WINTER FARROWING
By AKKPS Member Martha Morris of Moraine Hill Homestead
I doubt if winter farrowing is anyone’s first choice. It certainly isn’t as pleasant an experience as a farrow in any other season. Freezing temperatures can make it a bit more challenging, but with careful planning, it is certainly doable.
THE SHELTER
The first thing to consider is the barn or shed where the pig will farrow. If you have a choice, all things being equal, use the one nearest to the house. You will be going out a lot, and you will rather not go far. Elevate the shed a foot or so, if possible, to keep the snow and mud from seeping in. The shed needs to be solidly built to keep the draft and damp out. Look for places a newborn piglet might be able to get into or through. They will wander, and you won’t want them going far in winter temperatures.
I built an 8x14ft greenhouse out of cow panels, greenhouse plastic and stable mats that connects to the farrowing shed. Enry to the shed is through the greenhouse and up a ramp. The greenhouse heats up beautifully in the winter sun, and I can roll up the plastic in the summer.
INSIDE THE SHELTER
- Be sure to add crush rails and a crepe if you don’t already have them.
- A webcam is particularly useful for keeping an eye on developments while at work or from the warmth and comfort of your home.
- Keep a thin layer of hay or shavings on the floor. If the layer of hay is too thick, the piglets won’t be able to get out of mom’s way quickly enough when she lies down.
- I recommend hanging three Premier 1 heat lamps over the crepe. If you have a large litter or if it’s particularly cold you may need all three. Otherwise, it’s nice to have an extra if one should malfunction. If you hang the lamps on a chain, then their height is easy to adjust. Watch how the piglets are sleeping when in the crepe. If they are lying all lined up next to each other under the lamps, then the temperature is about right. If they are piled on top of each other, lower the lamps or turn on another. If they are sleeping outside of the lamp range, raise the lamps or turn one off.
KEEP AN EYE ON THE GILT / SOW
You want to be careful that your pig doesn’t have piglets somewhere you didn’t prepare. If you know when your pig bred, then shut her in the farrowing shed at least a few days before her due date. If you don’t know, be diligent about looking for signs of impending birth. When I didn’t know, I shut my sow in the shed at night and let her out during the day when I could keep an eye on her. Turn the heat lamps on when you think her time is close.
It’s a good idea to be present when the piglets are born if mom and your schedule allows. Wipe the newborn piglets off a bit with clean, dry, warm towels and put them under the heat lamps to dry off. You want to be very careful that they don’t get cold. Spend as much time on the first day or two that you can with the piglets, if the sow doesn’t mind. Whenever they stop nursing, move them to the crepe and the heat lamps. They’ll be warm and out of harm’s way there. I find it’s a lot easier to train them to go to the crepe in the winter than it is in the summer.
I keep the sow and piglets shut up in the shed for the first two weeks, and I clean up daily. I have a water barrel wrapped in reflectix insulation with a heater in it in the greenhouse, and I water them from that at least three times a day. Once they are two weeks old, I open the shed door into the greenhouse where they can enjoy the sunlight and the warmth. About this time, I let the sow outside for two or three hours a day. She usually hangs out at the greenhouse door when she wants back in. Piglets stay in the shed and greenhouse for three or four weeks more, depending on weather. The greenhouse has been a wonderful addition to winter farrowing.
Winter farrowing is really about making sure the piglets stay warm, dry and draft free. If you are set up for it, then you will be able to successfully raise a litter of healthy, cheerful piglets no matter what Old Man Winter may throw at you.