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Farrowing process for the piglet:
Have you ever thought of the stress our production systems put on the new-born piglet and sow? Imagine the piglet lying back in his preheated pool at a constant temperature of 103°F
with all his requirements supplied. Suddenly like an earthquake his whole world changes, his waterbed disappears he is pushed out through the cervix to be greeted by a 36°F drop in temperature,
he is wet all over, and the wind is chilling. He drops down to the slats and lands right smack in the middle of a partial dried out heap of sow faeces.
What a greeting into the New World!
This is the treatment that we give to the majority of new-born piglets; it is remarkable so many survive. More Info. Unfortunately all the damage and stress does have an affect by reducing the
potential of the pig. Thus with extreme stunting in the farrowing house we can create a runt (a pig that will more than likely die of old age before it reaches slaughter weight). The affect of damage
to the piglet causing reduced growth rate and dis-improved feed conversion can last through out the piglets life. In a lot of situations where severe damage occurs it would be economically more
advantageous if the piglet died in the farrowing house and the producer take first loss.
For those that survive the farrowing process and get a suckle from their mother in time to replenish their low energy reserves and are lucky enough to find the creep heat source before
they freeze to death then life is looking up.
At farrowing the unique requirements of the piglet must be recognised and each individual unit must take whatever action they can to alleviate the stresses. Ideally the piglets should
be dried at birth, put into a microclimate at 102°F, and allowed suckle as soon as the sow allows. In practice most piglets are born at night unsupervised unless prostaglandin treatment is used
to regulate time of farrowing.
The piglet has a very large surface area relative to body weight and will lose heat quickly and the reserves of energy in the new-born piglet are very low therefore heat and drying are
essential. The area behind the sow should be thoroughly clean and free from draught.
After completion of the farrowing process the environmental requirements of the piglet can be met by establishing an area with a suitable microclimate. This area
should be close to the sow but still far enough away to protect the piglets from the sow (crushing) and minimise the heat affect on the sow. This area is commonly referred to as the creep area. It
should also be easily inspected and maintained. More Info.
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Farrowing process for the sow:
After the disruption of moving accommodation just a few days ago and getting settled in, the sow now tries to make a nest for herself in preparation for farrowing even though there is no material
for her to complete the process. Somebody turns the rear of the farrowing pen into a high temperature area and then the pain starts. The contractions come fast and furious and the pain is very
uncomfortable to say nothing of the heat at her rear. After the first few hours exhaustion can set in especially with the older sows that are not in such good muscular condition due to prior
farrowings. Farrowing 13 piglets can take on average 260 minutes (20 min between births) that is over 4 hours. As the sow becomes exhausted then it takes her longer and longer to push the piglet from
deep within her to the outside and thus some pigs will suffocate in the process and be born dead. Others will suffer from oxygen deprivation (anoxia) and will be permanently damaged even if they
survive. More Info.
With all the muscular activity and the heat source at her rear the sow can be susceptible to heat induced fatigue with the same results as exhaustion, i.e. more piglets born dead. More Info.
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Sow feeding:
We want the sow to eat as much as possible, produce as much milk as possible, maintain body condition and rear a high number of heavy piglets. So to make sure that she does not have an easy job we
generate a high heat area right beside her and prevent her from moving away from it by confining her in a crate. Thus I view the use of heat lamps in the farrowing house as "torture" for the poor sow
and very bad economic sense. There are proven alternatives that are economically more efficient and much more sow friendly.
Sow intake is clearly dependent on environmental temperature, the ideal room temperature for the sow is between 64 - 68°F but the ideal for the piglet is closer to 102°F,
therefore we have a major conflict of interest. For every 2°F increase in environmental temperature above 68°F sow intake will reduce by .5lbs of feed per day.
Post farrowing it is important to get the sow eating well and give her an increasing intake to day 10 of lactation. Care should be taken not to overfeed the sow, it is all too easy to generate the
"Xmas day affect" - stuffed full and not interested in eating. The rising plain of nutrition should mirror the rising volume of milk output. It is important to get milk output increasing from day to
day and get the piglets accustomed to it. The programme of feeding after day10 will be dependent on the age at weaning, if the weaning age is 26 - 28 days then continuous pushing of the feed levels
will generate the "Xmas Day affect" in the last week. It is vitally important that the sow is on a rising plain of nutrition in the last 5 days to convince her system that she is in a time of plenty
and therefore will rebreed after weaning without problems. More Info.
Weighing the litter at weaning will give a very good indicator of how well the sow has milked. Consistent growth rates of 2.5kg (5.5lb) of piglet weight per day of suckling should be achieved. In
a litter of 10 pigs this would mean an average daily gain per pig of 250grm(.55lb) or a weaning weight of 6.35kg (14lb) at 20 days or 8kg (18.4lb) at 28 days.
Graph of Feeding pattern for sow in farrowing.
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Piglet management:
Post farrowing it is essential that piglets get to the udder and get a good suck of colostrum. The young animal has the ability to absorb antibodies directly into its blood stream for the first
few hours after birth. This ability reduces with age and also after the first liquid is ingested. Therefore it is important that all piglets get a suckle of the antibody rich colostrum. In a large
litter it is good practice to gather the first pigs born and confine them in the creep area to allow the later born piglets unobstructed access to the udder. More Info.
If the docking of tails and the cutting or grinding of teeth is routinely carried out this should only be done after the sow finishes farrowing. Care should be taken that both jobs are done
hygienically to minimise the risk of spreading infection to the young susceptible piglets.
If piglets have to be treated for scour then great care should be taken that the operator treating the sick piglets does not transfer the infection to other litters. Use a disposable apron when
treating, only enter scouring pens, clean and disinfect footwear when finished, dispose of apron safely and clean hand thoroughly.
Every outbreak of scour should be carefully examined and recorded. Trends can indicate the source of the problem. Scour should never be accepted as inevitable or normal. Sow feeding pattern can
also trigger scour in piglets.
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Weaning process:
The weaning process is a very traumatic time for both the sow and piglets. It is also a very traumatic time for the staff of the unit. The work load is high on the day of weaning and unfortunately
people forget the implications of what they are doing on the animals. Care and patience are necessary when moving sows and piglets.
Sows should not be fed in the farrowing house on the day of weaning. They should be moved early in the day and the piglets left in the farrowing pen. They should be fed a good quality creep meal
preferably on the floor or on a temporary solid surface introduced into the pen for that purpose. The meal should contain large pieces like flaked maize that the piglets can play with and push around
the solid floor. The meal will stick to the damp snout and when the pig is cleaning his snout he will ingest the feed. Clean water should be freely available in the pen in a dish or drinker on the
floor. Pigs should be fed and watered as often as possible in the first few days. The sow was feeding them 20 to 24 times each day. Pressure to get the farrowing pen ready for the next sow will
necessitate the moving of the piglets to their new accommodation, nursery or first stage.
Remember to weigh the piglets if possible.
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Room environment:
The environmental requirements of the sow and the new born piglet must both be accommodated within the confines of the farrowing pen.
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