Free Range Pork

The Birthing Process

180 ( Purebred Tamworth) giving birth to her piglets.

A new born piglet beside the mothers vulva. If you look closely you can see the umbilical cord is still attached inside the vulva. The piglet on the left is still shiny as it has not yet dried since being born. The piglet on the right has dried since being born and has some of the birth membrane on his face and right let.

Searching for a free teat. The Umbilical cord is still evident on
 the left piglet.

Three Months, Three Weeks and Three Days and then the most amazing experience in the world

 This page is still under construction. On this page we will be posting pictures and statistical information about each of our breeding sows and our boars. Such information will include the date of birth of each animal, age when first litter was born, average number of piglets per litter and the animals blood line, as well as any additional for �interest information� about each of our pigs.

Farrowing to Sale

As our animals are free ranged, farrowing in free range pigs and associated practices can be somewhat different to those of a commercial piggery. These are our own experiences and if you ever have any questions or concerns in regard to your own animals please consult your vet.

Mating

Ensure Gilts are old enough and weigh enough before they are mated. It has been suggested that around 7-9 months of age is an appropriate age as long as the gilt is heavy enough (around the 110 kilogram mark). Weight can be an inaccurate indicator as for example large white pigs grow quicker then Tamworths and are of a heavier weight and physically larger than a Tamworth gilt of the same age. Our first litters of pigs were conceived naturally through having a boar in the paddock with the gilts who were mated as they came into heat. Looking back while natural, we felt that some of the gilts could have been left for a few more months before being mated. Now we run the boar only with sows and gilts that we believe are old enough and heavy enough to be mated.
It is important to ensure that the boar you wish to put over your gilts is not too large, as the gilts will have a hard time supporting the boars weight and may be hurt during mating. If purchasing breeding stock and you are starting from scratch with piglets we recommend buying your gilts first, letting them mature and then buying a boar. By the time the boar is of sexual maturity, the gilts should be old enough and weigh enough to breed.

Farrowing

If you observe mating occur between your boar and a gilt, calculating a due date is a lot easier. Gestation is around 114 days, however just like in women, this can vary slightly from pig to pig. In some animals you will notice that their stomach will become more rounded, however this can be hard to see and even harder to spot if the pig is carrying a small litter or you are not familiar with the way your sow looks. If you are aware of the sows due date and you have a particular area in which you would like her to have her young, move her well before her due date. Leaving it to the last minute can be a challenging experience especially if the sow has already chosen where she is going to have her young. We have found that once they have chosen their spot they are very difficult to move or to keep in a different area. Read More....

Weaning

It is our practice to allow the sows to wean their piglets themselves. We have our gilts a bit fatter than traditionally accepted before they give birth to accommodate this practice and ensure that they stay in good physical condition at all times. There are pros and cons to this method.
Understandably, as the mother has her young for a longer period of time, she requires a higher food ration for a longer which makes this method more expensive. Also, while feeding young, the sow does not come back onto heat so the periods between litters are longer. On the positive side, the piglets benefit from increasing their diet of grain while also benefiting from their mothers milk. This method allows a gradual transition from milk to grain compared to piglets being taken from their mother and commenced on a diet of just grain.
Should the mother start to loose too much weight and the piglets are old enough to wean, they should be weaned. We have found that the mothers will loose some condition within the first two to four weeks, but quickly put it back on when the piglets are eating more grain and grass.
As the sows are a bit fatter, they can afford to loose this condition and still be of a healthy weight. The piglets also have access to their mother�s grain and food as soon as they are born and usually see piglets trying the grain between one and two weeks old. There are strict codes of practice in relation to the welfare of pigs including the condition of the pigs body. It is vitally important that sows (and all pigs) are kept in a healthy condition. Condition scores for pigs can be found in the The Primary industries Standing Committee Mode Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals Pigs Third Edition PISC Report 92 can be downloaded at www.publish.csiro.au/Books/download.cfm?ID=5698
A new born piglet beside the mothers vulva. If you look closely you can see the umbilical cord is still attached inside the vulva. The piglet on the left is still shiny as it has not yet dried since being born. The piglet on the right has dried since being born and has some of the birth membrane on his face and right let.