Checklist of Farrowing Room Practices

The three key stockmanship skills needed for success in the farrowing room include:

1. The stockperson needs great observational skills to identify both normal and abnormal occurrences in the farrowing crate.

2. Having identified an abnormal event, the stockperson must know what to do — even if the intervention is as simple as asking a more experienced person or supervisor what to do about a situation.

3. The stockperson needs to have an action attitude so the intervention can be successfully completed.

To accurately identify sick or injured sows and piglets in the farrowing house, ask the following questions:

1. Did you induce farrowing? If so, was the sow at 112 days of gestation or greater?

2. Once farrowing has begun, how long has it been since the last pig was born?

   If no piglet has been born in the last 40 minutes, and there is no placenta being expelled, the stockperson should consider intervening.

3. If all piglets are dry and the stockperson is reasonably sure the sow is not done farrowing, should he/she consider intervening?

Yes. Intervention can start with the administration of oxytocin and/or manual assistance with the labor process, depending on the situation. For example, the stockperson may suspect that a large piglet is stuck in the birth canal.

A post-farrowing observation checklist should include:

1. Has the sow gotten up to drink and eat after farrowing?

2. Is the sow lying on her side or belly?

   A sow lying on her belly may indicate a case of mastitis.

3. Is the temperature of the farrowing room conducive for sow performance (15-18°C or 60-65°F)?

   A temperature in this range helps ensure that sows are cool enough to eat well, which translates to adequate feed intake, a key ingredient for good milk production and piglet weaning weights.

4. Are piglets warm, dry and draft free?

   Zone heating should be provided for the piglets (29-35°C or 85-95°F). This heating zone is necessary to prevent chilling and encourages piglets to lie near the heat source and away from the sow to prevent crushing. Avoiding piglet chilling will also help the piglet resist pathogens, particularly those causing scours.

5. Are the piglets dry?

   Drip cooling is often used on sows in hot weather in an attempt to keep them comfortable and near temperatures that are conducive to greater sow feed intake.

   However, excess water will run off sows and onto piglets or the flooring around them. If the piglets become wet, they are more susceptible to diseases, chilling and crushing.

6. Have all of the piglets obtained adequate colostrum within 12 hours after birth?

   Crossfostering should occur after piglets have had adequate time to obtain colostrum from their birth dam. Crossfostering helps improve the odds for the weaker pigs in the litter.

7. Do you notice any foul odors upon entering the farrowing room or around specific farrowing stalls?

   Odors and wet, runny and discolored diarrhea call for immediate attention by a stockperson. Consult your veterinarian.

8. What is the incidence of scrotal hernias, umbilical hernias, splay-legged piglets and other abnormalities?

Some traits, like scrotal hernias, have a genetic cause and should be identified and treated to increase the number of full-value pigs at weaning and at marketing.

Other traits like umbilical hernias have an environmental predisposition and can be addressed by improved stockmanship. Still other traits, such as splay-legged piglets, are costly to treat and the benefit of treatment should be evaluated.

Processing piglets should occur around 3 days of age. This could include castration of males, administering iron shots, clipping needle teeth and tails (optional), identification (ear notch, tattoo, etc.), and administering antibiotics as needed (consult your veterinarian).