Guilts

[millstreaminn]

I was going to post these questions on a pig forum that I look at but there is so little activity there that the chances of an answer are slim. I own several books on pig raising but can't find the answers to these questions. Here goes:

I have 4 guilts that I plan to AI as soon as they come into heat. They range from 4 to 5 months old and are in good shape. Someone on the pig forum said you need a boar to stimulate the guilts into heat. I questioned that but never got an answer. You don't need a bull to have a cow come in heat. The whole idea of AI-ing the pigs was to not have to keep a boar.

Do pigs ride each other when in heat? How long is a pig in standing heat and how can you tell that she is? I've read you can push down on a guilts back and hind quarters and she will stand if in heat. When I push on my guilts backs they just sit down, look at me and grunt... :roll:

How do I know when these buggers are in heat???

 

[Frankie]

I was going to post these questions on a pig forum that I look at but there is so little activity there that the chances of an answer are slim. I own several books on pig raising but can't find the answers to these questions. Here goes:

I have 4 guilts that I plan to AI as soon as they come into heat. They range from 4 to 5 months old and are in good shape. Someone on the pig forum said you need a boar to stimulate the guilts into heat. I questioned that but never got an answer. You don't need a bull to have a cow come in heat. The whole idea of AI-ing the pigs was to not have to keep a boar.

Do pigs ride each other when in heat? How long is a pig in standing heat and how can you tell that she is? I've read you can push down on a guilts back and hind quarters and she will stand if in heat. When I push on my guilts backs they just sit down, look at me and grunt... :roll:

How do I know when these buggers are in heat???

Apparently it's difficult. But here are some signs that I found:

"Swollen red vulva. This will be more prominent in gilts and actually starts to dissipate at the end of proestrus.
Evidence of a sticky, viscous secretion at the vulva. The "stickiness" can be measured by a procedure known as "thumb checking." First, touch the thumb to the vulva in order to get a smear of the secretion. Then press the index finger and thumb together and pull apart to "measure" the stickiness. The stickier the mucous, the stronger the heat.
Groaning of the sow. When a sow is in heat, sometimes she will emit a deep, groaning sound. This usually occurs at a peak of the estrus cycle.
Tendency of a female to stand upon application of backpressure. Her ears will prick erect, and the sow or gilt will tend to "lock up." Sometimes if heat is suspected, the person checking heat must briskly rub the sow's side low in the flank with one hand while pushing down on her loin just rear of center. The belly rubbing stimulates the "nosing" of the boar.
Sows in estrus may also ride (mount) other sows, and in this case both may be in heat."

I do know someone who has AI-ed some sows. You can just put pressure on their back and they'll stand. Plus the semen is in a big toothpaste-like tube. You just thead the end in and squeeze it out. They also ordered the semen the day before they wanted to breed and it came ready to use, not thawed.

http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-0683/anr683six.html

http://mark.asci.ncsu.edu/Swine_News/20 ... (September).htm