First-Day Farrowing House Procedures – Sows
Determine farm protocols to:
· Observe each sow for signs of farrowing, difficulty in farrowing, health status and vigor.
· Identify and provide appropriate treatments and practices, per observations made.
· Determine staffing needs to regularly monitor farrowing rooms.
· Record observations and actions taken for improvement in animal care.
· Document that observations are made and appropriate actions are conducted.
· Determine criteria to revise current protocols or take additional actions.
There are multiple ways to perform this procedure. The following is a template to assist in customizing a standard operating procedure for this procedure on your farm. Edit as necessary to describe the procedures specific to your farm.
Introduction
First-day procedures are critical to the health and well-being of the sow and the piglets. First-day procedures ensure proper care for the sow, delivery of the piglets, reduction in the number of stillborn piglets and improvement piglet survival within the first 24 hours after farrowing.
Safety
Hazards: stepped on by animal, struck by animal, stuck by or against object, cut, needle stick, fall (slip, trip), caught between gates, sow feeder or safety bars, animal bite, pinch points, dust (respiratory), noise (hearing)
Personal protective equipment (PPE) that may be used includes protective eyewear, hearing protection, exam gloves and safety-toe boots.
During farrowing, sows can become agitated, so care should be taken when working with sows to prevent personal injury or avoid creating conditions where a sow or piglets may become injured.
Supplies
Supplies needed for first-day farrowing house procedures may include:
· Oxytocin
· Clean obstetrical sleeves and obstetric tools
· Obstetrical lube
· Water with disinfectant
· Writing utensil to record sow information on a sow card
Procedure
At the start of each day, check each farrowing room. Start with the room where sows are scheduled to farrow the soonest or in which sows are currently farrowing.
· Observe sows for signs of impending parturition.
· Look for sows that may need assistance or that are having trouble farrowing.
· Look for afterbirth behind sows as an indication the birth process may be ending.
· Enter observations on the sow card. These may include:
o Time of observation
o Number of piglets delivered alive, delivered stillborn and any mummies
o A record of each time the sow was vaginally examined (sleeved)
o Oxytocin or other medication(s) given
o A mark indicating when the sow has finished farrowing
o Record of farrowing event
Assisting sows that are having difficult labor:
After all farrowing rooms have been walked through and sows observed, prioritize sows having difficulty, and determine if vaginal examination is necessary. Here are typical steps to conduct a vaginal examination or “sleeve” a sow:
· Wash or wipe the vulva clean.
· If the sow is lying on her left side, put sleeve on your left arm. If the sow is lying on her right side, put sleeve on your right arm.
· Place a generous amount of obstetrical lube on a clean obstetrical sleeve, covering the entire sleeve.
· Roll sleeve down to your wrist to get lube over the entire sleeve, and then roll sleeve back up.
· Gently reach into the vagina up the cervical canal to see if any piglets are stuck or to determine if there are more piglets left to farrow.
· Pull any piglets that may be stuck and are blocking the birth canal. Piglets may be pulled by the head, legs, eye sockets or jaw.
· If there is no progress after two attempts of assistance 20 minutes apart, consider letting the sow out of the stall to walk around the farrowing room. Put sow back in stall after 25 minutes.
Use of oxytocin during difficult labor:
· Follow the farm’s protocol for use of oxytocin.
· If no piglets are blocking the birth canal and the sow is still having trouble, an oxytocin injection may be needed.
· Oxytocin should not be used with a sow that has not had at least one piglet.
Follow-up
Recheck all sows and record observations.
Determine number of difficult farrowings encountered that require notification of a supervisor.