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Down on the farm...
The Pig Production Cycle.
This is a video diary of some examples of how pigs are kept on the farm.
For more general information on the UK Pig Industry you need the pig industry page - go to.
Pigs Mating
Pigs Mating
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The pig breeding cycle starts with Mating. Boars (male pigs) mate with or as farmers say 'serve' sows (female pigs).
Many herds now use Artificial Insemination or A. I. rather than a real boar pig. This is for several reasons. The main reason being that it allows the farmer to use semen from a higher quality boar than he would be able to afford in the 'flesh'. The use of high quality boars means that the farmer can produce a quality lean carcass as required by the consumer.
The farm will still have boars to use if the sow does not get pregnant at the first service and also to stimulate the sows during the A. I. process.
The sow to be A. I'd is put near a boar so that the boar's smell makes sound stand for mating.
A special frame is then placed on the sow which will hold the semen and equipment in place whilst the sow is inseminated.
The sows vulva is wiped to reduce any contamination.
A special catheter is used which locks into the sows uterus during insemination just like the boars penis would do.
Once in place the catheter is connected to a bottle or bag of semen. Then all the pigment has to do is keep the sow calm and quite until all the semen has run in.
That's it the sow can then go back to her own pen and hopefully in 114 days she will have a litter of piglets.
Dry Sows
Dry or Pregnant Sows
Pregnant sows, often called dry sows because they are not producing milk, are kept in groups.
By law all sows in the UK must be loose housed. They are housed in various different systems depending on the farm, sometimes outside, sometimes inside.
In contrast stalls and tethers, illegal in the UK, are still permitted almost everywhere else in the world including the whole of the EEC.
Sows are usually fed automatically, it is very difficult feeding lots of sows at once otherwise and they make a lot of noise!!
Farrowing
The farrowing process.
Sows giving birth is also known as Farrowing.
The sow is brought into farrowing house a few days before she is due to farrow.
This allows her to settle in.
Farrowing crates are used to protect the piglets from being crushed.
Once started most sows farrow without any difficulties ending up with 10-15 piglets or even more.
New born piglets must be kept warm at around 30 C.
There has been a move recently back to using farrowing arks.
These don't confine the sows as much and use bars to protect the piglets from being laid on by the sow.
Sows litters.
Piglets stop with their mothers for about a month after birth.
During this time they will drink their mothers milk and they are also introduced to special solid food.
Called creep feed this has high levels of energy and protein.
Once they are old enough the piglets are weaned.
Weaning and fattening
Weaning and Fattening
Weaning is when the piglets are old enough to leave their mother.
The sow goes back to the boar to be mated again. After weaning the sow dries off. Sows normally come on heat (exhibit oestrus) within a week. They are then mated either naturally with a boar or with artificial insemination (AI) or with a combination of both.
The piglets are put into pens with other newly weaned piglets.
Once big enough the weaners are put in smaller groups, moved to fattening accommodation and grown up to slaughter weight.
Keeping pigs healthy.
Mucking out and washing.
Dispute the image they may have pigs are in fact very clean animals and will not usually 'pooh' in the 'wrong' place like where they lay or eat. The only time they do this is usually during hot weather when they try to keep cool by creating an artificial 'wallow'.
To reduce the chance in disease and to help the pigs 'pooh' in the right place they need to be kept clean, which means mucking out on a regular basis, often everyday.
When the pens are emptied between batches then the pens really need to be washed out with a pressure washer and the [pens disinfected. This reduces the chance of infection and disease and the need to use in feed antibiotics.
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