PIG MANAGEMENT
PRACTICES
BREEDS
• Indigenous pigs
• Landrace
• Large White or Yorkshire
• Hampshire
• Berkshire
• Poland China
• Cross-breeds (commonest in Zambia)
Major traits of interest
• Growth rate
• Feed efficiency
• Carcass quality
• Hardiness
• Prolificacy
Selecting a boar for the herd
Consider the following factors:
• Litter size: Boar to come from a litter of at least 12
healthy piglets born alive.
• Growth rate and feed efficiency: Prospective boar
candidate must have attained a weight of 110 kg by 7
mo of age, with less than 350 kg feed consumption
from birth.
• Carcass quality: He should not put on a lot of body
fat. Backfat thickness should not exceed 2.8 cm at 110
kg.
• Mammary development: He must have at least 12
evenly spaced teats; no teat inversions or blind
nipples.
• Health: He should test negative for brucellosis
and leptospirosis, the two major causes of
abortion in sows and gilts; no signs of joint
enlargement.
• Genetic abnormalities, should be absent.
• Conformation and physical fitness: Boar should
be relatively long and muscular in the shoulders,
back and thigh.
Selecting a female for breeding
Consider the following factors:
• Health: Good health is of great importance.
• Prolificacy and mothering ability: Must be able to
produce large size litter (at least 12 piglets and av. wt.
1.2 kg), and should be capable of rearing the piglets;
at least 10 piglets should be alive by 3rd week.
• Capable of farrowing at least twice a year.
• Teat number and placement: minimum desirable
number is 12; no blind nipples, no inversions.
• Growth rate and feed efficiency: Select on those that
demonstrated such traits when they were growing.
• Temperament: Should be easy to handle; bad-
tempered animals should be avoided.
• Hardiness: Ability to withstand stress, e.g. sows must
withstand the stress of producing two or more litters
in a year.
• Physical fitness and visual assessment: Pay particular
attention to ability of animal to stand on its feet and
walk normally.
Breeding of sows and gilts
• Gilt show sexual maturity at 5-6 months
• However, delay breeding until you have observed
heat 3 times
• This allows gilt to become more mature and also shed
more eggs.
• Ovaries normally produce 18-20 eggs during heat
• Ovulation takes place towards the end of the first day (24 h)
of heat.
• Eggs remain viable and fertile for up to 24 hrs following
ovulation.
• After this, they begin losing their ability to get fertilized.
• On the other hand, sperms can remain viable for up to 40
hrs.
• For mating to be successful, ensure onset of oestrus in order
to serve sow at the right time.
Signs of oestrus in the sow or gilt
• Reddening and swelling of the vulva.
• Animal becomes more alert and exhibits nervous and
aggressive behaviour.
• Discharge of clear mucus from the vagina.
• Animal exhibits standing reflex i.e., adopts immobile
posture when pressure is applied to the back.
• To ensure good conception rate (at least 70%),
females should be mated twice.
• If oestrus is observed in morning, sow or gilt
should be mated in evening and again the
following morning after about 12 - 14 hours
interval.
• If oestrus is first observed in the evening, the sow or
gilt should be mated in the morning and again in the
evening.
• After 21 days, she must be observed for heat again.
• If she comes into heat, it means she did not conceive
and therefore the service must be repeated.
• If she fails again, she must be culled.
Pregnancy
• It takes 114 +/- 3 days from conception to
farrowing.
• Three (3) weeks before farrowing, the pregnant
sow or gilt should be de-wormed to minimise
the possibility of the sow passing worms to the
new born litter.
• About one week before farrowing, sow or gilt
should be washed with soapy water to remove
dung and then sprayed to kill any mites and lice
on her body.
• Sow should be moved to a clean pre-disinfected
farrowing pen at least 5 days before farrowing;
for gilts, about 7 days before farrowing.
• Sow/Gilt and the pen should be disinfected again
2 days before farrowing.
• It is advisable to put plenty of bedding material,
preferably grass, so that she can make a nest.
• Reduce the feed given to the sow by one-third in the
last 3 days. Give 0.5 kg bran if available to act as a
laxative.
• The day before farrowing, the sow should not be
given food, but may be given a laxative such as green
fodder.
Note: Pigs that are in confinement would usually
develop constipation; hence the provision of a laxative.
Farrowing
• A day before birth of the first piglet, the udder
becomes clearly red.
• Sow becomes more alert, active, restless and
starts to bite.
• She scrapes the floor with her forefeet and using
her snout she sweeps the straw bedding to a
corner to make a nest.
• Just before delivery the udder swells and the
sow becomes quieter.
• Just before the birth of the first piglet, a slimy
blood-stained fluid comes from the birth canal.
Piglets
• Piglets are born one at a time, usually with
about 15-30 minutes interval.
• Time interval of over 30 minutes usually means
that a piglet is stuck in the birth canal.
• Farrowing should be completed within 5 hours,
but some times can take as long as 24 hours.
• Pig man must be present at the time of birth, but
should not interfere with the process.
• Pig man should come in only where intervention
is necessary; e.g. if a piglet is stuck, should help
to release the piglet.
• The last piglet may be born in the membranes
and many suffocate if they are not taken out.
• Sows do not pay much attention to their
offspring until all the piglets are born.
• At end of farrowing, the afterbirth is normally expelled.
Expulsion of the afterbirth is the surest sign that
farrowing has been completed.
• This comes about 30 minutes to 2 hours after the last
piglet has been born.
• If afterbirth does not come out, administration of
oxytocin will enhance the contractions to expel the
afterbirth.
• Each piglet is rubbed dry with a cloth and put to the
udder.
• Suckling of the piglets stimulates the womb to
contract and the milk to flow.
• Piglets should get the first milk or colostrum as quickly
as possible so that the antibodies in it can protect the
piglets against disease.
Still births
• Can be up to 10% of all piglets born, and may be
a major cause of piglet mortality.
• Still births are caused by lack of oxygen to the
piglet during the birth process.
• Delays in the farrowing process increase the
incidence of still born piglets.
Some factors that cause delays in farrowing:
• Large litters - with the process of farrowing taking
longer the last piglets to be born have higher risk of
being suffocated.
• Very small litters - these are liable to provide
insufficient stimulus to the sow to start effective
uterine contractions.
• Older sows - After five or more litters, uterine tone
declines, resulting in a less efficient farrowing.
• Genetic make-up of the sow - Efficiency of farrowing
varies between families. If a strain of pigs is identified
which have a regular higher incidence of still births,
they should be culled.
• Nutrition - sows should not be over fat or
alternatively too thin with insufficient reserves of
energy.
• High ambient temperatures - sows tend to tire
more quickly at high environmental temperatures.
• Piglet disease - dead or mummified piglets can
slow down the birth process leading to greater risk
to live piglets.
Routine operations from farrowing to marketing
Day 1
• Remove mucus from the new-born using paper towel
(or suitable material).
• Cut the umbilical cord and disinfect with iodine
solution or alcohol to prevent naval infection.
• Remove afterbirth, immediately following expulsion
of piglets.
• Make a recording of the litter size.
• Weigh the piglets.
• Remove the 4 pairs of ‘milk’ or ‘wolf’ or ‘needle’
teeth by using suitable instrument; do not inflict
damage to the gums of the piglet.
• Tails should be docked to discourage cannibalism in
later life.
• Identify piglets at birth (tattooing, ear notching,
tagging, etc.).
• Ensure piglets suckle mother to obtain
colostrum; weak piglets should be helped.
Day 2-3
• Give iron treatment on 2nd or 3rd day.
• Oral dosing or injection can be given.
• The sow’s milk on its own does not have enough iron
to cover the piglets’ needs.
Day 7-10
• Introduce creep feed; creep feed is specially
formulated to be highly digestible and palatable.
• Milk supply of the sow reaches a peak about three
weeks after farrowing and thereafter declines.
• It is necessary at this stage to provide the piglets with
some solid food to make up the shortfall.
Week 3
• Weigh the piglets again; weight at this time gives an
indication of the milk production by the mother.
Piglets should weigh 5.5. kg.
• Castrate male piglets not intended for breeding
purposes, to prevent boar ‘taint’ or odour in the meat
that tends to occur as the boar approaches puberty.
Week 5
• Wean the piglets, and at this time they must have attained at
least 12 kg live weight, if the feed is of good quality.
• However, weaning can be delayed until the piglets are able
to consume feed only, without their growth rate being
disturbed.
• The aim of weaning is to dry off the sow and stimulate her to
exhibit oestrus and conceive again as soon as possible.
Week 6
Growing & Finishing pigs
• Introduce porker feed gradually over a period of 7 - 10
days; then feed to appetite.
• Management of this category is less demanding than
the young ones.
• Do not keep too many pigs in one pen; determine
appropriate number depending on pen size.
• Feeding must be done according to specifications.
• Watering must be done on ad lib basis.
• De-worm the pigs once every 2 months.
• Carry out appropriate treatment of the other diseases.
Week 9
• De-worm pigs; repeat after every 2 months.
Month 4
• Introduce finisher feed; restrict feeding to 2.75 kg/day. Pigs
should weigh 55-60 kg.
Month 6 - 7
• Pigs should weigh 90 -100 kg.
END
