This document discusses the management of replacement gilts and sows through their reproductive cycles. It covers selecting and raising gilts, pre-service management including flushing and breeding recommendations, gestation housing and feeding, farrowing preparation and management, lactation feeding levels, and health concerns. Proper heat detection and breeding practices like hand-mating are emphasized for record-keeping and performance tracking. Housing facilities and environmental conditions are also addressed for different stages of the sow reproductive cycle.

1. Margie Lumanggaya-Bibat,MSA

2. Prior to Pregnancy
• under good
management/sows have
tremendous capability to
produce 2.3 liters per year
or over 20 pigs annually.

3. Raising and Selecting Replacement Gilts
• a steady supply of
replacement gilts is required
to replace sows, which die or
are culled because of poor
performance.
• plan to replace 40 to 55
percent of your herd
annually, if your herd age is
five litters or less.

4. Management of the developing GILTS
• raise potentials gilt replacement in all female group in
dry, well-ventilated pens that provide 0.56 to 0.74 m2
of floor space per animal.

5. Pre-Service Management of Replacement of GILT
A. Flushing
• increasing the daily feed intake of gilts by 0.5 kg to
1.0 kg for 10 to 14 days before service should
increase. The number of eggs ovulated if they were
limit fed per kg per day before flushing.
• A better practice is to self-feed the gilts with a
14% protein gestation ration throughout the pre-
service period.

6. Pre-Service Management of Replacement of GILT
B. Recommendations at First Breeding
• breed gilt at eight months and at 110-120 kg.
• Gilts should have their first litter at one-year age.
• It is further recommended that gilt be bred on the
second heat cycles when the animal is standing
heat.

7. Management at Breeding time
Developing a Breeding Schedule
• Determine adequate boar power by considering the
number of services required per week, not the
number of sows and boar.
• Each sow should be served twice. Boars that serve
twice in a day with a day rest between breeding, an
allowance should be made for one boar a sow during
the week.

8. Mating System
•Mating system vary as to amount of labor involved,
ease of obtaining accurate breeding records and
facility requirements.
1. Artificial Insemination
2. Hand Mating
 this is preferred mating system.
 the operator checks for heat and takes the
female in heat to the boar.

10. Advantages of Hand mating
• The operator knows for certain that the females were bred
• Accurate breeding dates can be recorded.
• The operator can accurately check for return to heat
• Boar use is regulated
• Anestrus problems can be determined earlier
• A more accurate sire breeding performance can be
calculated.
• Fewer boars are required for the same number of females.
Note: the main disadvantages are that more labor and
closer observation are required.

11. Mating System
3. Pen-mating – a boar runs with a group of females
• although less labor intensive more boar can handle
8 to 10 females in a 21-day breeding period.
• a young boar (8 to 12 months) can effectively
service from four to six sows in the same period.
Note: the main disadvantage of pen-mating is that
record of breeding dates, boar services rate and
female return to heat dates are often unknown
expert when the headsman observes a mating.

12. Heat Detection
• Proper and accurate heat detection is important for a
successful mating system.
A. Physical Signs
 vulva maybe swollen and red
 clear viscous vaginal discharges
 restless and grunting
 mounting behavior
 frequent attempts to urinate with little or not
discharge

13. Heat Detection
B. Techniques
Haunch-Pressure Test: the operator should approach the sow
from behind and rub her sides and thigh.
Riding-the-back-test: this technique is applied by riding or
merely pressing the back of the animal.
Semen-on-the-snout test: this test is particularly important in
artificial insemination although it can be applied in natural
breeding.
Teaser boar: Allowing a boar but preferably one that has been
vasectomized to mount the sow.
Sound Test: use of chomping sounds of the boar.

14. The Estrus cycle ranges from 17 to 24 days, with an
average of 21 days. Estrus cycle is continuously
manifested by the individual unless interrupted by
pregnancy.
Estrous = cycle
Estrus = phase in the estrous cycle when a female is
sexually receptive, “in heat”.

16. Management during GESTATION
•The normal gestation length of the swine is 114 days
with a range of 109 to 119 days. Or simply put, 3
months, 3 weeks and 3 days.

17. Housing and Environment
• Be careful when mixing gilts with mature sows and keep group
size at no more than five or six per pen.
• Avoid any stress-producing situation, especially during the first
three weeks after breeding.
• When gestating stalls are used, partially slatted floors behind
the sow are recommended to ensure a dry area for the sow
and to reduce cleaning time
• The edges of the stats should be rounded to avoid damage to
feet or teats.
• In a penning station, allow about 1.85 m2 per bred sow or gilt.
• Stall measurement of about 0.5x2.13 m are recommended.

20. Feeding Level
•Normally, 1.8 to 2.3 kg of balanced 14 percent crude
protein ration will meet the daily nutrient
requirements and free of heavy parasite infestation.

21. Feeding in the Sow in the Late pregnancy
• The growth of the developing embryos increases rapidly in
the final third of pregnancy.
• Also at this time, the transfer of nutrients from the dam to
the fetus increases gradually and retention in the uterus
and mammary glands develop accordingly.
The greater demand for feed in the last trimester of
pregnancy can be satisfied by increasing the level of feeding
to at least 15 percent level of 2.0 kg for primigestation and
light multigestation sows, and 10% for the fully grown or
heavy multigestation sows.

22. Management during the FARROWING
• Farrowing period and the first weeks of lactation are
critical in swine production.
Basic Farrowing
• Continues farrowing: sows to farrow are see through
facility in a continues flow with no break for total room
sanitation.
• All in, All out batch farrowing system: groups of sows due
to farrow during the week are brought into individual
rooms over a short time period.

23. Management during the FARROWING
• Farrowing period and the first weeks of lactation are
critical in swine production.
Pre-Farrowing Operations
• Preparing the Farrowing Quarters: Thoroughly clean the
whole farrowing room or area.
• Wash Sow: Before placing the sow in the farrowing unit,
thoroughly wash her with a mild soap solution and rinse
with warm water.

24. Management during the FARROWING
Pre-Farrowing Operations
• Transferring Sows: to acquaint sows with their new
surroundings, place them in the farrowing until 5 to 7 days
before expected date of farrowing.
• Parasite Control: Deworm sows 10 to 14 days before
transferring them to the farrowing stalls.
• Feeding the sow Prior to farrowing: Constipation of the
sow at farrowing is a condition which needs to be kept
under control. Constipation can be avoided or corrected by
feeding the sow a bulky or laxative diet one week before
she is due to farrow.

25. FARROWING
A. Signs of farrowing
 she is restless, nervous and often bites the wall or stall
partition
 she starts built a nest
 there is distinct swelling of the mammary apparatus.
 there is slackening of the abdominal wall.
 Milk let – down: the presence of milk when the tests
are stripped indicates that the sow will farrow within 24
hours.

26. FARROWING
B. Supervised farrowing
 The need for an attendant: the care and attention given
to the piglets from the time they are farrowed until they
weaned are very important. An attendant should be
presented to assists the newly born pigs and the sow if
necessary.
Reasons:
• reduced stillborn pigs prevent predators
• minimize crushing avoid cannibalism
• prevent starvation minimize dystocia
(difficulty in giving birth

27. Causes of Difficulty on Birth
• lack of uterine intetia – 37%
• fetal impression – 35.5%
• obstruction of the birth canal – 13.0%
• deviation of the uterus – 9.5%
• Hysteria – 3%
• Oversized fetus – 4%

28. Management after FARROWING
Average Daily Gain
ADG = Final weight – initial weight
Number of feeding days
Feed Efficiency (Feed Conversion Ratio)
FE = Amount of feed consumed
Gain in weight
Lower FE, better performance

29. Health Care
• Inspect the sow’s mammary apparatus for congestion,
inflammation, laceration and other forms of injuries. If
these are presented watch out for MMA syndrome.
• Metritis (Inflammation or infection of the uterus)
• Mesatitis (Inflammation of the udder)
• Agalactica (Inadequate supply of milk)
Immediately after weaning the multiparous sows should
be vaccinated against hog cholera at least twice a year.

30. Feeding during LACTATION
• Usually it takes about 7 days from farrowing for milk
production and feed requirements of the piglets to justify
liberal feeding of the sow.
• Recommended level – 4.5-5 kg of air dry feed/head/day for
lactating sows and gilts.
• To avoid this problem on overfeeding or underfeeding, the
feeding level for lactating sows should be based on the
number of pigs in the litter rather than on a per sow basis.
• A sow with 12 suckling pigs should receive 2.0 kg feed for
maintenance plus 1.0 kg for every three piglets in the litter
or a total of 6.0 kg per day.

32. REFERENCES:
• Green Empire Licensure Examination Reviewer
• https://www.pig333.com/articles/preparing-the-gilts-
production_13428/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co5EGCPMT8A
• https://www.albertapork.com/our-producer-
services/quality-assurance-and-animal-care/small-
scale-production/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfmsgC87GQA