How to determine if a pig is pregnant and how long does a pig remain pregnant?

Raising pigs is a good solution for providing a family with high-quality meat and a profitable business for farmers. A sow can produce piglets twice a year, and her maintenance and raising the piglets are inexpensive.

But to obtain healthy offspring, a farmer must be able to determine an animal's pregnancy, how long a pig is pregnant, and how to properly farrow it at home.

Sexual maturity of pigs

A novice pig farmer or an experienced farmer first of all should know when pigs reach sexual maturity and how to determine the pregnancy of a sow.

The first heat in sows begins at the age of 5-6 months. However, since by this time the piglets have not yet reached full physical maturity, It is not recommended to mate young pigs during their first heatA physically underdeveloped sow will produce offspring with a weakened immune system. Animals should not be bred until they reach a live weight of approximately 100 kg and are nine months old.

You can determine whether a sow is ready for mating by the following signs:

• the animal refuses to eat and behaves restlessly;
• mucus is released from the genitals;
• redness of the external genitalia.

But the best indicator of a sow's readiness for mating is her stillness in the presence of a boar. Gilts typically cycle between periods of rest and arousal, so they can estrus at any time of year.

Methods for determining pregnancy in pigs

Signs of pregnancy are influenced by the animal's physical condition and character. In any case, if the mating was successful, approximately on the fifth day the corresponding symptoms should appear, indicating that the pig is pregnant. These include:

• absence of estrus;
• lack of appetite;
• the sow's apathy towards everything that is happening;
• cheesy discharge from the genitals;
• absence of signs of sexual desire;
• increase in the animal's body weight in a short period of time.

These symptoms persist throughout the sow's pregnancy. False pregnancy resolves within two weeks.

To more accurately determine whether a pig is pregnant, you can use the following methods:

1. Dough.
2. Vaginal biopsy.
3. Ultrasound examination.

However, not all methods are popular with farmers.

Tests

The procedure is expensive and time-consuming. It is performed around the 22nd day of pregnancy. a small amount of blood is taken from the animal near the ear, and pregnancy is determined by chemical analysis.

Ultrasound examinations

This is the most accurate method for determining pregnancy in a pig, which allows you to hear the fetal heartbeat in the walls of the uterus.

In large farms it is often Ultrasound scanners are used for testingThese are high-frequency devices that are very similar to the machines used to determine pregnancy in humans.

Vaginal biopsy

This method involves examining mucus taken from the sow's genitals. To do this, a tube is inserted 15 cm into the animal's vagina. a special tool that catches a little bit of mucusThe sample is placed in a container and sent for examination. Vaginal biopsy is used only in extreme cases due to its high cost.

Three weeks after mating, the sow can be taken to the veterinarian, who will perform a rectal examination and determine pregnancy by the pulsation of the uterine and urogenital arteries.

How long does pregnancy last?

A pregnant sow normally carries her piglets for about four months, or 114 days. Young sows carrying their first or second litter carry their piglets for 5–7 days longer. Mature sows often do not carry their calves to term., and can farrow 7–10 days earlier.

The duration of pregnancy is also influenced by several factors:

• time of year;
• number of piglets during previous pregnancy;
• conditions of detention;
• number of former farrowings;
• climatic conditions.

The breed of the sow also influences how long the sow carries her piglets. Large White A pregnant woman can walk for 114 days or 122 daysPot-bellied Vietnamese sows usually give birth no later than 114–118 days later.

Keeping pregnant sows

Proper management of the pregnant sow is crucial for the viability of piglets and subsequent lactation of the sow. On a large farm, it is easiest care for animals kept in groups with the same gestational ages.

Up to two months of pregnancy, four sows may be housed in a single pen, with 3 square meters of space allocated per sow. When a sow is three months pregnant, the space allocated per sow increases to 6 square meters, with no more than two animals per pen. For sows at four months of pregnancy and during farrowing, separate pens of at least 6 square meters are allocated.

Most often, rectangular pens are built for housing and questioning sows, making them at least 2.5 m deep, and calculating the width according to the designated area.

Feeding pregnant sows

As soon as the pig becomes pregnant, she is transferred to a special diet:

1. Young sows, who have not yet fully matured, should be provided with nutrients that will benefit both the development of the fetus and the animal's body weight. They require complete protein feed. However, it should be noted that an excess of protein can lead to embryonic death. A sow should gain 45 to 55 kg of live weight during pregnancy.
2. A mature sow needs to produce healthy piglets and maintain her body weight. However, in this case, the amount of nutrients should be slightly lower than for young animals. If the animal shows significant weight gain, it is necessary to review its diet and increase its physical activity. Over the entire period, a mature sow should gain no more than 45 kg.

It is very important to monitor the sow's diet during the last month of pregnancy, since it is during this period that the fetus gains two-thirds of its weight. The sow should be fed with easily digestible proteins and carbohydrates., which should not cause excessive gas formation and fermentation processes in the animal’s stomach.

Under no circumstances should a pregnant pig be fed sunflower husks, chaff, hard cake, rotten or frozen feed. She should be fed three times a day., and be sure to provide access to fresh drinking water.

Pig survey

Since a sow's pregnancy lasts 114 days, preparation for farrowing should begin approximately a week before the due date. To this end, each animal is allocated:

• separate machine;
• fresh soft bedding made of hay or straw;
• a clean, soft cloth to wipe the piglet with;
• scissors for cutting the umbilical cord and strong thread for tying it;
• brilliant green or iodine, which will be used to treat the piglet's navel.

On the day of farrowing, remember to place a bowl of clean water near the sow, as the animal loses a lot of fluid during labor and requires plenty of fluids. In the last days before the piglets appear, a sow subjected to extreme stress must be provided with certain conditions for bearing offspring:

1. High-quality feeding and provision of fresh water.
2. Strict adherence to all hygiene and sanitation requirements.
3. A calm atmosphere in the pigsty.

Two weeks before farrowing, the sow should be weaned off roughage and silage. About a week before farrowing, the sow's diet should be reduced. She can eat flaxseed meal, high-quality hay, or liquid bran. For the prevention of constipation Beet pulp can be fed to animals. After the piglets are born, to avoid digestive problems, the sow's diet is gradually adjusted.

A farmer is a must must know how to care for a pregnant sow and how to help her during farrowing. If such knowledge is lacking, or if the sow is giving birth for the first time, a veterinarian may be invited to attend the farrowing.

When conducting a survey independently, if all piglets were born healthy, then at the final stage all that remains is to wait for the placenta to come outto remove it immediately. If the placenta does not detach within 5-8 hours, you should seek medical attention.

The sow's dirty and wet bedding is replaced with dry and clean bedding, and her hindquarters are washed with warm water. The sow can be fed two hours after birth.

It is possible to obtain healthy offspring, and subsequently high-quality meat, only by choosing the right producer, appropriate care of the sow during pregnancy and parturition, and raising piglets according to all the rules. Only then will it be possible to obtain high-quality meat and a good income from omnivorous and prolific animals.