Breeding

[RIRss]

I have 2 female yorkshires about 3 weeks old and was wondering when can I breed them. What age should they be and when is the best time to do it and how long is the pregnecie last? Any info on breeding and all other stuff will help.

Thanks,
RIRss

 

[jhm47]

Breed them at about 6 months of age. Gestation length is 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days.

 

[RIRss]

How many piglets should I be getting from a first time sow? Also how long should I leave the boar with the sow?

Thanks,
RIRss

 

[jhm47]

The # of babies varies greatly. I used to raise purebred Yorks, and I guess the least I got was 5, and the most was 18. You should be happy with around 10 - 12 nice healthy ones. A really big litter causes problems because the gilt usually doesn't have enough teats for all the babies, and some will starve out. It's pretty hard to hand raise newborn pigs.

The boar only needs to be with the gilt for a couple of matings during the time she's in heat.

 

[RIRss]

Im in Florida so do I need to worry about her rolly on the babies and killing them of should I provide a heat lamp any way. My second question is the 3month 3week 3day thing does that mean that the babies will come out on that exact date or can it varry.
If you have any tips for me please tell me cause this is my first time breeding them.

Thanks,
RIRss

 

[boykin2010]

at first i thought u were talking about yorkshire terriers. ( yorkies... )

hahahahahahah

 

[jhm47]

The babies would like a temp around 90 degrees, so if the air temp is that high, they likely wouldn't go under a lamp. The due date is not always perfectly accurate. They can vary by a couple days.

 

[RIRss]

How long should I let them be with the mom before weaning? I have read 4weeks then others say 8 weeks does it really make a big differnce?

Thanks,
RIRss

 

[jhm47]

Many commercial pigs are now weaned at 12 - 14 days, but I feel that this is far too early. Of course, the reason for this early weaning is to get the sows bred back as soon as possible. We usually weaned between 4 - 6 weeks. If you go much longer, the sows get quite run down and thin. You should monitor the sows body condition and wean when they begin to get run down.