Gestation Period
Pigs have an average gestation period of 113 to 115 days or 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days. You calculate this from the first day of mating. Their heat cycle or estrus ranges from 17 to 25 days or on average 21 days.
A young pig that has not had a litter is called a gilt; once the gilt matures and has her first litter she is then called a sow.
Homestead Breeds
You will want to decide what type of breed pigs you are looking for. Are you looking at selling or eating them for meat or for breeding? There are ten highly recommended breed for you to consider for your homestead farm.
- Landrace Breed
- Large White Breed (Yorkshire)
- Duroc Breed
- Mangalitsa Breed
- Red Wattle Breed
- Berkshire Breed
- Tamworth Breed
- Hereford Breed
- Chester White Breed
- Hampshire Breed
Landrace Breed
There are two types of Landrace breed pigs one is the British Landrace and the other is American Landrace. These domestic pigs are among the most popular pig varieties and are known to be one of the cleanest pigs making sure that their bathroom area is far away from their rest area. As a gilt, she will be sexually mature by 9 – 10 months of age and will go into heat every 21 days. Her sexual hunt only lasts for about two days.
Once pregnant, a gilt will carry the piglets through the gestation period and will give birth to about 10 – 12 piglets. She will nurse for approximately 28 days and will normally have 2 litters a year.
Large White Breed (Yorkshire)
The Large White breed is also known as the Yorkshire or English Large White and is a European breed. This is one of the most popular breeds of pigs and is most used for crossbreeding and meat producing. As a gilt, she will be sexually mature by 6 – 8 months of age but may not happen until they are one year old.
Typically a litter will be size of 8 – 12 piglets after a gestation period of 115 days. She will nurse for approximately 30 days and will normally have 2 litters a year.
Duroc Breed
For pig farming, the Duroc breed is one of the better choices as they are typically bred for the meat. This breed’s origin is from the United States dating back to the 1800’s. As a gilt, sexually mature and ready to breed by 2-3 years of age.
The active sexual hunt lasts about 48 hours and you would do well to leave your sow alone for the first 24 yours after mating. Most often this breed is mated with two boars within an interval of 12 hours.
They typically have a litter size of 10 – 15 piglets in one litter, however, they will give no more than twenty pigs each year. She will nurse for approximately 30 days and will normally have 2 litters a year.
Mangalitsa Breed
Some people look at a Mangalitsa pig and wonder if it’s a sheep or a pig. This large pig has long wooly hair that’s remarkably like a sheep. Its name means “hog with a lot of lard” and it’s very correct, under all that wool is a lot of fat which in turns gives their meat a very flavorful marbling.
Their babies are not referred to as piglets but instead are called shoats. Even as hardy as these pigs are they only birth 5-7 shoats in a litter. She will nurse for approximately 28 – 39 days and will have two to three litters a year.
Red Wattle Breed
This domestic breed originated in the United States and is named for its red color and wattles or tassels. Their wattles literally hang off the sides of their necks. This hardy breed will be sexually mature by 6 – 7 months.
As a gilt, she will generally birth 10 – 15 piglets per litter. She will nurse for approximately 28 days. This rare breed will have two to three litters per year.
Berkshire Breed
This breed was perfected 300 years ago in Berkshire, England. It’s notable for its black fur and flavorful meat. This breed is also known as a lard pig and the marbling in the meat. As a gilt, she will be sexually mature at 7 – 8 months of age.
The gestation for the Berkshire breed is 116 days and will give birth to 8 – 10 piglets. This breed is also known to have problems farrowing which results in the lost piglets. Also, they have the lowest number of litters and letter sizes at birth.
Tamworth Breed
Originating in central England, this dark red and grisly breed is long, lean and athletic, including one of the longest snouts in the present-day domestic breeds. As a gilt, she will be sexually mature 6 – 7 months of age or in the 2nd or 3rd heat which is highly recommended.
Despite being a very hard breed, these ginger coats have an average litter size of 6 – 8 piglets producing some of the smallest litters. She will normally nurse her young until they are about 12 weeks old and will normally have 2 litters a year.
Hereford Breed
The Hereford originated in the United states. Their claim to fame is that it is the world’s most attractive pig. Ranging from blonde to mahogany, their color and hardiness make them suitable for outdoor elements. As a gilt, she will be sexually mature by 10 – 12 months of age.
They typically have a litter size of 10 – 12 piglets (sometimes as many as 14) after a gestation period of 114 days. She will nurse for approximately 30 days and will normally have 2 litters a year.
Chester White Breed
This breed originated somewhere around 1815 in the Northeast United States. It is a popular choice for farms because they make great mothers and they live long hardy, healthy lives.
As a gilt, she will be sexually mature by 6 – 7 months of age. They typically have a litter size of 10 – 12 piglets after a gestation period of 114 days. She will nurse for approximately 30 days and will normally have 3 litters a year.
Hampshire Breed
This breed is possibly the oldest, early American breed imported into America around 1825. However, its origin is from southern Scotland and Northern England and are known as the “Old English Breed”. They are known for their white belt that circles their mid-drift section and for their hardiness to forage for their own food.
As a gilt, she will be ready to breed at around one year of age. They are known as excellent breeders with larger litter sizes giving birth to 7-15 piglets. With the average gestation period being 113 days, she will nurse for approximately 30 days and will normally have 2 litters a year.
Farrowing Tips
- Sows – Make sure sows are ready to farrow and that you’re not standing around waiting. When it’s time their vulva becomes enlarged which leads to the opening of the womb. Once the farrowing is done make sure the sows are eating, passing manure, and feeding their piglets.
- Farrowing area – area needs to be warm, clean, dried, and disinfected. You may even want to have heat lamps available as the recommended temperature is 95°F (35°C). Check airflow to make sure there are no drafts coming through that will chill the piglets
- Daily check – sows will be ready for birthing after 113 – 115 days.
- Piglets – piglets are born wet and cold so make sure you dry them off and they are kept warm under the heat lamps. You will also need to ensure that each living piglet is suckling and receiving colostrum. Colostrum provides warmth, energy, and antibodies. Ensure that each piglet is suckling so that there is no fallbacks or starve-outs.
- Transferring – once the piglets are born try to keep from moving them as much as possible until after the first 24 hours; keep them dry and warm.
- Farrowing process – Usually, birthing lasts from 3 to 8 hours
For more information on how to prepare for farrowing, click here.
Gestation Overall
Choosing which breed is right for your farmstead will determine whether your raising them for breeding or meat producing. These ten recommended breeds all have a similar gestation periods.
Therefore, knowing their hardiness to survive could be a detrimental choice when it comes to how much attention and time that you have to bestow upon your beloved sows and piglets. Choose wisely and enjoy the cute little piglets.