WHEN TO GET YOUR SOW MATED
by Mette Lybeck Ruelokke (Mette the Vette)
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First of all the age of a sow when she is mated for the first time is of utmost importance. Many stories have been told about baby sows 2-3 weeks of age being mated by their fathers. These early matings are of course always unwanted, but mostly because it will result in restrained growth of the fartooo young mother, as she uses a lot of energy producing foetuses, energy which would otherwise have been used for her own growth. But when it comes to birth most baby sows, contrary to nature, seem to deliver even very large single babies without major problems. Such a sow should of course always be allowed to have a long rest after birth to regain weight and to grow properly, but damage may be done and many too early mothers fail to develop as adults.
First mating is best carried out on a 5/8m sow, the exact time being decided by her size and development. Thorough knowledge of the strain is important to decide the best size, which I feel is more important than going for a certain age. The sow doesn't have to be fully developed in body, and she must certainly not be fat, as there then will be too many complications during pregnancy and birth. I usually start breeding when the sow has left her long and narrow 'teenage state', and begins to develop a more mature and cobby body and head. But any breeder must develop his/her own experiences concerning the best time for a first time mating. If sows in the strain usually get in pig quickly after being put together with a boar, it doesn't matter if you wait a little, but in strains with a slower reproduction rate, sows may be put in with the boar at an earlier age.
Most problems arise if a sow is mated too late and this can lead to birth complications. Because a sow is going to give birth to comparatively large babies, it is important for her to have the best chance to widen out her birth canal, and that includes the opening of her pelvis. In the young sow the fusion between the two pelvic halves is elastic, and they will be able to split apart creating a large opening, which gives sufficient space in the birth canal. As the sow becomes older, the fusion will tend to get rigid and will lose the ability to widen; thereby leaving less space in the birth canal. When the cavy is over a year, there is an increasing risk that the pelvic parts will be unable to split apart, and birth will be prolonged and there is a great risk of complications to mother as well as to babies. Therefore a sow should never be mated for the first time when she is older than 10 months. Of course this may vary between breeds and strains, but to be on the safe side, these guidelines should be used on most sows.
When a sow has first had a litter it is important to 'keep her going' until it is decided to stop her breeding career, either for showing or for retiring. I'm no supporter of giving the sows too long a rest between litters, because they tend to become fat quickly, and fatness is a great killer when it comes to breeding sows. Too long a rest may also cause the pelvis slowly to become rigid, and birth complications may be the result. As a consequence it is not a good idea either to breed and show intermittently, as a sow in show condition is far too fat to breed from, and the rest between litters may be too long. My policy is: show them a u/5 perhaps 5/8, then breed. If it is a sow of show quality, get 2 or 3 litters from her in rapid succession and then feed her into show condition and show her as an adult. How long a rest a sow should have between litters varies with the sow. It depends on her general condition, her age, and how many babies she had in her last litter. Generally it's better for the sow to have two litters quickly after each other (e.g. due to a post partum mating) than to wait for too long. This may collide with some fanciers policy of not breeding during winter, but as it is not during winter time that most cavies get fat, avoiding winter breeding will work satisfactory in most cases. Generally I think that one months rest after the litter is removed is appropriate, but there are many exceptions to that rule.
So this month's message must be: don't mate sows too early and not too late, don't allow sows to become fat between matings, know your strain and use some common-sense. With these few guidelines you will be able to get far!
Mette Lybek Ruelokke