Specificity of the mating procedure for pigs
The success of a livestock farm will depend on how serious the breeder is. Pig breeding requires knowledge and skills. To increase the number of livestock, novice pig breeders are studying information about mating pigs at home. It is necessary to approach with all seriousness the choice of breeding animals in order to get healthy offspring. The video provided at the end of the article will help you understand all the intricacies of the reproduction of pigs.
Pig mating process
The timing of puberty in pigs
First and foremost, at what age can pigs be mated? Mumps and knur reach maturity at the age of six months. However, the complete formation of the reproductive system is completed only by 9-10 months.
The mating is carried out only when the weight of the female is at least 100 kg. Animals with good health and physical shape are selected. It is best to mate so that farrowing falls in the spring. To do this, use a special calendar.
Signs of readiness to mate
Sexual heat is determined by external signs. The female begins to behave aggressively, becomes more active, when a boar appears, makes characteristic sounds, inviting him. You can find out that the sow is ready to mate by the bloody discharge from the labia. Females during estrus eat little or refuse food altogether.
During estrus, the egg is released from the follicle. The hunt continues for 2 days. It is during this period that mating should be carried out. If it goes naturally, a couple happens 3 times with an interval of 6 hours. If fertilization has not occurred, after three weeks the pig starts hunting again.
How to find breeding individuals
In large pig farms, strict records and tracking of production data and pedigree are kept. Also, before mating, boar biomaterials are taken for a sample. At home, they choose the strongest and most hardy boar, paying attention to what the piglets were from previous breeding. It is recommended to mate a young female and a wild boar that has already had experience in inseminating pigs.
The sow is matched based on physical data or according to the previous farrowing. The female must have all 12 nipples well developed, otherwise she is culled for meat. Females that have already given birth are mated immediately after weaning the piglets, about a month after farrowing.
There are 2 methods for selecting mating pigs:
- heterogeneous;
- homogeneous.
The essence of the selection process is to ultimately obtain strong, fertile offspring with the best traits attached. When 2 individuals with outstanding characteristics are mated, the result is offspring with improved qualities. At the same time, it is recommended to select boars with a good pedigree for females with less outstanding abilities to improve the quality indicators of the herd.
Coating preparation
If at home the boar is constantly used to fertilize a large number of females, it loses a lot of energy. Lack of vitamins and minerals in the diet of a male producer leads to a decrease in sperm activity.
Cooking begins 4-6 weeks before mating. Most often, one proven boar is used to inseminate the entire herd of pigs. Naturally, a male can fertilize 50-70 females, with artificial insemination, about 200 females can be covered.
A preliminary examination of the genitals of males and females is carried out. During preparation for mating or sperm collection, the male animal should be provided with a complete, balanced diet. Particular attention should be paid to free range in the fresh air to improve the physical performance of the boar.
Preparing the uterus for mating at home will be more difficult. Many breeders claim that only a well-fed pig that eats well is able to bear and give birth to healthy piglets. It is necessary to enrich the sow's diet with all kinds of vitamins and minerals 2 weeks before mating.
Useful Tips
In order to accurately determine when exactly it is necessary to cover the pig, it is necessary to follow some rules.
- In fat-bellied fat females, estrus is often poorly expressed, and ovulation is much slower, so the first mating should be carried out no earlier than 12 hours after the start of the hunt.
- With mild signs of estrus, for an accurate determination, the female is kicked out of the pen and see if she will go to the cage with the boar.
- Mating naturally should take place in a place that is familiar to the male, otherwise he may begin to explore new territory instead of doing business.
After the female has been brought to the boar, the couple must be left alone. The presence of a person can scare the boar away, and he will refuse to cover the mumps. If after three weeks the female has no signs of hunting and in the presence of a knur she behaves calmly, then the process has ended successfully and you can start calculating the timing of farrowing.
Artificial insemination
At home, when keeping a large number of pigs, it is advisable to carry out artificial insemination. This method allows you to cover a large number of queens in a short time, which greatly simplifies the care of piglets. The difference between farrowing in females can be up to 10 days. In addition, artificial insemination helps prevent infection with all kinds of sexually transmitted diseases.
Sire boars are kept separate from the rest of the herd. For the first time, the knur is mated in a natural way, and then gradually they are accustomed to a dummy.
In the room for the collection of semen, a certain temperature regime must be observed. All materials for making a dummy, and especially those imitating the female genitals, must be made of durable, safe material. A heated thermostat is installed inside the dummy, which will regulate the temperature.
The light in the room is made dim, otherwise the male will feel uncomfortable and start to worry. If the biomaterial does not freeze, it should be used within a few hours, otherwise the sperm will die and it will not be possible to use the sperm as directed. Frozen semen can be stored for a long time and even transported over great distances.
Females are injected with sperm into the uterine cavity in a diluted form. For the introduction, special devices are used, consisting of flasks and 2 flexible plastic nozzles with catheters. After carrying out all the manipulations, the pig should be allowed to rest, make sure that the animal does not leave the pen for a couple of hours. After 2-3 hours, you can feed the animal.The video describes in more detail the entire process of artificial insemination and the equipment necessary for this.
Final part
In order for the livestock of piglets to be healthy and to receive only the best genetic qualities from the parental pair, it is necessary to approach with all responsibility the choice of breeding individuals and to determine in advance the method of fertilization. How to do it correctly, you can learn from a special video.
Pig puberty occurs at 5-6 months, however, mating of pigs at this age is impossible, because their reproductive system is not yet fully formed. It is recommended that gilts occur at 10-12 months.
Before mating, the male and female are carefully examined. Semen samples are taken from males in a large farm. A couple of weeks before the start of the sexual hunt, the male and the female are transferred to a special fortified diet and kept separately from the whole herd. Pigs have a heat once a month, or rather, once every 27 days, and lasts for two days. It is recommended to cover the pig several times during the entire hunting period with an interval of 6 hours between mating.
It is recommended to mate only in a well-known place for the male, otherwise he will feel uncomfortable and begin to develop a new territory. A more reliable method is artificial insemination. It allows you to solve a lot of problems. To improve the quality indicators of the livestock, samples of biomaterials can be ordered from the best breeding boars from abroad. The quality of the offspring will largely depend on the breed and age of the selected breeding animals.