Breeding Management – Mating

The breeding herd

Sow

The sow should be checked for heat from the third morning after weaning i.e., with Friday weaning the first signs of heat in the sows will be seen on Tuesday. The fullest proof method for detecting heat is to put sow with a suitable boar to see if she will stand. The sow must be penned near a boar as smell, sight, contact and sour stimulate oestrus. Gilts should be mated an approximately 110kg or 8 months of age in the second or third heat (oestrus) cycle, early morning being the best time for mating.

Optimal time for breeding is +- 12 hours before ovulation or +- 24 – 36 hours after the onset of climcol oestrus i.e., towards the end of the first day of clinical oestrus and repeated once on the second day.

Serve at 24 hourly intervals i.e., in the early morning on two consecutive days, and again if the sow still requires the boar on the third day or three services at 12 – 13 hours later.

Have a definite policy to cull non-productive sows quickly, and make sure that gilts are ready to be served to replace the culled sows.

NB. A low average inter farrowing period must be attained to achieve high piglet numbers born per annum. Sows must not be mixed or moved between 1 and 4 weeks after service as this can cause re-absorption.

Boar

The boar is alone in the mating herd and:

Should be used after 1 year of age.
Do not allow the boar to become too fat.
Service should not take place during the heat of the day i.e., serve before 10hoo in the morning before it is too hot.
Avoid serving directly after feeding of the boar.
Do not use a boar on more then one sow a week, but if used on two sows, allow a minimum of 3 days between sows.
It lasts +- 3 years, thereafter sub-fertile or unfertile.
Watch boars for feet problems, and if boar has septic foot rot, it will be infertile for at least 4 weeks after recovery.
Any fever episode will affect fertility of the boar.

Natural Service

Natural service or copulation process includes:

The boar will mount at the first acceptance by the sow. Mounting is repeated several times before actual service.
Erection is relatively slow (+-90 sec.) at rhythmical thrusting movements seen during this time.
These movements seize during ejaculation, which may take from 4 – 6 minutes.

Gestation period, fertilisation, and conception

Fertilisation process

This part refers to the swine areas where the fertilization happens.

In the upper third of the fallopian tube.
The fertilization rate is usually thigh, 90 – 100%.
It occurs within a few hours with first cleavage after 14 – 16 hours and second cleavage after 10- 24 hours after fertilization.
The zygotes enter the uterus 2 – 3 days after fertilization and spacing occurs between 8 – 11 days.
Implementation starts at about 14 – 16 days and is well established by day 24 – 30.

Cleavage

Is the process of cellular division without growth e.g., the zygote divides by mitosis resulting in 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 cell zygotes without increase in original volume?

The period of embryo (+- 40 days)

It is from the appearance of the primitive foetal membranes up to the completion of organo-genesis. When the embryo can be recognized as belonging to a particular species.

Implementation

Is when the embryo becomes fixed in position and physical contact with the maternal organism is established. The placenta takes over the role of nutrition and protection. Thus, fertilization is complete and the embryo is implanted.

Farrowing Period – sow

Parturition

It is defined as the expulsion of a live term foetus from the pregnant uterus of the female animal. The most common position of the foetus at birth is anterior Longitudinal presentation, dorso-cranial position, extension of the head, neck and fore-limbs.

Stages of parturition

The preparatory stage for the actual birth, characterized by active contractions of both the longitudinal and circular muscles of the uterine wall and the dilation of the service, the relaxation of the pelvic ligament so that the uterus and the vagina form one continuous canal.

Behaviour Changes

Changes and symptoms include:

Restlessness and nest forming.
Appetite is poor pulse and respiration rates increase.
Grunting is common.
The vulva is swollen and oedematous.
The mammary glands are oedematous distended and filled with colostrum. Duration is 24 – 36 hours.
Towards the end of this stage, the membranes rupture and the amnion membrane proceed the foetus into the pelvic canal.

Second Stage

Is the actual birth process during which the foetus forceful expelled by strong uterine contractions, as well as by coordinated abdominal muscle contraction.

The sow is usually down in lateral recumbence.

Small volume of fluid is passed shortly before the first and subsequent piglets.

On intervals, on average, of 15 minutes with a range of 5 – 6 minutes a piglet is born.

Faecal membranes join to form a canal through which several, or the whole of the piglet is born. Pieces of after-births may be expelled in between piglets. A fairly constant sign proceeding the actual birth of a piglet is a violent tail movement by the sow.

The piglets will try to get up within a few minutes and suckle as soon as they reach the teats. Duration of second stage is 30 minutes until 10 hours depending on the litter size.

Third Stage

This stage of expulsion of the foetal membranes. During this stage the membranes is expelled, and the involution of the uterus starts. Duration 30 minutes until 4 hours.

Parturition is a smooth flowing process without any arrest between stages.

The most critical period in the life cycle of a pig is from birth to weaning. On the average, about two pigs per litter are lost during this period. Poor management is the major contributing factor, although the actual cause may be crushing, bleeding from the navel, anaemia, starvation or disease.

Weaning large litters of thrifty, heavyweight pigs is a key factor for a profitable swine herd. This publication attempts to outline management practices that help keep pigs alive and profits high.

Preparation for farrowing

The average gestation period for sows is 114 days. To prepare for farrowing, producers should know when sows are due. They also need a method to identify all sows. The gestation table (see Table 1) is designed to help producers determine farrowing date based on the date sows are bred.

Table 1. Gestation based on 114-day gestation time.

Date bred¹	Due to farrowing
January 1	April 25
February 1	May 26
March 1	June 23
April 1	July 24
May 1	August 23
June 1	September 23
July 1	October 23
August 1	November 23
September 1	December 24
October 1	January 23
November 1	February 23
December 1	March 25
¹Farrowing dates for other breeding dates can be easily interpolated. For example, a sow bred November 6 will farrow March 1.

However, producers should be ready for delivery prior to the due date because of individual variation in gestation.

Newborn pigs have a better survival chance if they arrive in a clean, sanitized farrowing facility. In addition, most producers feel that a break between farrowing reduces disease buildup. Many producers, however, farrow continuously to maximize use of expensive facilities. They must do a top job of cleaning and sanitizing.

A steam cleaner or high-pressure sprayer can be used successfully to clean the farrowing house. Adding a detergent helps remove organic matter. A disinfectant can be applied after cleaning. Cleaning also can be done with a shovel and broom. Floors can be scrubbed using a solution of one pound of lye and 30 gallons of water.

Some producers fumigate, especially those who have had a consistent scours problem in a central house. Directions should be followed carefully, and precautions taken to avoid accidents with fumigation.

In addition, the sow should be washed with soap and warm water immediately prior to being put into the farrowing pen.

Care at farrowing

The newborn pig has three basic requirements:

A good environment;
Adequate and regular nutrition; and
Safety from disease and crushing.

Individual attention from the producer at this point pays off with more live pigs. The amount of labor available may determine how much time you spend in the farrowing house. One person in charge of the farrowing works well in larger operations. Attendance at farrowing will pay off in more live pigs but may not be economically feasible. Tables 2 and 3 indicate the scope of piglet mortality and the large proportion of deaths occurring the first few days after farrowing.

Table 2. Piglet mortality of sows and gilts (Lemann and Knudson, 1972).

	Total	Percent of Pigs Born
Pig death prior to first observation/litter	0.70	7.1
Pig death after the first observation	1.79	18.2
Mean pig death/litter	2.49	25.5
Pig deaths after first observation: Crushing Starvation Born weak Chilling Transmissible gastroenteritis	30.9 percent 17.6 percent 14.7 percent 5.5 percent 3.9 percent
Other diarrheas	12.9 percent
Pneumonia	1.4 percent
Others	13.1 percent
Total	100.0 percent

Table 3. Death in relationship to time since parturition (Aherne. University of Alberta).

Days from parturition	No. of deaths	Death as percent of total
1	302	46.7
2	77	11.9
3	75	11.6
4	40	6.2
5	19	2.9
6	11	1.7
7	9	1.4
8-14	32	4.9
15-28	39	6.0
29-56	43	6.7
Total	647	100.0

Management — first few days after farrowing

There are many essential chores to be done shortly after pigs are born. The navel should be disinfected the day pigs are born using tincture of iodine. If possible, equalize litter size. If several sows are farrowing within a 24-hour period, pigs can be transferred successfully from one sow to another. Transfer bigger pigs in the litter, not the runts. Best results occur if pigs are transferred the first 3 days of life and have received colostrum before transfer.

Clip needle teeth, being careful not to crush the teeth or cut the gums. At the same time, tails can be docked. To dock the tails, use the same side-cutter pliers. Leave a stub on the tail about 1/4-inch long. Tail-docking is best done when the pigs are one day old.

Ear-notching is a good practice even in commercial herds. (See MU publication G2505, Universal Ear Notching System for Pigs.) This identification helps select replacement animals from top litters and gives a check on age when pigs reach market weight.

There are many good sources of iron that can be used to prevent anaemia. Iron-dextran injected in the muscle is an effective method. Injections in the neck or forearm are preferred to injecting in the ham. Common levels are 150-200 milligrams of iron as iron-dextran, usually given the first 2 to 3 days after birth. Don’t give overdoses of iron because it may induce shock. Iron also can be mixed in the feed or in the drinking water. Supplying uncontaminated soil in the pig area is another method of supplying iron but is not used much in today’s confinement systems.

Checking the sow’s temperature immediately after birth and each 12 hours the first two or three days helps head off problems. This has proven particularly helpful in initiating early treatment for MMA. Temperatures of 104 degrees F and above indicate some action is needed.

Light birth weight pigs present a difficult management problem. Table 4 indicates nearly 60 percent of pigs born under 2 pounds will perish. Table 5 indicates that with extra care and nutrient supplementation, many of these pigs can be saved.

Table 4. Relationship of birth weight and survival¹.

Weight range (pounds)	No. of pigs	Weight distribution of population (percent)	Survival (percent)
Under 2.0	1,035	6	42
2.0-2.4	2,367	13	68
2.5-2.9	4,197	24	75
3.0-3.4	5,012	28	82
3.5-3.9	3,268	19	86
4.0 and over	1,734	10	88
Total	17,613	100	(Average) 77
¹From Pork Industry Handbook. 1984 litters. Average birth weight of live pigs farrowed 3.0 lbs. Iowa Swine Nutrition Herd Performance Data.

Table 5. Survival of nursing pigs dosed with milk replacers¹.

Treatment	Control	Supplemented
No. pigs	69	69
No. survived	34	51
Percent survived	49	740
¹Moody et al., Journal of Animal Science 25(1966):1250. Nursing pigs under 2.0 lbs. orally dosed once or twice daily from the day born to 7 days with 15 ml reconstituted milk replacers, 3.2 water: solids ratio.

During Farrowing

During farrowing special attention should be paid to the following aspects:

The sows may need help during farrowing.
Keep the sows calm and quiet to prevent injuries and loss of piglets.
Ensure that the piglets do not become entangled in the membrane that may result in suffocation.
Rub the piglets down to dry them if necessary.
Maintain a suitable temperature with the help of infrared lamps when it is cold and fans in hot weather.

After Farrowing

After farrowing it should be ascertained that:

The sow excretes the placenta.
The sow is not constipated.
The temperature does not occur as this may be due to an infection.
The udder is not hardened, and signs of infection don’t occur.
The sow does produce milk.
The piglets drink as soon as possible, in order to receives colostrum to build a resistance against contamination.
Sufficient clean water is available for the sow to drink.
The umbilical cords of the piglets are painted with an iodine solution to prevent infection.

Losses of piglets

About 70% of the losses of piglets occur during the first week and particularly on the first day after farrowing. The factors responsible for these losses are the following:

Depending on the mothering qualities, some sows tend to lie on, or trample piglets, which can result injuries to piglets or even death of piglets. Certain sows are more careful and tamer. Heavy, over fat sows are clumsy and more inclined to lie on piglets than lighter sows. Well-planned and quipped breeding pens are a necessity.
Considerable losses may occur because of hunger of piglets. This may be due to insufficient milk supply or a total lack of milk supply. This condition may be caused by constipation in the sow, a heritable weakness or diseases. Select sows with well-developed normal functioning teats. Milk production should be stimulated by the feed the sow receives.
Livability. Strong, healthy piglets at birth have a greater liveability. They also drink better. Heavy birth masses (no less than 1kg) is a good indication of liveability. With a small birth mass the chances of piglets to die before weaning age, are greater.
Anaemia. Considerable losses in piglets may occur soon after birth because of anaemia. It is caused by an iron deficiency and the clinical symptoms are only perceptible at three weeks of age. The piglets are pale, hairy and of disproportional size. They tend to lie together and seem to be cold. One may combat anaemia by administering an iron preparation.

There are several diseases that may cause considerable losses if piglets are contaminated soon after birth and not treated immediately. These diseases such as diarrhoea and others which cause severe scouring may cause losses, lowered liveability and lowered growth rate.

Management during lactation

If pigs are kept on cement floors iron must be given within three days after birth, else losses due to anaemia may be great. Iron may be administered as a paste on the tongue, dosing in capsule form or intramuscular injection of an iron preparation. Red soil on the floor of the pens, in which the piglets can rout, is also useful. Cut the piglet’s teeth soon after birth without injury to the gums. This prevents them from biting each other or damaging the sow’s teats.

Baby pigs occurs

Baby pig scours are major ongoing problems for swine producers. Most common diarrhoea are caused by various strains of Escherichia coli, a gram-negative bacteria common to the intestinal tract of all mammals. The symptom of E.coli-induced diarrhoea is a watery, yellowish stool. Pigs are most susceptible from 1 to 4 days of age, at 3 weeks of age and at weaning.

Although pigs are born with little disease resistance, this resistance increases as they absorb antibodies from their mothers’ colostrum. Because pigs’ ability to absorb antibodies decreases rapidly from birth, it becomes important that they feed on colostrum soon after birth. Colostrum provides the only natural disease protection they will have until their own mechanism for antibody production begins to function effectively at 4 to 5 weeks. Disease resistance is lowest at 3 weeks. It is wise to avoid unnecessary stress (castration, vaccination, worming) at this time.

In treating common scours, orally administered drugs are usually more effective than injections. You should use a drug effective against the bacterial strain on your farm.

A dry, warm, draft-free environment is of primary importance in reducing scours. Sanitation is also very important in reducing the incidence of baby pig scours.

Other diseases such as transmissible gastroenteritis (TGE) and swine dysentery may cause more serious diarrhea problems. Contact your local veterinarian if diarrhea persists or does not respond to treatment.

Castration

Boar pigs can be castrated any time before they are 4 weeks old. There is less shock on them at an early age and many producers do this chore the first week.

Creep feeding

In addition to sows’ milk pigs’ need a creep feed to make maximum gain through weaning. Provide a fresh creep feed at one week of age in a place where pigs can get away from the sow.

A creep ration should be high quality, complete mixed feed that is eaten readily. Good creep rations can be purchased or mixed on the farm. When creep rations are formulated and mixed on the farm, take particular care to use a high-energy palatable mixture that meets the pig’s nutrient needs.

Getting pigs to eat adequate amounts of a creep ration is often a problem. Place the creep feeder in a warm, dry, well-lighted area. Feed small amounts, and feed frequently to keep the ration fresh. Sprinkling feed on the floor or placing it in a shallow pan may help pigs start to eat. Pelleted feeds are usually eaten more readily than meal.

Weaning pigs

Weaning pigs need good management, and where good management is practiced, pigs are consistently weaned successfully when three to six weeks old in Missouri. Time of weaning depends somewhat on care, facilities and production schedules. Weaning less than 5 weeks of age requires more skill and attention. Warm, dry facilities free from draft are essential.

Pigs weighing 15 pounds or more generally can be weaned successfully regardless of age if they are eating well. It is extremely important to have a dry, heated, well-ventilated, well-insulated house available for pigs weaned early, particularly in bad weather.

Don’t start pigs in large groups. Small groups of 20 to 25 heads per pen do best. Allow 3 to 4 square feet of space for each pig. Sort pigs according to size and weight.

Parasite control

Monitor your parasite problems by analysis of worm eggs in manure and slaughter checks. Some confinement units have minimal problems with internal parasites. Several good products are available. Recommendations for parasite control are subject to change. Check carefully to see that all products used are current and that limitations on time of use prior to slaughter is observed.

Sow feeding pointers

Good nutrition is important for lactating sows. A 15% protein high-energy ration containing adequate vitamins and minerals is recommended. Reduce intake of sows immediately prior to farrowing, or add bulk with one part bran or ground oats to two parts lactation ration to reduce problems with constipation at farrowing.

After farrowing, gradually increase the ration so that the sow is on full feed by seven to ten days after farrowing if she has had at least eight pigs in the litter. Feed a high-energy diet during lactation to support milk production.

Heavy milk producing sows have difficulty eating enough feed to maintain their condition. More frequent feeding, pelleting and adding fat are techniques to increase energy intake.

Summary

In conclusion there are some things to keep in mind during swine breeding:

Have sows and facilities prepared for farrowing.
Be present at farrowing, if possible.
Keep the pigs warm and dry.
Process the pig early (navels, teeth, tails, castration).
Prevent anaemia with iron shots.
Prevent scours.
Minimize stress at weaning.
Control parasites.
Check sows’ nutrition.

Piglets life cycle from birth

Birth

Piglets at birth will need special attention as discussed in farrowing:

Colostrum (Umthubi)
Antibodies (Tzikhuseli)
Laxative effect (Tyahambisa)
Iron consumption.

Obviously the piglets will undergo nutritional diarrhoea.

Average mass – 1.3kg

Critical weight – 900g

Watch out for

During birth there are other qualitative factors to look out for:

Qwalasela oku:
Crushing: The sow must not be on top piglets.
Needle teeth: It must be clipped within 24 hours.
Dis-infection of the navel causes iodine do not over feed sown excess milk.

Tail doctoring

Tail docking should be done to prevent the point of the tail (consisting of hairs) from getting dirty and causing infections. Docked tails should be cleaned and disinfected to avoid the wound being infected. Blood on the docked point may attract other piglets and can cause cannibalism.

Pig housing

Thermic Environment

Temperature

How does the thermic environment temperature influance the swine:

Influence on the achievement of the growing pig

In the case of the growing pig, the aim of optimal environment temperature is mainly:

Maximum speed in growth
High and effective feed utilization
Ideal carcass quality production
Optimal status in health

Speed growth and feed utilization

The quickest descending in the speed of growth and feed utilization is experienced when the temperature is extremely high, for e.g., 30ºC and higher.

Influence on achievement of breeding pigs

In optimum environmental calidiation, the boar will achieve optimum fertility, whilst the sow and growing piglets will also achieve maximum growth, milk production and feed consumption. The pregnant sow has a higher sensitivity for high temperatures than the dry sow. Especially 5 days before mating, the dry sow must be protected against high temperatures. Pregnant sows in a crate-weaning pen are showing sensitivity if the temperature rises above 21ºC. While pigs exposed to sunburn will show extreme symptoms of a very low ability to oestrus and natural mating.

Controlling of temperature in the pig sty

In the building and planning of the pig housing, two very important requirements is necessary to take in consideration:

Temperature isolation against cold – especially for newborn piglets.
Isolation against extreme high temperatures in summer – especially for breeding and growing pigs.

In practice new born piglets are given heat by a gas or paraffin heater, infrared lights or electrical heaters. The problem with infrared heating is the small area that is heated. The piglets climb over each other, and some piglets get to much heat, whilst others too less heat. Infrared bulbs are also very expensive and fuse with the slightest drop of water or knock.

Heat control is normally very difficult and expensive. Fans can be installed to improve airflow. The most effective and cheapest way is to use micro sprinkler and spray water over the pigs for 1 minutes every hour.

Airflow and ventilation

The aim of air ventilation in pig buildings is:

To extract dust and poisonous gasses and to replace it with fresh air.
Extraction of damp, caused by sweat and evaporation from drinking throughs as well as wet floors. A grown pig (50 – 60kg) in body mass is excreting 1 Lt. Per 24 hours. This moisture must be removed from the sty, either by normal airflow or by extraction fans.
Extraction of additional heat produced by the animal.
The fulfilling of the top three functions that creates an optimum climate for maximum achievement in production.

In the planning and building of a structure, the orientation of the building must be correctly according to the wind direction and strength to provide a natural airflow.

Relative humidity

The relative humidity inside the building depends on temperature, ventilation, swet production from the pigs and evaporation from wet floor dung and urine.

A growing pig per hour releases approximately 0.28L of water (1 cup). A combination of high temperatures and humidity is oppressing the growing speed and food intake of pigs.