With farrowing season right around the corner, it’s time to make sure you are prepared to take care of baby pigs and that your sows continue to stay healthy and comfortable!
The key to raising healthy show pigs starts with a healthy, well-nourished sow. Read my tips to see which products come in handy during farrowing and how you can utilize them on your own farm.
Lactation Diet
Feeding your sows the right diet during farrowing season is essential for their health, productivity, and the growth of quality piglets. That’s why I use ShoMax Lactation feed, which is specially formulated to support sows during this critical time.
This feed provides the energy sows need to perform at their best. With ShoMax, you’ll see improved milk production, better reproductive performance and maintained body condition to set sows up for future litters..
Here’s why I make it a staple during farrowing season:
Essential Amino Acids for Milk Production: ShoMax is packed with the amino acids sows need during lactation to produce high-quality milk. This ensures your piglets get the nutrients they need to grow strong and thrive.
Encourages Feed Intake: Farrowing can be stressful, but ShoMax helps keep sows eating. With improved feed intake, sows stay healthier, produce more milk and raise faster-growing piglets.
Maintains Body Condition: Lactation takes a lot of energy, but ShoMax helps sows maintain their body condition, keeping them strong and ready for their next reproductive cycle.
During farrowing, sows work hard to nurse their litters, and the nutritional demands on their bodies are immense. I’ve seen firsthand how ShoMax feed keeps my sows healthy and thriving while producing strong piglets!
Electrolytes
Electrolytes can help sows before and during farrowing as they help maintain hydration, which is critical for their overall health and the farrowing process.
Proper hydration supports muscle function, lowering the risk of farrowing complications. Electrolytes also aid in maintaining energy levels and reducing stress, which can improve the sow’s appetite and milk supply.
I add Ralco Show’s Electrolyte supplement to my sow’s diet to ensure they are staying hydrated. This product helps by encouraging intake and supplementing probiotics for gut health.
When loading a sow into a farrowing crate, Electrolyte can be given to them for a few days to ensure they get hydrated well before farrowing. I also like to continue adding Electrolyte to their water after farrowing to encourage feed intake. After the sow has eaten, both morning and night, I will add a scoop to their water. The official recommendation is 1 scoop per feeding, starting 2-3 days before farrowing and continuing 3-4 days after.
Since my sows love the taste so much, they always make sure to eat all of their feed, and they never let me forget about their Electrolyte water!
Environment
Keeping your sows and piglets comfortable during farrowing is so important. Since their temperature needs are quite different, managing their environment carefully is the key to keeping them healthy.
Sows are happiest in a 60-70°F range, while baby pigs thrive in much warmer conditions, typically 80-90°F. If a sow gets too warm, she may experience heat stress, which can lead to reduced feed intake or even illness—neither of which are good for her or her piglets.
Here’s what I’ve found works best:
Use heat lamps: If needed, add heat lamps or other heat sources in the farrowing crate helps keep piglets warm and dry without overheating the sow.
Check temperatures often: An infrared thermometer is a great tool for quickly checking the floor temperature in the crate. This ensures your sow is comfortable while providing the warmth piglets need to stay healthy.
A well-balanced environment can make all the difference during farrowing. With the right setup, your sows stay comfortable and your piglets get the warm start they need to grow strong and thrive!
Show Gun for Sows & Baby Pigs
Show Gun is a product that I utilize for both my sows and baby pigs. I like to give my sows a dose of Show Gun for their gut health and energy before farrowing, and then give them another dose after they’ve farrowed to promote appetite. For the baby pigs, I find it helpful to give them a dose within an hour or two after being born. This will kickstart their appetites and immune system, getting them off to a great start!
Ralco Show recommends giving sows 2-3 pumps of Show Gun immediately after farrowing to support recovery. Additional doses can be given as needed if the sow seems lethargic or isn’t eating. For newborn piglets, 1 pump per piglet helps kickstart their appetite and gives them the best start possible.
Birthright Milk for Farrowing Season
This product is one of my go-to products! It is a milk replacer that can be used in many situations to add nutrition and assistance to baby pigs. During this time of year, producers are stocking up on Birthright Milk to have on hand for the farrowing season. Whether I’m using Birthright to supplement a large litter, or to provide essential nutrients to an orphan piglet, this product always does its job! See my previous blog post “The Many Uses of Birthright Milk” for more tips on how I use it on my farm!
For piglets, mix 5 cups (1.1 lb.) of powder per gallon of water. For show pigs, top dress on feed as needed for cover and bloom.
Happy farrowing season, friends!
Best,
Taylor
ShoMax Lactation Feeds - Diets for Sows
Our ShoMax Lactation diet incorporates EnMAX technology which maximizes the available energy that sows need for better reproductive performance and production of quality piglets.
Contains amino acids to meet the needs of a sow during milk production
Increases sow feed consumption, milk production and piglet growth
Maintains body condition with better subsequent reproductive performance.
Electrolyte - Daily Electrolyte for Show Animals
Electrolyte is a straight-ahead electrolyte to keep projects hydrated in stressful and challenging conditions like stress and farrowing.
Show Gun - Get Show Animals Eating Fast Show Gun is the ticket to getting your project up and eating again. This natural oral drench contains patented ingredients that focus on reducing stress and promoting appetite to quickly get animals back on track.
Birthright Milk - Versatile Milk Replacer for Baby Pigs & Show Pigs Birthright is the gold standard baby pig milk replacer. Birthright
helps increasing average weaning weight and improve gut health.