THE
BREEDING CYCLE OF A SOW
We do not mate our Sows until they are over 1 year
old
and we use a Boar that is at least 1 generation
smaller than the sow.
Doing this your sow will produce smaller
mini-piglets and the sow will have
an easier birth.
Because of there small size they are not mature enough to mate
earlier.
They do come into season before they are 1 year old, but the risk of
mating
them while they are young normally ends up with squashed piglets
- and a sow that won't feed her piglets.
So for the sake of waiting a few months more for your first
litter...'Wait'
It is heart breaking to lose piglets...!
Sows come on heat about every 21 days.
Their Gestation Period is 3 Months, 3 Weeks and 3
Days.
How To Tell When Your
Sow Is On Heat....?
*- She will have a swollen pinkish vulva a couple of days before
she ovulates.
*- She also gets a discharge from the vulva...
*- When ovulating she will stand very still and make a grunting noise
and some times she will squeal.
*- The standing lasts for about 2 days, as soon as
I see the sow standing I take her to the boar and
again the following
day...
*- Sows don't always come onto heat, as they are affected by the hot and
cold weather...
*- I breed my sows once a year, I find that if you put the sow in a
pen next to
the boar, she shows better signs of being on heat as the
boar has a hormone
odour that she can smell...
THE
BREEDING CYCLE OF A BOAR....
*- Boars are fully mature at 7-8 months...
We don't
let him service a sow until he is at least 10 months old as he will
have a better sperm rate and produce a better litter of piglets...
*- Do not mate your mini-pigs in wet weather or on
wet ground as they can
slip and the boar could damage his penis...
*- When you take the sow to the boar, he will chase
her around nudging her
and sniffing her genital area... He may even
drink her urine...
*- He will froth at the mouth, grind his teeth and he will push on the
sow to see
if she will stand still...
*- When he has entered the sow, he will rest on her with all his weight
to keep her still and he balances by using his front legs…
*- Mating can take up to half an hour, he has to lock into the sows
cervix with
his corkscrew penis before he can ejaculate...