Artificial Insemination (AI) Guidance for Pig Farmers

Question: How can one make 5 sows come into heat at the same time to cut costs of transporting semen and AI technician from one location to another? 

Answer: You need to take control over your pigs’ oestrus cycles. Remember your female pigs are either gilts or sows. A gilt is a young female that has never given birth. A sow is a reproductively active female pig on a farm.

Gilts

They come into puberty on average at around 24 weeks!

To take control over their cycles, carry out "Boar Exposure." Boar exposure is creating contact between your gilts and a mature boar for purposes of inducing heat.

Procedure

1. Introduce a boar to your gilts (one or in a group of not more than seven) every day.

2. Make sure every gilt in the group smells the boar. Ensure contact between each gilt and the boar.

3. Check for signs of heat each day before introducing the boar to the gilt pen. Don't introduce a boar into gilts on standing heat because they may end up mated by the teaser boar.

4. Majority of your pigs will cycle in the first 20 days of boar exposure.

5. Once heat is detected for the first time, record the date. The gilt will cycle again every after 18 - 22 days.

Note: Gilts must be fed well. Give gilt rearing diet every day. Inseminate your gilts at least at weight of 130 + kilograms or according to your genetics supplier's recommendations. To achieve this, feed them gilt rearing diet ad libitum.

Sows

A sow fed rightly during lactation will be back on heat on average in five (5) days after weaning.

However, most well fed and managed sows return to heat 3 days after weaning.

If all this fails, you can try artificial synchronization. This requires use of hormones. It is the most expensive option and under a serious debate about safety of pork from mainly worn out sows that have been undergoing such treatments. I am not an advocate of this option too.

However, you can use your boar to detect heat among weaned sows.

1. Introduce a boar into the corridor.

2. Sows on heat will move towards the boar.

3. Using your hands, exert pressure at the back of the sows that come near the door to interact with the boar.

4. Sows on standing heat will stand still without making any noise.

Once that is done, you are in control over your gilts/sows oestrus cycles and therefore can successfully plan Artificial Insemination programs with ease.