Mating of pigs and rules for its conduct. Mating pigs: all the intricacies of successful breeding

Regardless of the goals that any owner of a personal plot or farmer, a beginner or an experienced livestock breeder engaged in breeding pigs has set for themselves, it is necessary to own it the necessary minimum knowledge of the physiology of these animals. Especially if keeping pigs does not end with slaughter, but is predetermined by their breeding at home.

Piglets born in the spring grow up to be more resilient

When determining a pair of possible parents of future piglets Special attention should be given to the number of teats in the sow based on the planned farrowing, weight, age and parameters of the boar and pig.

The most likely period when pigs reproduce with the subsequent birth of healthy young animals is the middle of winter - gestation in sows lasts from 110 to 130 days. In this case, piglets born in the spring grow more resilient and strong. Six months later, in early autumn, a second mating is possible - in this case, the piglets will have time to get stronger for the winter cold.

At home, it is quite easy to calculate the time of the first mating of pigs - the age of the sow must be at least 240 days (depending on the breed), and its weight must exceed 100 kg. Exceeding the specified weight by 50 kilograms or more complicates successful farrowing, fraught with the fact that at this time the pig can crush the newborn piglets.

The sow must be at least 240 days old

Signs of heat in pigs

At home, when there is no possibility of constant veterinary monitoring of the physiological state of animals, each pig farmer should be able to determine the signs himself when a period such as heat comes in pigs. These features are quite simple.

The pig makes frequent attempts to jump on other pigs (regardless of gender).
During hunting, pigs' stimulation for active food intake sharply decreases.
Attacks of restless behavior are observed (expressed in the constant overturning of the trough with food, attempts to destroy the walls and fence of the pigsty).
At short intervals, the pigs scratch themselves against the walls of the pen and constantly move around the stall.
Throughout the days that the hunting period lasts, the pigs become excessively “talkative” - their grunting sounds almost without interruption.
Frequent urination, which occurs literally every half hour, as well as the accompanying lack of appetite, are indicators of the onset of the hunting period.

Sexual heat is detected by looking at the backside of the pig.

Visually, the time when effective mating of pigs is possible is determined by the redness and swelling of the genitals and udder nipples. However, it should be noted that this redness in pigs that have given birth before is less pronounced, and in some cases it is almost imperceptible. All these signs together indicate that the pig’s sexual maturity has reached a level where reproduction of piglets is possible.

Preparation period

The selection of pigs and boars for future reproduction is carried out at the very early stage– when animals reach 4 months of age. At this time, differences in the stature of the piglets are already becoming noticeable. When determining sires, preference is given to pigs that are larger, calmer and more balanced. The latter feature characterizes future sows as caring parents, in which the mortality of piglets is minimized.

To avoid injury from other piglets or the sow, future breeders are placed in an autonomous room. The coexistence of piglets of different sexes is allowed until they reach 4 months of age. Then their places of stay are fenced off with a partition, but not a solid one, but with the possibility of visual contact between the animals. Complete isolation of piglets from each other can lead to sexual dysfunction.

It has become an axiom to raise a future pair of sires from different parents. Mating of close relatives leads to the appearance of sick and underdeveloped offspring.

The selected sow is placed in a separate utility block set up for her - dry, without drafts, warm and sufficiently lit. At home, it can be quite simple to separate the pig from other animals.

Nutritional features - reduction of the diet (the pig is not prepared for slaughter), switching to concentrated and fortified feed, abundant addition of skim milk. The room where the sow is kept is cleaned at least 2-3 times a week.

Sexual activity lasts on average about 15 minutes. However, to achieve a positive mating result, the “dating” time of the animals is increased to several hours. If the pig shows new signs of heat after 19-20 days (the sexual cycle in pigs lasts 18-24 days), then the mating of the pigs has not achieved results and in this case, after first finding out the reasons for the failure, it is necessary to determine a new mating date.

It is not possible to analyze possible infertility at home, so the veterinary service comes to the rescue. Repeated mating (if the first farrowing is successful) is possible after six months. How many times do you have to attempt mating? There is no definite answer to this question, but experienced livestock breeders recommend stopping mating after two failures.

Peculiarities of animal behavior during mating

The successful completion of the pen during mating will be facilitated by its passage in the boar’s “native” pigsty. This feature is manifested in the fact that the whole process must take place in fairly comfortable conditions familiar to the male. At home, the boar will not be distracted by exploring a new room for himself, his sexual desire will not weaken due to the presence of odors unknown until the moment of mating.

There is no need for obvious (visual for pigs) presence of a person during mating. The sexual activity of animals may decrease during the presence of strangers. Attempts excluded external influence(exclams, physical contact - pushing, stroking the animals) to the successful, in the opinion of the owners, completion of the mating. On the contrary, the longer the “courtship” process takes place, the greater the likelihood that the mating of pigs will end successfully.

In cases where, for some reason, the signs of hunting have weakened in a pig during the intended mating, it (the pig) should be driven away from the pen. If the hunt manifests itself, then after some time the pig itself will return to the pen where the boar is located.

It is necessary to remember about the behavioral characteristics of pigs that are overweight at home or during feeding were in conditions that limit their movements: signs of heat and estrus in such animals are weakly expressed, so it is not worth drawing conclusions about the impossibility of effective mating.

Kira Stoletova

Mating pigs is a responsible process. Before you start breeding this type of animal, you need to learn more about their physiology, signs of hunting, and mating rules. With a successful mating, one sow can give birth to 15-20 piglets. Such fertility makes the process of breeding and raising pigs especially profitable.

Selection of breeding animals

Piglets of different sexes are kept together for up to 4 months, then they are carefully examined and sorted. Individuals with good performance gaining weight, large, healthy and calm. A boar that is too active does not cover pigs well. A restless female does not care enough about her offspring.

When selecting, special attention is paid to the condition of the boar's genitals. They also check for defects in the constitution of pigs of both sexes. Male piglets that do not pass the selection are castrated. Females are separated from males and intensively fed. In the future, additional selections are carried out, depending on the quantity and quality of the offspring. The following characteristics of piglets are taken into account when selecting their parents:

age at which piglets reach 95 kg;
daily weight gain on average throughout the entire fattening period should be 25-95 kg;
the amount of feed needed to gain 1 kg of weight;
weight of the pig at the time of slaughter;
length of the lying carcass after complete cooling;
thickness and uniformity of pork fat in the ridge area;
amount of meat on the carcass;
average abdominal wall thickness;
thickness of pork fat on the sides.

Evaluation parameters may vary depending on the breed. For example, for White Steppe pigs, a large amount of pure lard is acceptable in the carcass. Vietnamese pigs should have layers of meat in their fat (bacon-type breed). The average slaughter weight of animals may also differ. It is very important to determine the number of teats a sow has. There are 10-16 of them; females with at least 12 nipples are selected for the tribe.

Selection of a pair of pigs

A pair of pig and boar is selected depending on the purpose of the mating. Animals are mated differently in small households and on industrial farms. The following types of crossing are distinguished:

Purebred. Mating of pigs is carried out strictly within the same breed.
Related. It is used in cases where it is necessary to consolidate this or that quality in the breed. A sow or boar is crossed with its offspring.
Mating of pigs along lines. Conducted on highly specialized farms, animals from the same breed line, including relatives, are crossed.
Interbreeding. It is carried out to inject new blood, improve the breed, and increase productivity.
Absorption crossbreeding. Mating is carried out between low-productive and highly productive breeds to improve the quality of animals. The results are obtained after repeated matings between different generations.
Reproductive mating. Used in breeding new breeds. For example, Vietnamese pigs are crossed with white or black steppe pigs.
Introductory crossing. It is used to instill specific qualities in a particular breed. The queen of the variety that needs to be improved is mated with an improver boar.
Industrial mating. There are two-breed, variable and three-breed crossbreeding of this type. In the first case, mating is carried out between a male and a female of different breeds, in the second, a female is crossed with several purebred boars, in the third, sows obtained as a result of two-breed crossing are mated with males of a third breed.

Many types of crossing can only be carried out in specialized farms. At home, purebred or interbreed mating of pigs should be practiced. It is undesirable to cross relatives, since their offspring are weak. It is best to take a boar from another farm or a remote region.

When to crossbreed pigs

The main condition for successful mating is the presence of sexual heat in the sow. During this period, eggs mature and can be fertilized with boar sperm. The first heat of a female piglet occurs at the age of 5-6 months. At the same time, puberty is observed in young boars. But in this early age Animals cannot be mated: their genital organs are still developing. The female may not become pregnant, or the offspring may be small in number and very weak.

When is the best time to breed a pig? Optimal age- 10-12 months. Females are sometimes allowed to breed at 9 months, males are not. before a year. The weight of females should be 110-160 kg, males - 120-170 kg. Too fat individuals mate poorly, their fertilization rate is low, and piglets often die.

Definition of hunting

To carry out a successful mating, you need to correctly determine the signs of heat in pigs. Here's how you can tell that it's time to arrange a “wedding” for the pigs:

The female begins to eat poorly and rummages through food.
Piggy becomes restless, constantly rubbing against the fence, trying to destroy it.
The pig constantly grunts and squeals.
The pig starts urinating more frequently (every 30-40 minutes).
At some moments she freezes in place and begins to arch her back.
If you press on the pig's butt, it will not move and will begin to arch its lower back more strongly.
Often, females in heat jump on other pigs, regardless of gender.
If you drive past a boar, the pigs become excited.
When the female is taken out of the stall, she will intensively search for the pen with the boar and break through to it.
The external genitalia become red, swollen, and discharge clear fluid.

It is important to know that in sows that have given birth multiple times, changes in the external genitalia are barely noticeable: swelling and redness of the genital slit is almost invisible, so you should focus solely on her behavior. Terms for the onset of heat in a pig after weaning piglets may also be useful:

When piglets are weaned at 10 days, the first heat occurs after 5-30 days (on average 10 days).
When weaning at 2 weeks, the time of estrus comes in 4-20 days.
When weaning at 7 weeks - after 2-10 days.

The frequency of hunting in pigs is 21-28 days, regardless of the season, estrus lasts 1-2 days. Pregnancy lasts 110-140 days (on average 114 days), so it is recommended to mate at the end of winter so that the piglets are born in the spring and are stronger. The second mating is carried out at the end of summer so that the offspring have time to get stronger before the winter cold.

Mating technique

In order for the mating of pigs to be successful, it is necessary to properly prepare the boar and the uterus. Breeding animals should not be overfed. The diet should consist of concentrated feed with a high content of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. If you give a male too much liquid food, his sperm quality decreases. Obese individuals also become poor producers.

A successful mating between a breeding boar and a pig will occur if you adhere to a number of rules:

Mating is carried out immediately after detection of heat in pigs.
It is better that the process takes place on the boar's territory. The male will feel more confident and will not be distracted by exploring a new place.
You should not disturb the animals, push them towards each other, it is advisable to leave the pigs alone, otherwise you can discourage them from mating.
Normal sexual intercourse lasts 15-20 minutes, during which time the animals should not be disturbed by anything.
After the first coating, a control is carried out 12-20 hours later.
You can leave pigs in one pen for a day.
To increase the likelihood of conception, one sow is crossed with 2-3 different boars.

On large industrial farms, boar semen is analyzed. This is not possible at home, but you need to know the basic parameters. The male's sperm should be light yellow in color, of medium thickness and with a specific odor. To better imagine the process, you can watch how mating in pigs goes on video.

When signs of a new heat appear in a pig, a control mating is carried out, preferably with another boar. If fertilization does not occur the second time, the pig is discarded and the breeding qualities of the boar (successes with other females) are reviewed. Among the reasons that cause infertility in piglets are the following:

obesity in sows and boars;
diseases of the genital area;
improper diet, limited walking;
bad sperm from a boar;
inbreeding;
spontaneous mating of a female with a large number males;
incorrect determination of sexual heat in pigs.

On industrial farms, natural mating has long been abandoned, but artificial insemination is used. To induce and synchronize the period of estrus in a large number of sows, they are given hormonal tablets or given injections. The tablets are also used to discourage hunting in pigs not intended for breeding and to calm raging females. This can only be done under the strict supervision of a veterinarian: he will decide how much, what drug and in what form can be given to the pigs. Dosages need to be adjusted from time to time.

Purchase both a sow and a boar for your own farm.
Buy only a sow. And for mating, take her to a boar at another farm. It is better to do this, and not the other way around. Why exactly this is so will be discussed further.
If you have a breeding herd, you can raise your own replacement young stock.

The function of a person during natural mating comes down to two tasks:

organize a meeting of “two suffering persons”;
and not interfere with the process.

But first, let's look at some of the physiological characteristics of these animals.

Physiological features

The sow is ready for fertilization when she reaches a weight of one hundred kilograms and an age of two hundred and forty days. Until two years old, the female is considered to be growing, therefore, her nutrition is organized according to this type.

It's best not to let the pig become too overweight. Otherwise, she may inadvertently crush her little cubs. It is more difficult for a one hundred and fifty kilogram female to keep her newborn piglets than a lighter sow.

Her pregnancy period lasts three months, plus or minus ten days. Piglets born in mid-spring are considered healthier. This means that the most favorable period for mating it is the middle of winter. It will give rise to more viable offspring.

There are only two surveys per year. The second mating can be carried out in early autumn. Then the piglets will have time to get a little stronger before the winter cold.

The cycle of heat occurrence in sows is three weeks, plus or minus three days. During the hunt, the pig comes into heat. It lasts from two to three days. If after mating the heat appears again during the next cycle, then fertilization has not occurred and the mating must be repeated.

But perhaps the female is not able to become pregnant. Fertilization does not occur for her. It would be good to check her for such abilities. If not, then, unfortunately, you will have to send it to slaughter. Sometimes the absence of pregnancy is due to the fault of the boar. He may have low-quality sperm. Then you need to change the boar.

Important! If you use the services of a producer from another farm, he must be checked by a veterinarian.

For greater confidence in the effectiveness of the mating, the female is covered twice. The first time immediately after signs of hunting appeared, and the second time after eighteen hours. It is advisable to coat it a second time with a different manufacturer.

How to detect heat in pigs

It will not be difficult for an experienced pig breeder to determine the start of heat in a pig. It will be more difficult for a beginner. But, having studied the signs of hunting and being observant, he too can cope. These are the behavioral features that occur in a pig when it experiences heat.

Appetite decreases.
Shows unexplained signs of aggression. Either he constantly knocks over the feeder with food, or he sets about destroying the walls or fences of the pigsty.
Clings to other pigs, trying to jump on them.
They constantly scurry around the pigsty, itching, grunting.
They urinate frequently.

These are all behavioral signs. The condition of the external genitalia also changes. They turn red and swell just like the nipples. But in females who have already given birth, these external signs of the genital organs are not so pronounced. However, after analyzing all the factors, we can make the correct conclusion about the start of hunting in females.

Preliminary stage

Preparation for insemination of the female begins long before the very moment of fertilization. TO preparatory activities The following can be attributed.

If you have several females, then you need to decide which of them is suitable for the role of a caring parent.
Decide which way insemination will take place. This usually happens in households. naturally.
If you don’t have a boar, then choose one from nearby farms. See its productive capabilities with your own eyes. To do this, look at the offspring that is born from him.
Agree with the owner of the boar so that the producer is available at the time you need.

Choosing a future sow

If you are the happy owner of a breeding herd of pigs, then you need to constantly worry about its reproduction. At four months of age, replacement young animals are weaned. It is suitable for young animals in terms of their exterior parameters, which are most appropriate for their breed.

In sows, it is desirable to identify pigs that have a sufficient number of nipples, as well as a calm, balanced character in comparison with their other friends. Calm pigs are usually more caring mothers. A large number of nipples suggests that it will be easier for her to feed her offspring.

At the same age, the future boar sire is also selected. They just take it from another pair of parents, since closely related ties lead to the degeneration of the breed and the loss of the productive characteristics inherent in it. It’s good if the boar comes from pigs of a different productive type. Then you can get pigs with unique meat qualities. There is something for the breeder to work on here.

Selected young animals are placed in separate pens. At the same age, all young animals are separated by gender. This is done because at this time the pigs already have a sexual desire. And early sexual intercourse is not necessary for young and fragile individuals.

After separation and selection of young animals, nutritional adjustments are made. The remaining young animals are fed according to the finishing feeding scheme. And for those selected, their diet is reduced. Since they are being prepared not for slaughter, but for further work. Increase the share of concentrated and fortified feeds.

Features of the mating process

As already written, mating should be carried out during the female’s hunting period. It is determined by the characteristics described above. To be more confident, you can press on her butt and try to push her forward; if she resists and does not budge, then she is ready for mating.

The act of intercourse itself lasts approximately twenty minutes in pigs. But the time they spend together should be increased to at least three hours. It is better to carry it out in the boar’s native pigsty.

Since the boar is an active party in this process and the result of fertilization depends on his confident actions, it is better to carry out the procedure in a place familiar to him (in his pigsty). Then he will be comfortable. He will not be distracted by studying the new environment, but will be able to immediately start doing work.

It is better if there are no strangers around at this crucial moment. And you, too, should not be there, pushing and in every possible way speeding up the process. This will only distract the pigs and may reduce their sex drive. On the contrary, their longer acquaintance with each other will only increase the likelihood of a successful mating.

If you see that for some reason the pig has suddenly lost its desire, then it is better to temporarily refuse mating and drive the pig away. As soon as she feels the urge again, she will return to the pen where the boar is located.

Natural mating methods

Natural mating can be carried out in two ways.

Manual method.

According to it, a certain female is placed with a certain male as many times as necessary to fertilize the pig.

In a free way.

With this method, several females are kept with a boar, and he periodically fertilizes them. But such content contributes to the deterioration of sperm quality. And as a result, the appearance of weaker offspring. With such intensive use, the boar quickly loses its productive qualities.

Artificial insemination

Almost no one carries out artificial insemination at home, since only a veterinarian can competently perform this work. He himself introduces pre-prepared sperm from the producer's boar into the vagina.

The advantages of this method of insemination are that

the probability of successful fertilization is much higher than with natural mating;
getting an infection is much lower than from a boar from another farm;
easier to carry out selection work, selecting the required breed of boar;
the process itself can take place at a time convenient for the pig, since stored sperm is used;

The only drawback is that it is problematic to carry out such a procedure yourself. Yes, and it entails additional financial costs.

To summarize, we can say that if you are running a planned farm, then the natural mating of pigs cannot be left to chance. The time of its holding must be planned, and participants must be selected in advance. But in the process itself, human participation should be minimal. Then, as they say, everything will work out for them.

In pigs, during the period of follicle maturation, the vulva (loop) swells and becomes red, the vaginal mucosa becomes swollen, pinkish or bright red. Mucus may be released from the genital opening. At the beginning of the hunt, the mucus is light, and by the end of the hunt it is whitish. A little mucus is released. Clear changes in the vulva during estrus are observed in only 75% of females. Its swelling and redness rarely persists until the end of the heat and usually disappears during mating or earlier.

3–12 hours before the onset of estrus, changes occur in the pig's behavior. She becomes restless, often urinates, makes a characteristic grunt, eats little, sniffs the genitals of other animals, jumps on them and can allow other pigs to mount her, and tries to get out of the pen. Some females actively pursue boars the day before estrus. At this stage, the phenomena of estrus and hunting intensify.

A characteristic sign of sexual heat (the pig's readiness to mate with a male) is immobility. In the presence of a male, she pricks up her ears, arches her back and freezes in this position. If at this time you put your hand on her sacrum or sit astride, then she does not shy away, but continues to stand calmly. But without a boar, such a reaction is observed only in half of the animals.

The main stimuli of the immobility reflex are olfactory and auditory. Appearance the male also matters. But observations show that if the female does not see the boar, but hears grunting and perceives its smell, then the attraction to him is weakened slightly. The grunting of a boar recorded on a tape recorder evokes the immobility reflex in more than half of the gilts that did not show the reflex without the boar. Very strong and olfactory irritants. Over 60% of gilts in heat that do not respond to hand pressure show immobility when transferred to the boar pen. The smell of liquid taken from the boar's prepuce and heated to body temperature gives the same effect as the smell of the boar itself. The reaction depends on a steroid substance produced in the prepuce and which gives the characteristic smell of pork. It has been synthesized and is used to detect heat (drugs suidor, feromaxein, etc.). It is enough to mix 0.1–1 mg of such a substance with 100 g of an inert substance and spray or spray it in the form of a liquid (aerosol) in a pigsty to stimulate sexual activity in sows in heat. 1–2 minutes after applying it, more than half of the pigs in heat, in which no signs of it were noticed, show a reflex of immobility even without a boar.

Use of test boars. Most exact way detecting heat in pigs is the use of a test boar in a group of 4–8 females. It is advisable to place the boar in the pen first so that he gets used to the environment, and then introduce the queens. If the boar has good sexual activity, then 5 minutes of contact with each female is sufficient. Since coitus in pigs lasts a long time, boars can be used without any surgical intervention. After mounting, the boar can be pushed off the uterus. Reliable use also in vasectomized boars.

When detecting heat in pigs, livestock breeders must take into account such signs as increased excitability, loss of appetite, characteristic grunting, swelling and redness of the vulva, etc. A single sign is not a reliable indicator of heat, but based on their totality, an experienced worker who knows all animals individually will can easily identify females in heat.

Biotechnology of reproduction of farm animals. Part 3. Dilution and storage of sperm. Insemination of female farm animals and birds: guidelines. / Belarusian State Agricultural Academy; comp. G. F. Medvedev, N. I. Gavrichenko, I. A. Dolin

When breeding pigs on farms, many breeders set themselves the goal of expanding the livestock by mating their animals, but only a few of them approach this issue responsibly. But the way in which pigs are mated directly affects the quality of the offspring. Moreover, in such a process a number of important points should be taken into account.

Matching

One of the keys to obtaining healthy and productive offspring is right choice animals for mating. In the process of mating, the basic qualities of both parents are transmitted to the young. Therefore, when choosing, you should take into account all possible factors.

Most often, pig farms use two types of selection of mating partners:

Homogeneous. In this case, animals with approximately identical characteristics are selected. As a result, the specified qualities are clearly fixed in the offspring, which will later be passed on to subsequent generations.
Heterogeneous. With this approach, the choice falls on pigs, which vary significantly in parameters. The main characteristics of young animals in such a situation are more difficult to predict. But as a rule, the resulting offspring takes root better in different conditions. In addition, with heterogeneous selection, it is possible to a certain extent to equalize the qualities of the lagging individual in further generations.

In addition, it is also important to consider the age of the animals being mated during the selection process. If the sow is still young, then you need to select a male for her under the age of 5-6 years. Any boars are suitable for middle-aged females.

As for more specific parameters, when choosing a boar, the following points are taken into account:

the number of successful inseminations performed by the male;
his physical condition;
breed and quality of the offspring born from the last mating.

In addition, it is important to choose correct sizes boar. If it is too large, it can easily injure the female.

When choosing a sow, the following parameters are taken into account:

strong legs;
straight back;
wide chest;
12 nipples;
correct jaw bite.

If the animal has already given birth to offspring before, then you should also take into account:

condition, weight and number of babies born at the last farrowing;
at what age did the first sexual estrus begin?
the number of surviving piglets from one litter;
quality of lactation.

Important! It is also advisable to pay attention to the mating of pigs belonging to the same breed. It is best to select individuals for mating before the age of 4 months. In this case, the most suitable are piglets that stand out for their greater fatness and calm disposition.

Pig hunting

The highest chances that pigs will mate successfully occur when they are in heat. During this period, females ovulate, as a result of which the body is ready to conceive offspring. This period lasts no more than 72 hours. Most characteristic features its beginnings are as follows:

Decreased appetite and excessive pickiness in food.
Periodic carding against machine elements.
Restless behavior. The animal cannot stand still, constantly runs from one corner of the pen to another, knocks over the feeder, and tries to gnaw or break through the wall of the pen. When stopping, the pig arches its back and stands motionless for some time.
The pig can jump on other animals. Moreover, such attempts are made not only by males, but also by females.
Significantly increased frequency of urination.
Constant grunting that sounds almost non-stop.
The genitals may become red and slightly swollen.

The listed points indicate that the animals are ready to breed and mating can be carried out. But it is worth remembering that overfed and overweight individuals show less signs of heat.

Preparatory stage

Mating is planned long before the animals reach sexual maturity. To do this, the young animals, upon reaching 4 months of age, are separated by a partition according to gender. In this case, the border is not a solid fence, but a mesh or lattice that will not limit visual contact.

Immediately before mating, a separate preparatory stage. At the beginning of this period, the queen, prepared for insemination, is transferred to a separate dry, light and warm pen or separated by a partition from the rest of the herd.

Caring for an isolated animal should be taken extremely seriously so that the female gets into the shape necessary for conception, pregnancy and caring for offspring. To do this, first of all, change the animal’s diet. In this case, feeding undergoes the following changes:

the amount of food fed is reduced in comparison with the standard norm;
the diet is based on concentrates;
dairy products (milk or skimmed milk) are added to food;
It is advisable to supplement the general diet with vitamin supplements.

Such preparation should begin several weeks before the expected time of mating.

The diet of inseminating boars is also undergoing changes. Moreover, the composition and volume of feeding, the routine and duration of walking directly depend on his sexual activity. On average, under normal conditions, one male inseminates up to 50 females. In the case of artificial insemination, this figure can increase 3-4 times. Therefore, it is extremely important to provide the necessary amount of minerals, vitamins and other nutrients to restore the animal’s strength, as well as to improve the quality of its semen.

Mating process

The very mating of pigs in winter time carried out in a warm, dry room in which there are no drafts. The pigsty in which the male was raised is best suited for this. IN summer time Mating can be carried out in an open pasture. It is important to prevent any possible outside interference.

For mating, the sow is brought to the boar and left alone in a closed pen or room. The total duration of one mating ranges from 5 minutes to half an hour. But, it should be remembered that the success of mating depends on a number of factors. Therefore, for reliability, it is better to inseminate sows again. To do this, the animals are brought together again 10-12 hours after the first mating. It is much easier to leave the animals in a common room for a day, where mating takes place several times.

The following points may affect the effectiveness of mating:

Presence of a person at the mating site. Especially if these are strangers, unfamiliar to the boar.
The presence of unfamiliar odors and noise. Pigs are extremely sensitive animals, and any irritant can distract them, reducing their sex drive.
Mating in an unfamiliar place. In such a situation, the male will pay more attention to the development of the new territory, which will also affect his sexual function.
Attempts to speed up the mating process by outside intervention. It is worth remembering that the longer the courtship process takes place, the greater the likelihood that fertilization will be successful.

If mating does not lead to pregnancy of the uterus, the procedure is repeated. Repeated mating is carried out after 21 days, when the animal begins to estrus again. You can also increase the likelihood of success in mating the queen by alternating mating with 2-3 selected males.

Sometimes a decrease in sexual heat can be observed in females already in the process of mating. In this case, you should take the animal out of the pen or room in which the boar is located and leave it alone for a while. If the sow's desire returns, she will independently go to the pen with the male. At the same time, they are brought together again and mating is repeated.

Artificial mating

On large farms, artificial mating is often used. When inseminating in this way, it is not the boar itself that is brought to the farm, but only the sperm taken from it. This method is popular for several reasons:

it is possible to fertilize a large number of queens simultaneously and in the shortest possible time;
the possibility of transmitting various infectious diseases is completely eliminated;
artificial mating from one male suitable in terms of parameters occurs with several females at once, which allows each of them to produce high-quality offspring.

How do you know if a pig has covered itself?

The effectiveness of the mating at an early stage can be determined by some behavioral features and individual changes in the appearance of the animals. Moreover, it is possible to determine whether a pig is pregnant no earlier than 18-20 days after mating. If by this time the sow does not show signs of heat, then most likely she is pregnant. But we should also not exclude the possibility of a false pregnancy, the external signs of which disappear within 2-3 months.

As for other evidence of an animal’s pregnancy, they appear from the beginning of the second month after mating. These signs include the following:

Increased appetite.
Fast weight gain.
Lack of sexual hunting.
Curd-like discharge from the genitals.
Sagging abdominal part.

If in the subsequent period the pig begins to estrus again, it means that pregnancy has not occurred. In this case, it is recommended to re-pair. and it is better to take another boar. If repeated mating does not produce results, the queen is discarded. If the second attempt was successful, the first boar is checked for the possibility of fertilization.

In most cases, the cause of infertility in pigs is a violation of the living conditions of the animals. In this case, the main factors influencing the implementation of sexual function in both sexes may be:

unbalanced feeding, as well as excessive amounts of feed, causing obesity in pigs;
diseases of the genital organs;
lack of regular walking of animals in the fresh air;
mating of related individuals;
low sperm quality in a male.

Attention! You should be extremely careful when making an accurate diagnosis. Sometimes the negative result of a female's mating is simply a consequence of an erroneous determination of signs of heat in her.

Conclusion

It is quite difficult to take into account all these points when breeding pigs without proper experience. In addition to a high-quality theoretical basis, it is also desirable to have a good practical basis. But you shouldn’t neglect the nuances of this process either. After all, only proper organization, preparation and implementation of animal mating will allow you to obtain the largest and highest quality offspring. And expanding the pig farm with playful, vigorous and healthy piglets can bring considerable economic benefits to the breeder in the future.