For almost as long as my husband and I have nurture pigs on our farm , we have relied on AI breeding ( artificial insemination ) to get the occupation done .
Although AI is the average when it fall to breeding beef oxen and dairy cows , it is highly rarified for other livestock , even pigs .
Most the great unwashed would prefer to keep a Sus scrofa to breed their sow or sow , and while that works for lots of folks , it ’s simply not the right option for us .
AI breeding is a convenient way to breed your animals , particularly when it come to pig bed .
That said , it ’s not an fallible technique . There are some downfalls to regard before decide whether it ’s correct for you .
Here ’s what you should know .
What is AI Breeding?
A conversational term for contrived insemination , AI technology involves collect sperm from a male brute ( in this case , a boar ) and then posit them into the procreative nerve tract of a female person ( in this case , a sow or gilt ) .
This engineering science is available for just about every domestic livestock coinage . However , it ’s most commonly used in dairy farm cattle .
That ’s because , for many specie , it is simply not worth the time and tussle involved in check how to in good order serve an fauna . Many citizenry make this complaint when it fall to AI breed slovenly person – I , however , see several advantages .
Benefits of AI Breeding Pigs
1. No Need to Keep a Boar
We had to purchase a single piglet from another farmer a class or two ago ( a eating house customer decided he want one more squealer for the summertime ) .
We drive to the farm and were able to pick our shoat out of a bedding material that had just beenweaned .
Next to the barn where thepigletswere house , there was a separate barn that house the boar . This was one of my first experiences being that close to a Sus scrofa . I ’ll be honest , it was a footling restrain ! I consider our training sow , Big Boo , was big – and at nearly 600 pounds , she was .
This Sus scrofa , though , was another freak altogether . He was absolutely massive .
While it ’s not difficult to keep a Sus scrofa – and deal a wild boar and his behaviour often comes down to selecting the right stock – it ’s not something we have any involvement in doing .
We have never been concerned in levy a Sus scrofa because it would require additionalwinter housing(which we do n’t have ) and extra provender expenses .
We ’ve course the numbers racket , and for us , raising pigs during some of the coldest months of the class when natural foraging opportunities are limited , it is really more expensive to keep a boar just to multiply one sow than it is to buy seminal fluid and AI strain .
Of naturally , that factor is negated if you be after on breeding more than one sow . The disbursement will be spread out over many , many more piglets .
However , for many farmers who only breed one or two sow , it ’s more scotch to AI breed than to feed in a boar during the entire class just for a few minutes of performance !
2. Genetic Improvement
Our favourite part of AI breeding sloven is our ability to pinpoint the precise genetics we want to be carried in our bedding of shote . We ’ve raised several breeds , admit Tamworths , Durocs , Berkshires , andYorkshires .
When you AI breed slovenly person , you have it off exactly what the genetics of a boar are . That makes it easier when it fare to managing your bedding material .
3. Easier to Keep Records
As a corollary note to the last peak , one other thing I enjoy about AI procreation is that it makes it much easy to keep records .
When you order semen from your provider , you will be given a paper trail to follow . This will tell you what kind of ejaculate was ordered , when it was embark , and when you receive it .
That way , you ’ll know just what sort of genetics you have and what dates you breed your sow or gilding .
4.CanBe Less Expensive
Though this is not true for all farmers , AI engender sloven for us is a much less expensive option than it would be to raise a boar .
We do n’t have access to complimentary or cheap provender ( at least not in the wintertime , when foraging is not an choice ) . Also , we have limited space in which to raise pigs ( just a few acres ) . We do n’t want to dedicate more of that space to a boar yr - orotund .
Plus , boars are extremely large – and they can be destructive due to their sheer size alone . Yet another hassle we do n’t require to handle with ( and another expense , to boot ) .
5. Can Pinpoint Date of Farrowing Easier
This year , our sow was due to pig sometime in late September or early October . That sort of imprecision normally would n’t be an return . I go from home . That means I can help my husband when it get along to detect early sign of farrow , like secretion , swell , and nesting behavior .
The problem with not knowing exactly when she was going to have our piglet this twelvemonth was that I , too , was fraught – and due at the end of September .
While most sows farrowing just delicately on their own , ours has had a bit of a complex medical chronicle that makes it necessary for us to be there when she delivers .
Fortunately , pigs are known for being reliable when it comes to sticking to their “ due dates ” . All we had to do was take a look at the date our sow was bred to get an idea .
We knew she would have her shote at the end of the first week in October . While we were n’t indisputable whether that would be on a Thursday , Friday , or Saturday , it give us enough confidence to not have to occupy about still being at the hospital with our young little “ shote ” when she did resolve to go into parturiency .
I ’m sure there are some pig Fannie Merritt Farmer out there who have the ability to put a wild boar in with a sow and then estimate the appointment of farrowing to a T.
However , the reality is that unless you have surveillance cameras set up in your barns , you in all probability are n’t going to be capable to find out them 24/7 – and to sleep together , as my husband likes to put it , “ which tooth of the saw bite her . ”
It can take a few go - arounds for a sow to get pregnant , and without knowing which day that was on , you ca n’t estimate the particular date of farrow with any form of dependableness .
Challenges of AI Breeding Pigs
1. Expenses
A major benefit of AI breeding pigs is that you already know the character of the semen you are going to be using .
If you rely on a boar that you have never used before , you have no way of life of bonk whether he will be able to engender the sow .
However , with natural service , it will be much easier for the sexual union process to come about . You wo n’t have to employ “ hokey ” techniques to boost the sow to stand . The wild boar will do all of that for you with his mere front alone .
you could usually serve a sow two or three times , meaning you ’ll ask to order two or three ampul of cum .
This is not flash . Even when you shop around for the most competitory prices , you could still have a bun in the oven to pay around $ 25 per dose .
That ’s not counting other materials you will need for the AI process , like sow rods , gilt rods , wild boar atomizer , and more .
Of course , you ’re also perish to pay for a cooler , gel packs , and the messenger delivery charge for those items to get to you , too .
We recently shopped a “ holiday cut-rate sale ” when we ordered semen to breed our two pig . We paid most $ 200 with everything in total .
Do n’t leave that you ’re pay to feed and house a sow throughout the entire year , too . Those expenses can add up .
We have scranch the numbers . Based on what we commove for pith and weaner bull , AI breeding is the most low-priced avenue for us . It might not be for you . Make certain you do some research to look into if the expenses are worth it in your scenario .
2. Logistical Issues
One of the big business concern with AI fostering is that , of course of action , it is not a innate operation . Therefore , human error can come into play .
When a boar mate with a sow , the ejaculate is in and out . It ’s not subjected to the change in the surroundings that semen for AI breeding is . Also , each female person gets “ serviced ” more than once ( and with multiple “ doses ” ) each meter she become into heat .
To correctly AI breed a sow , you need to do so correctly and at the optimal clip . You need to stir up check carefully and at regular intervals . A pig ’s estrous cycle averages 21 mean solar day .
However , it can place from 17 - 25 days . It ’s not always consistent , even with the same sow .
Plus , for a sow to “ brook , ” a behavior that is necessary for facts of life , this reflex must be stimulated by coming into impinging with a mature boar .
When you AI breed , you get around this by spray her with a guessing of boar nebulizer pheromones . Again , it ’s just one more moving part you need to keep course of .
3. Need for Precision – and Practice!
If you ever want to see a funny sight , get along over to our farm on procreation Clarence Shepard Day Jr. . At least , the breeding days of the past tense , that is , before we became more skilled at AI breeding .
When you are AI breed a sow , you involve to enforce some force per unit area to her trunk . This simulates the exercising weight of a boar and encourages her to stand ( alike to how the pheromone are used ) .
The first few times we bred Boo , I plainly tilt on her while my hubby spawn her with the ship semen . However , as a several 100 - pound brute , she is quite tall ( and I am quite light ) .
When it fare time to multiply her the most recent prison term , I was heavily fraught . I was not capable of helping him apply pressure .
For a while , he try out with a proficiency that had him sit on her back to give the pressure . This work in theory .
The problem ? His feet did not touch the ground .
When she decided she had had enough of this business , he ended up free her around the pen for a while like a rodeo buffoon .
I laughed and laugh – but he did not line up it so funny !
Later , he found that using a texture bag satiate with sand was a good elbow room to accomplish this chore without my avail .
You ask to be incredibly precise and willing to neglect a few times before you get things ripe . Practice makes perfect , as they say ! If you have access to someone who might be able to show you the ropes when you ’re first learning this technique , I ca n’t recommend that enough .
4. Ordering Process
I ’ll never block the day we got our first semen catalogue in the mail . I think the mailman was less than impressed !
Now , it ’s a day we look frontwards to . We get to break up out the boar that will ply one-half of the genetic science for our next bedding of piglets .
The ordering cognitive operation for AI breeding is not always easygoing , though . This is another reason why many farmers steer decipherable of this method acting .
The window in which you could breed a sow is short – usually , 3 days , get to finish . You have to watch cautiously for sign of heating system and call in an order of semen to be embark overnight .
The semen has to be handled cautiously , too , to ensure its viability . It postulate to be fully cooled before packaging and be temperature command during transport – not too spicy and not too frigid .
We have to watch tracking information carefully to encounter out when it has arrived at the chief handling facility for UPS in our sphere .
That ’s because we have to pick it up directly from the warehouse rather than allowing it to be delivered to the farm . After all , it ca n’t be rid around in the back of a ( non - temperature controlled ) vanguard all daytime .
This order process is complicated and time - intensive . This is another reason why many mass choose not to rely on AI breeding pigs on their farms .
5. Need to Understand Sow Reproductive System
As you might have infer from register the above suggestion , successfully AI breed a sow relies on an intricate noesis of thesow generative system and techniques for AI breedingthat many mass just do n’t have .
It takes a fortune of time and practice to get ripe at AI facts of life . This , unfortunately , can be you a lot of sentence and money in the appendage .
One year , we bred our sow three times before she finally took . That ’s a lot of money . Now , we very seldom make mistakes , but for a while , we wonder whether it was really worth it .
If you ’re conceive about AI breeding a sow , do as much enquiry as you could .
That ’s doubly unfeigned if you plan on breeding a gilding . It can be even more difficult for the summons to take .
The well news about pigs is that they have a reproductive system that make AI a bit less fourth dimension - consuming . It is also somewhat easier to accomplish than it is in cattle or sheep , in my opinion .
However , you still postulate to know the proper proficiency . You need to be able to clock uterine contractions to get the sperm into the uterus and the oviduct .
Should I AI Breed My Pigs?
at last , the decision of whether you should AI breed your pigs ( or other livestock ) is up to you . Although it is by no mean value a merriment and raise process , it can make your on - farm management a bit easier .
Oh – and no big , smelly boar to care for , either !
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