The success of a pig farm hinges on farrowing. Managing the farrowing unit correctly will guarantee that you wean healthy, thriving pigs. Having a well-managed farrowing unit also means that your gilts and sows will remain healthy and with good body scores, lowering the need to replace them and shortening the time to the next farrowing, a key productive indicator.
When thinking of a farrowing unit, you should look well beyond pig parturition. Insemination, synchronisation, sow nutrition, vaccination, and biosecurity all play a role in successful farrowing. However, the actions that you take from the moment the litter is born and up to weaning are critical for success, so we will focus on such practices: from tail docking and teeth clipping to the management of scour and iron deficiency in piglets.
Piglets are born wet, frail, and defenceless. Managing the farrowing pen correctly leads to more piglets surviving their first, crucial hours