Pig breeding - keeping healthy

Perfect Pigs - pig breeding - keeping healthy

Do you keep pigs? Are you thinking about keeping pigs?

As you may or may not know the maintenance of maintaining the body weights of breeding sows and boars correctly is extremely important.

It is not hard to keep on top of this, it will just require attention to detail and a good knowledge of pigs. The secret is being able to notice trends in weight variation, and to act accordingly to correct any changes that may be occurring.

Have you ever heard the different body scoring scale terms? Here they are explained:

Emaciated - Shoulders, individual ribs, hips and backbone are visually apparent.

Thin - Shoulders, ribs, hips and backbone are quite easily felt when gentle pressure is applied with the palm of the hand.

Acceptable/optimal - Shoulders, ribs, hips and backbone can be felt when gentle to moderate pressure is applied.

Fat - Shoulders, ribs, hips and backbone cannot be felt, even when moderate pressure is applied.

Grossly fat - Fat deposits are clearly visible

Helpful hints and tips

• Avoid variation and extremes in pig body weights within the breeding herd
• Ideally, sows should enter farrowing with a body condition score of 3 or 3.5 (half scores may be used for mid-ranges)
• Sows should complete a four-week lactation scoring 3 to 2.5 as a minimum. Most traditional breeds stay on mum for 6 if not 8 weeks but same rules BS3 apply
• Very thin sows may not come into oestrus promptly post-weaning, or be able to maintain the pregnancy, support adequate foetal development or be able to consume enough feed for a good lactational yield.
• Excessively fat sows may show farrowing and leg problems, produce small litters, have low feed intakes during lactation and wean lighter litters.
• If there is a wide range of body conditions within the breeding herd, or significant numbers of sows in either of the extreme categories, a whole-herd review of nutrition, management and health programmes will be required.