Helpful Terminology:
Gestation = Pregnancy
Farrowing = The birth process for a pig
Sow = A mother pig
Gilt = A young female pig who isn’t a mom yet
My absolute favorite part about growing up on a pig farm was being able to watch and assist in the pigl
et birthing process. In high school, I was able to work as a “farrowing monitor”. Which meant my entire job was to help birthing moms to have healthy babies, and to get those piglets dry and nursing as soon as possible. Now that I am a Veterinarian, I get to spend time every week at sites where mothers are giving birth to piglets. It is hugely rewarding to help bring piglets safely into the world. To this day, it is my favorite part about working in the swine industry!
I would lo
ve to be able to take hundreds of people through farms to experience birthing piglets for themselves. Unfortunately, the risk of bringing in bugs that would make our mothers and their piglets sick is too high! I will have to settle with sharing this process through words and pictures.
During her pregnancy, a female pig (sow) lives in barn for pregnant sows that we call a gestation barn. The barn is full of other sows that are also pregnant. A couple days before her due date she is moved into a room designated for the birthing process (farrowing). Each sow gets her own private pen for labor. Her pen has been washed, disinfected and dried to provide a clean environment for her coming piglets.
The day of farrowing sows are restless. They will stand up and sit down multiple times. Often times they will not eat, and occasionally they will start to drip milk. Just before the pushing starts, a sow will lay down on her side.
It doesn’t take much time after she lies down to push before we see our first piglet!
It’s a girl!
During labor, a farrowing assistant will monitor the sows progress. They will watch as she pushes, and will record the timing of birth for each piglet.
Like humans, the length of labor varies from sow to sow. Most sows will have a piglet every 5-25 minutes. As each piglet is born they are dried off by the farrowing assistant and placed near the teat to drink, or placed under a heat lamp in the labor pen.
Most sows go through labor without any difficulty. However, sometimes sows require assistance. Each sow has a medical history that the farrowing assistant can look at during the labor process. The history tells them if this sow has had a previous litter, and if she has ever had trouble with labor in the past. That history combined with careful monitoring, help the assistant to decide if and when the sow needs help.
We are lucky that piglets are larger than the size of a human hand. That means the birth canal is large enough for a human to reach in and pull stuck piglets out. It is an amazing feeling to pull a stuck piglet out and watch it take its first breath!
Unlike many other domesticated animals, sows push out not one, not two, but sometimes as many as 20 piglets! Most of the time, they perform this huge task with no need for human assistance. They are amazing! It is such an honor to have the opportunity to work every day with such amazing animals.
I’ll end the post by saying this isn’t the end of the story. This is just the beginning. There are a lot of other steps to produce the healthy and safe pork you eat every day. If you are willing to read, I am willing to write! Stay tuned for more of the story.
