Many new pig farms struggle to increase production capacity and turn a profit. Their biggest weakness is often poor management of first-parity sows.
First-parity sows are still developing, and their mammary gland function and reproductive systems have not yet fully matured. Improper feeding, immunization, health care, or deworming can easily lead to embryo death, small litter sizes, no milk after farrowing, difficult farrowing, and premature aging and culling of sows, directly reducing the pig farm’s annual performance. For new pig farmers, managing first-parity sows well makes subsequent breeding much easier.
I. Precision Feeding
When raising first-parity sows, do not rigidly stick to a fixed feed allowance. The key standard is to maintain a body condition score of three points, adjusting feed flexibly according to the sow’s condition.
For 1–7 days after mating, feed pregnant sow feed at 3.5 jin per day. Immediately after mating, the fertilized eggs are at the implantation stage and do not need high levels of nutrition. Overfeeding can inhibit progesterone secretion and increase the risk of embryo death.
For 8–30 days after mating, maintain a steady daily feed amount of 4 jin to support a stable pregnancy, reduce stress, and ensure normal embryo development.
For 35–95 days after mating, feed 4–5 jin per day; reduce feed for overweight sows and increase it for underweight sows.
Important reminder: 70–95 days is the golden period for mammary gland development in first-parity sows. Do not switch to lactation feed early. High-protein, high-energy feed can cause fat infiltration of the mammary glands, an important contributing factor to low or no milk production after farrowing.
From mating to 95–114 days, gradually transition to lactation feed to support gestation, feeding 5–6 jin per day. The fetuses grow rapidly, but feed intake should not be increased abruptly. Excessive feed intake can easily cause sows to stop eating after farrowing, produce insufficient milk, and experience difficult farrowing.
Two. Standardized vaccine immunization
Most reproductive problems in first-parity sows stem from errors in the vaccination program.
Parvovirus is the leading cause of abortion, mummified fetuses, and small litters in first-parity sows. Two vaccinations must be completed before breeding. Otherwise, vaccinating against parvovirus after pregnancy has begun is much less effective—a common pitfall for beginners.
You can use this pre-farrowing vaccination schedule directly:
40 days before farrowing, inject the gastroenteritis-rotavirus-epidemic diarrhea triple vaccine at the Houhai acupoint to prevent viral diarrhea in piglets;
28 days before farrowing, administer the pseudorabies vaccine by intramuscular injection to prevent sudden death and neurological symptoms in piglets;
15 days before farrowing, administer an intramuscular injection of a bivalent Escherichia coli vaccine to reduce the incidence of white and yellow diarrhea in piglets.
Before mosquitoes appear each April, routinely vaccinate against Japanese encephalitis. For pregnant sows, inactivated vaccines are preferred; do not use live vaccines in early pregnancy to avoid the risk of abortion. Selectively administer vaccines for PRRS, foot-and-mouth disease, and circovirus based on disease pressure on the pig farm, and strictly follow the vaccine instructions.
III. Pregnancy care
During pregnancy, sows are fed a restricted diet and have relatively low resistance, making them highly sensitive to mycotoxins. Strictly control the quality of raw materials such as corn and soybean meal. Moldy raw materials can cause stillbirths, weak piglets, and abortion.
Feed restriction can also easily lead to vitamin deficiencies, slow intestinal motility, and constipation during pregnancy. In daily feeding, you can mix VE, VC, compound VB, and Bacillus subtilis into the feed to improve stress resistance, regulate the gut, and relieve constipation during pregnancy.
Four. Scientific deworming
Deworming during pregnancy has clear restrictions: do not deworm within 45 days after mating or within 30 days before farrowing, to avoid stress-induced miscarriage.
Recommended deworming window: 50–100 days after mating. Choose albendazole and ivermectin powder labeled for use in pregnant livestock and mix it into the feed for 7 consecutive days. Do not increase the dosage arbitrarily. This safely eliminates internal and external parasites and prevents parasites from depleting the sow’s nutrients.
Five. Important details
The first three weeks after mating are a critical period for embryo implantation, and heat damage can be difficult to detect. In summer, be sure to keep the gestation barn cool; otherwise, there may be a large number of hidden embryo deaths, and litter sizes may remain low.
Summary
Raising first-parity sows well depends on meticulous management. By carefully managing body condition, controlling nutrition for each stage of mammary development, following standardized immunization protocols, deworming safely, providing mold-prevention care, and controlling temperature, you can greatly reduce issues such as stillbirths, small litters, lack of milk, and difficult farrowing, helping stabilize the farm’s baseline production capacity.
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