Pig farrowing: from pregnant sow to healthy litter
A sow farrows about 114 days after mating.
ReserveA sow farrows on average 114 days after mating, usually between day 109 and 119 (DA RFO 2). Move her into a clean farrowing pen at least 3–5 days before she is due (DA AO 41). The udder fills with milk 24–48 hours before farrowing. Let every piglet drink colostrum right after birth, give iron within 3 days and call your vet when labour stalls. Raising weaners instead of breeding? Start with healthy weaned piglets from Ronda, Cebu.
Signs of farrowing
Last week
The vulva swells and turns red; the udder fills with colostrum 24–48 hours before farrowing (Purdue Extension).
Milk in the teats
Milk when the teats are pressed means farrowing is near (DA RFO 2).
Final hours
Restless, nest building, frequent urination. 15–60 minutes before the first piglet she lies on her side and strains (Purdue).
When to call the vet
Piglets come about every 15–20 minutes. Straining for more than 30–45 minutes without a piglet needs help: call your vet (Purdue).
Farrowing crate and pen
| Item | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Crate length120 kg / 180 kg sow | 2.10 m / 2.35 m |
| Crate width at the floor120 kg / 180 kg sow | 0.80 m / 0.90 m |
| Lactating sow and litter, own pen | 7.40 m² |
| Creep area for piglets | 32 °C up to 3 weeks |
| Sow comfort range | 15–30 °C |
| Time in a crate | Not more than 1 month at a time |
Source: DA AO 41 s. 2000, Tables 2, 4 and 5. Extra heat for piglets for at least the first 7–14 days, while the sow’s area stays cooler. Crate design details: PAES 401:2001.
Sow feeding, gestation to weaning
| Days | Feed per day |
|---|---|
| Gestation day 0–83Gestating sow feed | 2 kg |
| Gestation day 84–110 | 2.5 kg |
| Gestation day 111–113 | 2 kg |
| Farrowing day (114) | 0 kg, water only |
| Lactation day 1, 2, 3Lactating sow feed | 1, 2, 3 kg |
| Lactation day 4–7 | 4 kg |
| Lactation day 8–29 | 5 kg |
| Weaning day | 0 kg |
Source: DA Hog Roadmap 2022–2026, Table 11 (ATI-ITCPH guide). Lactating sows drink 15–30 litres of water a day, pregnant sows 5–10 litres (DA AO 41).
Piglet care in the first days
Colostrum first
Let every piglet suckle right after birth; colostrum lasts only 2–3 days (ATI-ITCPH).
Iron within 3 days
Piglets raised indoors need an iron supplement within 3 days of birth (DA AO 41). Ask your vet which product.
Teeth, tail, castration
Needle teeth within 2 days, at most a third of the tooth; tail docking only in the first 3 days; castration before 14 days unless a vet does it (DA AO 41).
Creep feed and weaning
Creep feed by the end of week 2; wean at about 30 days, and not under 6 kg (DA AO 41).
After weaning
Most sows come back into heat 3–7 days after weaning (Merck Vet Manual). Philippine farm monitoring in 2018 found 10.45 piglets born per litter and 19.05 pigs sold per sow per year; a 2009 study found 8–9 piglets per litter on small farms (both cited in the DA Hog Roadmap).
Vaccines, dewormers and doses come from your vet, not from a guide. Keep ASF away from the farrowing pen: African swine fever explained. Pen sizes for the rest of the farm: backyard piggery guide; feed by stage: hog feeds.
No sow yet? Buy weaners and fatten them: piglet price in Cebu, fattening pigs cost per head, live hog price. Gepanaga’s Farm opens in April 2027 in Ronda: reserve piglets, lechon pigs or wholesale, with a vet health certificate for every batch.
Questions
How long is a pig pregnant?
About 114 days (3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days), usually 109–119 days (DA RFO 2, Purdue Extension).
When do I move the sow to the farrowing pen?
At least 3–5 days before she is due (DA AO 41); DA RFO 2 says one week.
How do I know a sow will farrow soon?
Swollen red vulva, restlessness, nest building and milk in the teats. Milk in the teats means farrowing is near (DA RFO 2); the udder fills with colostrum 24–48 hours before (Purdue Extension).
How long does farrowing take?
Piglets usually come every 15–20 minutes. If she strains 30–45 minutes without a piglet, call your vet (Purdue Extension).
How much should a lactating sow eat?
In the DA guide: 1 kg on day 1, rising to 5 kg a day from day 8 to weaning, with 15–30 litres of water (DA Hog Roadmap; DA AO 41).
When are piglets weaned?
At about 30 days, and not under 6 kg (DA AO 41).
Sources
- DA AO 41 s. 2000, Code of Practice and Minimum Standards for Pigs
- DA, Philippine Hog Industry Roadmap 2022–2026 (2022)
- DA RFO 2, Tips on Swine Raising
- PAES 401:2001, Housing for Swine Production
- Purdue Extension VA-30-W, Your Sow is Expecting (2021)
- Merck Veterinary Manual, Breeding Management of Pigs (2026)
- DA-ATI ITCPH, Gabay sa Pag-aalaga ng Biik
