Yes, a female pig is called a sow. Here’s a quick rundown of some key facts about female pigs:
The Terminology for Female Pigs
There are a few key terms used to refer to female pigs:
- Sow – A mature female pig that has had one or more litters.
- Gilt – A young female pig that has not yet had a litter.
- Farrow – When a sow gives birth to a litter of piglets.
So in summary, a sow refers specifically to a mature female pig that has given birth before. A gilt is a young female pig that has not yet had piglets.
Interesting Facts About Sows
Here are some more interesting facts about sows:
- Gestation period – Sows are pregnant for around 114 days before giving birth.
- Litter size – The average litter contains 10-13 piglets, but litters can contain anywhere from 1 to over 20 piglets.
- Age at puberty – Gilts reach puberty at around 6-8 months of age.
- Mating – Sows generally mate once every 18-24 days over a 2-3 day period when they are in heat.
- Nursing – Piglets will nurse from their mother sow for around 2-4 months before being weaned.
- Lifespan – Sows live approximately 3-5 years on commercial farms.
The Role of the Sow
The sow plays a vital role on pig farms. Her main responsibilities include:
- Breeding and producing litters of piglets.
- Nursing and caring for piglets until they are weaned.
- Being rebred shortly after weaning to produce another litter.
Sows are incredibly productive animals. The average sow will farrow around 2.5 litters per year and produce over 20 piglets annually.
Housing for Sows
On commercial pig farms, pregnant sows are typically housed indoors in gestation stalls that allow them to stand up, lie down and take a few steps forward and backward but not turn around. This prevents fighting and injuries.
Right before giving birth, sows are moved into farrowing crates that have extra space for their litter. After weaning, sows are kept in group pens together.
Benefits of Gestation Stalls and Farrowing Crates
- Prevent aggression and injuries from fighting
- Allow monitoring of feed intake
- Enable individual medical care
- Protect vulnerable piglets from crushing by sow
Drawbacks of Gestation Stalls and Farrowing Crates
- Do not allow freedom of movement
- Can cause muscle atrophy from lack of exercise
- Shown to cause higher stress levels in sows
Feeding Sows
Sows are fed a nutritionally balanced diet formulated specifically for their needs. The exact diet depends on whether the sow is gestating or lactating.
Typical sow diet:
- Grains like corn, wheat, barley
- Soybean meal for protein
- Added vitamins and minerals
- Calcium for bone strength
- Amino acids for growth and milk production
Sows have an excellent feed to gain ratio, only requiring 3-4 lbs of feed for each 1 lb of weight gain.Their feed intake is managed carefully to optimize growth, reproduction and milk production.
Behavior of Sows
Sows exhibit several interesting natural behaviors:
- Rooting – Using their snout to dig into the ground looking for food.
- Nest building – Prior to farrowing, sows will gather bedding and other materials to build a nest.
- Barking – Sows communicate with a loud barking sound and also have an array of other vocalizations.
- Aggression – When kept in groups, sows will fight to establish dominance hierarchy.
- Savaging – Some sows may attack their own piglets.
Understanding the natural behavior of sows allows farmers to better manage them and provide a suitable environment.
Health Issues for Sows
Some common health issues seen in breeding sows include:
- Reproductive problems – Difficulty conceiving, abortions, small litters, etc.
- Mastitis – Breast tissue infection causing reduced milk supply.
- Uterine prolapse – Uterus partially protruding from the vulva.
- Urinary tract infection
- Lameness – Due to fractures, arthritis, infections
- Respiratory disease
Good husbandry, sanitation, biosecurity, vaccination programs, and veterinary care help prevent disease in sows.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the term “sow” refers specifically to an adult female pig that has given birth to piglets. Sows are incredibly important farm animals that produce multiple large litters each year to supply pork.
Understanding the biology, housing needs, nutrition, natural behavior and common health issues related to sows helps pig farmers better take care of these prolific breeding animals.