How should the farrowing sows pass?

Pig farming is one of the most profitable branches of agriculture. The productivity of industrial and domestic breeding of pigs largely depends on the literacy of the farmer breeder, on his theoretical training and practical skills. The most important step in breeding pigs is farrowing sows.

Proper planning of farrowing, proper preparation for it, as well as the smooth running of the birth process itself and effective support for babies and mothers are key to successful breeding and maintaining the breeding condition of pigs. Today, we will examine in detail all the issues related to farrowing sows.

Farrow sows - an important stage of industrial and domestic breeding pigs. The health of the offspring and the mother depends on how well it is organized and carried out. In this article we covered some theoretical aspects and practical skills of leading domestic specialists. They talk about how to plan a farrow properly, how to prepare for it, how to help the sow during labor. We discussed these and other questions in detail in this publication.

Farrow sows is a natural process that proceeds without additional help. Childbirth, as a rule, pass safely and healthy offspring are born. Of course, sometimes there are complications, in such cases it is important to provide timely assistance to both mother and kids.

Duration of gestation

As a rule, the survey lasts 114 days, a delay of at least three days and a maximum of five days is possible. Experts note that 7 or 8 days before the onset of labor, you must carefully monitor the female. To do this, you can set a duty at the machine.

Signs of a farrowing

In the last month of farrowing in the body of the future mother, much has changed. The main reason for the changes is the fast-growing fetus.

Experts note that during this period it is extremely important to strictly fulfill all regime points, adhere to the rules of feeding and caring for the uterus, and also fulfill the sanitary and hygienic requirements for the maintenance of the pigsty in general and the stall in particular.

Feed the sows once a day, gradually reducing the feed rate for 3-4 days before farrowing, while providing access to clean water. Immediately before giving birth, they generally stop feeding and walking.

Before farrowing, the female becomes restless, often lies down and gets up, she crumples the litter trying to build a nest. Urination in an animal more often than usual.

During the approach of childbirth, the fever slightly rises, the pulse grows, and apparently rapid breathing. Experts note that the sow becomes more active, but more cautious. If you stroke her mammary glands, which have become full and elastic, then she lies to the side, puts her nipples and grinds with pleasure. Please note that at this time, her external genitalia are getting thick, the pelvic ligaments become less strong, and the mammary gland enters a sagging state.

Conditions

Before the survey, the animal is washed and irrigated with disinfecting agents of the insecticide class. In the machine place one as a last resort two individuals. 3-4 days before giving birth, their feed rate is reduced by half, while products that relax and eliminate juicy and bulky food are introduced into the diet. Females do not walk and stop feeding on the day of farrowing.

The room

The pigsty in which the machine will be placed (the place for delivery) is pre-cleaned, washed and disinfected (most often it is whitened with quick lime.)They check how all communication systems work: heating, ventilation, lighting, electrical wiring, etc.

They change the litter to fresh, sometimes litter is cleaned completely, but the floors must be warm, dry and non-slip. Ideal for these purposes, "heated floors" with electric heating. An incandescent bulb or an infrared heating lamp is attached to a warm box or basket in which newborns are placed.

Temperature

The normal body temperature of giving birth to females is considered 38 C. The temperature of 18-22 C is considered optimal for the room in which the piglets will be born. Any deviations in temperature conditions slow down the labor activity.

In utero the piglets are at a temperature of 39 ° C, so in the nest of newborns you need to create a temperature of 38 ° C and gradually reduce it from 3 days after birth. Within a month (after 21 days) it is necessary to bring the temperature to 24 C and then lower it to a value of 22 C.

Regulating the temperature regime it is important to be guided by the behavior of the pigs. If they sleep badly and show a certain anxiety, then they are probably hot. If they are tightly pressed to each other, then they are most likely cold. In order for the heat does not go to the floor often use rubber mats that are easy to clean.

Necessary things for childbirth

It is necessary to prepare the fur breeder for farrowing:

• burlap (in order to remove the shell from newborns by wiping from head to tail);
• a clean towel (they wipe the newborn dry and clean);
• scissors (to cut the umbilical cord);
• thread (to tie the umbilical cord);
• iodine alcohol solution 5% (the cut cord of the umbilical cord is dipped into it);
• a weak solution of manganese (used to cauterize the cut-off tip of the umbilical cord, if there is no iodine solution).

Additionally, they prepare a warmed basket or box in which the newborns are put, as well as two buckets of water. If the born pigs do not show signs of life, then they are alternately lowered into two buckets, one with a water temperature of 45 ° C, and the other with room temperature water.

Childbirth

Most often, childbirth occurs at night. Experts divide any farrowing into three main stages:

preparatory;

At this stage, the cervix is ​​revealed, the process is accompanied by a periodic (every 15 minutes) contraction of the muscles of the walls of the uterus, which push the fetus to the pelvic zone. The duration of the cuts can not be less than 5 seconds and longer than 15 seconds.Gradually, the frequency of contractions increases. The stage lasts until the moment when the first piglet reaches the cervix.

External signs of this stage are considered characteristic anxiety of animals.

attempts (stage of exile);

It starts from the stage when the piglet enters the cervix and the abdominal muscles also begin to contract, pushing it further from the birth canal. The duration of this period may be different, as a rule, not shorter than 15 minutes and no longer than 10 hours. In most cases, the duration of the attempt does not exceed an hour, sometimes - two or three hours.

Visual signs of this stage:

• nest device (if the female tries to build a nest, then the attempts will begin in about 22 hours);
• visible contractions of the abdominal wall (they occur most often 1-3 hours before the release of the first piglet);
• in 60% of cases, blood sheds gradually leave the vulva of the sows (this suggests that after about 100 minutes you need to wait for the firstborn);
• in 25% of cases amniotic fluid and meconium (small gray-blue granules) stand out, this means that the firstborn may appear in the period from the 1st to the 100th minute;
• just before the piglet’s release (in 1 minute), the mother’s tail rises sharply by 180 ° C, as if to clear the way for the newborn. In some cases, the baby may appear in 2
• 3 hours after a characteristic tail lift, rarely after 10 hours.

At this stage, the cubs appear every 14 or 16 minutes, if the interval between the appearance of newborns is 40 or more minutes, then the sow needs help. Most often, this stage lasts no longer than 6 hours, and is not shorter than 42 minutes.

The previa of one half of the piglets is pelvic, the other half is the cephalic, the first come out 1 minute longer than the second.

final.

At the final stage, the placenta and afterbirth are separated. Newborns are wiped off, the umbilical cord is cut, the airways and eyes are cleaned of mucus. They are laid out in a warm socket under the lamp. The mother’s udder and back of the body are washed (with warm water and soap) and wiped with a clean sack cloth.

After the process is completed, the mother calms down and begins to take care of the children. The litter is changed to dry. It is important not to give the sow to eat the afterbirth, otherwise she may eat the newborns after him.

Help sow

The pig should be helped if the farrowing is delayed, if the attempts were unsuccessful and the interval between the release of piglets exceeds 40 minutes. In general cases, the female during this period is tried not to disturb or irritate again. At the same time, they adhere to the current norms and rules of its feeding, maintenance and care.

If labor activity goes slowly, it is recommended to attach the newborn to the nipples. Piglets will start to suck and this will be the best stimulation of farrowing.

If the fetus does not lie correctly or the mother's birth canal is not so wide, and the abdominal muscles are weak, then the pig may die in the womb. In order for this not to happen, the farmer is obliged to cut off his nails, wash his hands, wipe them to the elbow with a disinfectant, then rub with petroleum jelly. You need to gently insert the hand into the mother's vagina and grope the pig that is stuck. Then wait for the next attempts only when they begin slowly, very carefully pull the fruit to him. Most often such piglets appear dead. But this is necessary to ensure that the survey fully continued. If after such efforts the process is not normalized, then it is necessary to call the veterinarian.

Stimulate labor can be an elementary stroking of the udder, it leads to increased production of oxytocin - a substance that stimulates the muscles. For this purpose, special stimulating drugs of the class oxytocin are used.

Stimulation is extremely important, it reduces the number of stillbirths by at least 5%, and sometimes by 30%. Dead in most cases, the piglets that are born last are born, most often out of 3 such pigs only one remains alive.

Within 4-5 days after giving birth, the female releases postpartum lochia, first red, then brown, and later transparent. Gradually, the selection stops. If the smell of lohia is putrid, then you need to call a doctor.

If the mother began to eat the offspring, then it needs to be planted. This sometimes happens with aggressive females, or with animals that are thirsty, hungry, languishing from heat or lack of fresh air. As a rule, such individuals are culled.

At this stage, the diet and the state of health of the sow are carefully monitored. The feed is only fresh, the water is clean and not cold, it is those products that are recommended for breeding gilts that offer.

Care of the sow and piglets immediately after delivery

Newborns are wiped off, cleaning from the remains of a fruit cover and slime. To do this, wipe piglet, face, mouth and ears, as well as the rest of the body in the direction from head to tail.Wipe first with sacking, and then towel dry. The excess umbilical cord is cut, so that the abdominal wall remains a piece of 5-7 cm. The area of ​​the incision or breakage is disinfected and cauterized with either iodine or potassium permanganate. After this, the newborn is placed in a warm nest under a heating lamp.

Dry piglets can be allowed to the mother.

From the first days of life, the piglets need:

• blunt the tips of the canines (for newborns with long, crooked and sharp canines, the tip of which is black or brown, use special forceps and scissors for this);
• stop the tails (leave 3-4 cm from the root);
• remove 4th sharp milk fangs.

In order to protect the young from sweat by the weight of the maternal body (because of this, 40% to 60% of suckers move away), it is necessary to create a protective barrier that is removed when the babies grow up and get stronger (after 7-10 days). Most often metal fences, they are made of pipes or poles, installing at a height of 20-25 cm from the floor, at a distance of 15-20 cm from the machine.

It is important for fur farmers to monitor the health of both mom and babies. Sick and underdeveloped babies are separated from the nest.A sick or aggressive mother is replaced by another. They evaluate the milkiness of the individual, it is important that every newborn has access to the nipples. Babies who receive less mother's milk are dying of hunger. In order for this not to be the nest level by the number of suckers. Most often, weak babies from a numerous nest are placed in a small nest with a milk sow.

In order for the mother not to eat offspring on her snout can wear a ring. It is used in the event that it is not possible to transplant an aggressive sow. The ring is attached to the ears of the animal, and does not allow him to nibble the young. If the mother does not calm down, then she is immediately deposited and rejected.

At this time, the mother and the young are under the constant supervision of fur farmers. They receive special food, drink and, if necessary, medical care.

The females who brought a healthy offspring of at least 10 babies, while maintaining the breed condition and showed themselves as caring mothers, are left on the farm for breeding for 2-3 years to obtain farrowing 2-3 times a year.

Females willingly copulate after a week or 12 days after farrowing, they can be reduced with a boar with an interval of 12 hours. If the animal is exhausted by the survey, then mating, even if there is a desire of the sow, you need to skip, and the next one to be held in 19 or 22 days. If the mumps after farrowing does not differ in the strength of the limbs, its udder is unevenly developed, it has less than 10 nipples and is very weak, then it is not covered with boars and rejected.