Breeding Stock Health & Nutrition Business
By Rhonda McCurry
Raising livestock has lots of ups and downs but having a successful first litter of pigs can be one of the most agonizing parts of the business.
A sow’s first litter can determine her longevity. If she has a great first litter with no farrowing problems, no infection, no mastitis and eats well then this will improve how she deals with her future litters.
Daniel Hendrickson is a partner at 4-Star Vet Service and practices out of its Stoney Creek, Indiana office. His family also owns and manages Top Cut Genetics, a boar stud and sow farm near Farmland, Ind. He says another factor in having a successful litter is to breed females that are not too small framed or short-bodied.
“Females that are too small will also have a shorter pelvis, which means an increase in C-sections and problems farrowing,” he says. “When we shorten hogs from blade to hip and make them smaller framed we are also shortening all of their bones and these sows have more farrowing problems.”
Hendrickson says transitioning a show gilt to being a sow is very important to ensure she will cycle correctly and settle. Being in good condition will also allow the sow to have her pigs easier and milk well.
“A gilt in the right condition, not too fat and not too skinny,” he says. “Giving a proper weight range is tough to pin down but the sow should be in the proper condition to ensure a successful litter.”
One other consideration should be made long before farrowing dates are on the calendar. Hendrickson says to consider sow size when breeding to help with farrowing issues. Fetuses grow very fast at the end of gestation so the gilt should be induced with Lutalyse either on or the day after their due date. He says selecting females that have some length of body and frame size then keeping them in proper condition will help with a successful farrowing process.
“The factors that affect farrowing problems is keeping small-made females, having them to heavy conditioned, allowing them to go too far over their due date and having a small number of pigs,” Hendrickson says. “There is not much we can do about the sow having a small number of pigs but we can change the other three things.”
Here are other ways Hendrickson suggests to ensure a successful litter.
- Nutrition is key. Good gestation feeds are 13 to 14 percent protein and most gilts should eat 5 to 6 pounds per day. Hendrickson says to make sure the animal’s gestation diet includes good corn, soybean meal, premix and minerals.
- Offer plenty of water.
- Administer a pre-breeding vaccine. Hendrickson says it should include parvovirus, leptospirosis and erysipelas. Also, give Ivomec after coming home from a show or sale before putting a sow into your herd. Isolate her for three weeks to check for PRRS and watch for signs of PEDV.
- Give the sow a pre-farrow vaccine too. This will help prevent scours in newborn pigs. Most of these vaccines include E. coli, Clostridium, Bordetalla and Pastuerella.
- Limit feed a couple of days out from when they’re due. This will help them get back on feed better after farrowing.
- Use farrowing crates or a small pen with rails around the outside to protect the pigs. Do not farrow on shavings use straw instead. Hendrickson says some shavings have an anti-coagulate that will make baby pigs umbilical cords bleed
- Use a heat source like a pad or a lamp. Keep the sow comfortable and the farrowing house at 70-degrees. Make sure there is plenty of air movement and if it’s hot, let water drip on the sow. But don’t let the piglets get wet once they’re born.
- Keep your local veterinarian aware of the farrow date. As a vet himself, Hendrickson says it’s better to know when a customer thinks that they have a gilt that may cause a problem so they can be prepared.
