How much do you know about sow farrowing

How long does it take for sows to give birth？

Sow's gestation period.

The pregnancy duration is generally 110 days - 120 days, both are 114 days, so 114 days is taken as the standard pregnancy duration of a sow, and the occurrence of special circumstances cannot be ruled out.

The sow's due date.

A difference of 3-4 days from the expected farrowing date is within the normal range. The general farmer’s calculation method is to add 4 to the month and then subtract 6 to get the expected farrowing date in the month when the sow is determined to be pregnant. Or calculate three months plus three weeks plus three days to calculate the expected date of delivery.

Sows are lactating.

Generally, sows are fed for two months, so it takes a total of 174 days from pregnancy to lactation, which is almost half a year, so they give birth twice a year at most. Although the current technology can control the shortening of the breastfeeding period to one month, it will affect the subsequent production, so it is not recommended to do so.

How to tell if a sow is pregnant? Some pig farmers only know about mating, but they don’t know if they have been mated. As a result, the belly of the sow is still flat when the due date is reached. If we raise sows like this, we can only waste feed and the youth of the pig. Today I will tell you five ways to judge whether a sow is pregnant, it is recommended that you keep it for future use.

Established in 2000, LONGMU is engaged in poultry equipment production including chicken nipple drinkers, poultry waterer drinkers, poultry feeders, feeding lines, drinking lines, and transportation cages.

Our company is developing equipment for pig farming including: pig drinker, pig feeder, pig other equipment. If we use it, we will give you affordable prices, high-quality products, and timely after-sales service.

The estrus cycle of a sow is 21 days. If a sow has not had an estrus for more than 23 days, it is likely to be matched. The most accurate method is B-ultrasound detection, especially for sows that have raised more than 20 Pig, B-ultrasound machine is still very necessary. If there is no B-ultrasound machine, it can also be identified from the following aspects.

First, look at the activity status of the sow

Pregnant sows like to be quiet and do not like to move, and have a docile temperament. If a group of sows is sleeping and only a few sows are constantly moving, then you should focus on whether the sow is pregnant.

Second, look at the feeding speed

Pregnant sows have a good appetite and eat quickly, while non-pregnant sows eat slowly

Third, the back and waist sink

Although the fetal growth rate of sows in early pregnancy is very slow and the weight is small, the development of the uterus in early pregnancy is very fast, resulting in an increase in the volume of the abdominal cavity and sagging of the sow's back and waist. This requires careful observation.

Fourth, look at the changes in the mammary glands of sows

We all know that the mammary glands of sows develop at 75-95 days of pregnancy. During this period, the feed should not be too large. In fact, the mammary glands of sows develop relatively early, and the sows’ bellies begin to swell at 45-55 days of pregnancy. There will be blue veins on the breast.

Fifth, observe the fetal movement

When the sow is pregnant for more than 70 days, we can touch the fetal movement with our hands, and the fetal movement becomes more obvious as it goes backward, especially when the sow is lying on the ground or lying on the ground after eating, the fetal movement in the rear abdomen is very obvious.

The gestation period of a sow is 114 days to 116 days, and the birth process of a sow is 2-3 hours under normal circumstances. After the sow gives birth to her first piglet, she will produce a piglet approximately every 10-20 minutes. After the piglets are delivered, the placenta can be discharged in about half an hour, and the labor process is over. So in the daily farrowing process of sows, will there be a situation where the sows are too long? What should we do in view of the situation that the sow is too long?

1. How long is the normal labor process?

1. It is normal for a sow to have a labor process between two and three hours. If it exceeds three hours, it is considered a sow with a long labor process.

2. The whole process of a sow from giving birth to the first piglet to the discharge of the placenta is collectively referred to as the sow's labor process. Generally, after the first piglet of a sow is born, the next piglet will be born every 10-20 minutes. If the next piglet has not been born for more than 20 minutes, it belongs to the production process.

What causes the sow's labor process to be too long?

1. The reason for the variety. Sows imported from abroad are lean sows, and their indicators are not as good as those of Chinese native sows. Generally speaking, the labor process will be longer than that of traditional Chinese sows.

2. For primiparous sows, the mating time is too early, and the endocrine system and reproductive systems are not yet fully developed, which will lead to dystocia and prolonged labor in certain situations.

3. For sows with one litter, since they have never given birth to piglets, the birth canal is weak, constricted, and insufficiently lubricated, which will also lead to dystocia under certain circumstances.

4. Sows are too fat or too thin when they give birth. During pregnancy, feeding sows at a high level for a long time will also increase the proportion of stillbirths in sows. If the feeding level is too high, the body condition of the sows will be too fat, which will make the uterus, subcutaneous, abdomen, and other parts of the sows If there is too much fat deposition in the body, during childbirth, the production force will be insufficient, the uterine contraction will be weak, and fatigue will easily occur, and the time spent on production will become shorter, thus prolonging the labor process.

5. The sows eat too much before giving birth, which will cause the sows to overburden the intestines during delivery, oppress the uterus, make it difficult for the sows to give birth, and prolong the labor process.

6. Due to the hardness of the feed, sows do not drink enough water, and sows are prone to constipation. Due to constipation, the gastrointestinal air discharge of sows is blocked for a long time, which makes the feces fill the intestines for a long time and oppress the birth canal, thereby affecting the birth of the fetus. Pig births are longer.

7. When a sow is infected with a reproductive disorder or a general high fever disease, it will cause the sow to give birth to stillbirth and the birth process to become abnormal.

Preventive measures

1. First, control the body condition of sows during delivery to prevent overfat or underweight. The body condition of a sow before farrowing should be that the back is plump, with a flat or slightly concave line, without any protruding bones, and below the lumbar spine, there is a depression behind the ribs and in front of the pelvis. less than this depression. Pregnant sows should be fed according to the condition of the sows in the early stage and should be fed freely after 100 days. This will not only increase the birth weight of the piglets but also prevent the sows from being too fat to lengthen the labor process.

2. To prevent severe constipation in sows, it is recommended to feed sows with a water mix during the feeding process of sows. Water mix is easy for sows to digest and absorb, and its palatability is better than dry feed. Studies have shown that water mix to a certain extent, it can increase the feed intake of sows, and the water mix can effectively prevent constipation.

3. In summer and autumn, when the weather temperature is too high, heatstroke prevention and cooling work for pregnant sows should be strengthened. In summer and autumn, pregnant sows are reared in limited places. The density is high, heat dissipation is difficult, many water curtains have a water leakage, sun exposure, and other reasons, the effect is Poor, the cooling effect is not very obvious, resulting in many setting the temperature of 22 ℃, and often the internal environment temperature reaches above 30 ℃, in these environments, sows are very prone to heat stress, increasing the stillbirth rate of litters, so when When the ambient temperature reaches above 30°C, it is recommended to spray the barn to cool down and flush the sows in the farrowing room to cool down, to minimize the impact of heat stress on the sows.

4. During the sow's farrowing process, the sow should be quiet and cool, and personnel should try not to walk back and forth within the sight of the sow. A quiet production environment is especially important for sows.

5. When the piglets are born and wiped dry, immediately put the piglets next to the sow’s udder to drink milk, so that the piglets can quickly eat colostrum, and secondly, the piglets can continuously suck the nipples, which can quickly stimulate the sows to go down The thalamus secretes oxytocin, which causes uterine contraction, which not only helps smooth childbirth, shortens the labor process, but also facilitates the discharge of milk.

6. Do a good job of vaccination, prevent reproductive disorders in sows, and treat sick pigs in time.

7. During the sow's production process, if dystocia occurs, midwifery can be performed appropriately, such as quickly stimulating the sow's breast with hands, which can make the sow secrete oxytocin, which is helpful for childbirth. When it is not stuck at the mouth of the birth canal, you can properly dig out the pigs to help the sows give birth.