How to find out that a pig has been on a spree, for how many days and at what age

The mating process of pigs plays a key role in the reproduction of livestock. The farmer needs to correctly determine the day for breeding animals, choose a suitable boar, provide good living conditions and monitor the diet.

What is hunting

A pig's heat is the time when its body is in a state of readiness for mating. During this period, changes in visual characteristics and behavior are observed. Even a novice pig breeder will be able to determine the moment when it is best to mate, but this will require careful monitoring of the livestock.

When does it start

Puberty and the body's readiness for mating occurs in animals in the first year of life. As a rule, pigs are older than six months. Despite the possibility of fertilization at an early age, their body is not fully developed, and offspring become underdeveloped and are formed in small numbers.

Also, childbirth at an early age increases the risk of deterioration in the condition of females and subsequent inhibited development.

Professional farmers perform mating at the age of 9-10 months to avoid complications. It is important to determine the favorable moment and not to overexpose the animal, otherwise after 14 months there may be a risk of reduced fertilization. In such a situation, it is better to start rearing young piglets again.

Frequency and duration

In females that have reached sexual maturity, the hunting period occurs on a regular basis and lasts 18-24 days. If insemination does not occur, then mating can be repeated after 3 weeks. The exception is situations where the female has not gained enough weight to bear and give birth to piglets. In such females, the period of heat occurs irregularly, and it is not recommended to do so with a boar.

It is impossible to understand in advance exactly how many days the female will walk. Some pigs can go on a spree even during pregnancy. If this happens, another male is added to her. After this, there is a possibility that the female will farrow twice with a short interval and there will be no risk that she will overdo it.

Definition, signs of hunting, how to distinguish them

To find out when animals are ready for mating, you need to check for the corresponding signs. They vary depending on gender. In females, the period of readiness to reproduce offspring is characterized by the following list of indicators:

• slight definition of the nipples and visible parts of the genitals;
• refusal to eat or a significant reduction in food consumption;
• violent behavior of the animal;
• periodic discharge of mucous consistency;
• regular sniffing.

Males behave differently during hunting. The readiness of the boars’ body is determined by the following criteria:

• frequent urination with a regularity of about 30 minutes;
• regular grunting;
• active and bold behavior;
• friction against the walls of the cage, attempts to escape from it;
• imitation of the mating process.

All the subtleties of the mating process

To breed healthy and strong offspring, you need to understand the nuances of the mating procedure. Not every fertilization of animals gives the expected result.

Attempts with negative results may occur due to pig diseases, unfavorable living conditions, or poor quality of seed material.

Matching

You need to mate sexually mature, hardy individuals with high physiological indicators. An important criterion for choosing a pair for mating is the productivity of the boar, which can be assessed by past offspring or by testing seed material in clinical conditions. The condition of the female’s body plays an equally significant role, so she must be a developed individual, not have congenital defects and meet the parameters of the breed.

In order to breed the most hardy and strong young animals, a boar of a different direction of productivity and an excellent breed mates with the female.For example, it is possible to breed a bacon boar with a female meat-fat type. When using livestock from another farm, you must first consult with a specialist.

Basic mating methods

Pigs can be impregnated either naturally or artificially. With the natural method, the female is chosen to be with a specially selected male, or free mating is used, when the boar mates freely with pigs in the same pen. As a rule, natural mating is used when there is a close-up plan for reproduction.

An artificial method is more effective for doing it at home. It makes it possible to carefully select boars and inject the sperm obtained from them into the vagina of females. This increases the chance of positive fertilization and eliminates uncontrolled reproduction, which leads to the loss of the original quality of the seed material.

Features of artificial mating

The artificial insemination technique is used in large farms where high productivity and control of the number of offspring are required. The procedure for artificial insemination of animals is as follows:

• the female, who is in a state of heat, is fixed in a special machine mechanism;
• the doctor instrumentally inserts seed material into the female’s vagina;
• To increase the likelihood of fertilization, a glucose-salt mixture is additionally introduced.

Some tips

When mating animals, difficulties can arise that will be difficult for a novice farmer to deal with on their own. To avoid problems, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with standard tips.

Pigs of different hybrids

When breeding hybrids, you need to find out what breeds are required for this purpose.Individuals must have a good breeding history and meet a number of criteria.

Pigs of different sizes

When mating individuals of different sizes, attention is first paid to the characteristics of the male. If it is excessively massive, its weight will cause injury to the female’s back. Before mating, it is necessary to study the physiological capabilities of the animals and, if necessary, use special devices to level out the difference in size.

If the male is passive

Violation of the conditions of detention often leads to passivity of the male. To eliminate passivity, you need to review your diet and take care of its balance, as well as reduce the number of matings.

What to do if the hunt doesn't start

In situations where individuals are not in heat, it is allowed to call it on their own. Common reasons for lack of readiness for mating are a large number of individuals in one place, unbalanced nutrition, and diseases of the genital organs. The first step to trigger a hunt is to improve living conditions and consult a doctor.

If no diseases are detected in animals, then the hunting process can be stimulated by introducing young boars to mature females. Frequent walking will also be useful, since excess weight reduces libido. Another way to induce heat is to use special stimulant sprays that are sprayed into the pen with pigs.

How to stop sexual estrus in a pig

If you do not need to mate pigs, you can reduce the state of hunting using folk methods. The following actions help to remove readiness for insemination:

1. Placing a copper plate at the bottom of a container of drinking water. This calms the pigs and reduces activity.
2. Adding the substance “Swinsynchron” to food within 2-3 weeks from the moment signs of heat appear.
3. Mixing feed with mash throughout the hunt, so the pigs will sleep more often.

Traditional methods bring temporary results and are harmless to livestock. In order to resume mating in the future, you only need to eliminate the impact of the methods used on the pigs’ body.