but the grass and straw are chopped.