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ON THE FARM

Raising Healthy Pigs

#intro

Pig farmers care for their animals 365 days a year, including holidays! Maintaining pig health is a farmer’s pride and passion. Pigs have different needs at each stage of life. Before we start, let’s brush up on your pig lingo – check out this activity sheet to get you in the know!

Now, let’s explore how pigs are cared for on Manitoba farms.

#market

Market to Market

Interactive Game

Dive into the fascinating world of pig farming with our interactive “Market to Market” game! Explore the entire journey of pork from the farm to market in a fun and engaging way. This game offers a unique and interactive experience that brings the pig farming process to life. Click below to start the activity and uncover the story behind every pig!

Play Market to Market Game

For a quick overview: If you'd rather not play the game, check out our interactive below that shows how pigs are raised from farm to market with all the key steps visible, click below:

#market_display

Home Sweet Home

  • Raising pigs indoors protects them from the sun, extreme weather, and other dangers. Barns provide pigs with shelter and a healthy, comfortable environment in which to grow.
  • Fun fact: Farmers protect their animals from disease by following strict herd health procedures. Everyone entering a pig barn should shower first, including the farmer!

Gestation Barn

  • For most of their pregnancy, pigs are housed in a gestation barn. A sow’s pregnancy lasts three months, three weeks, and three days, or about 115 days.
  • During this time, farmers work particularly hard to reduce the sows’ stress by preventing fighting.
  • Most sows in Manitoba are housed in group pens, which offer more freedom of movement and opportunities for social interaction but increase the risk of fighting.
  • Over half of the hog barns in Manitoba have converted to group sow housing, with the remainder transitioning by July 2029.
  • Fun fact: Providing items for the pigs to chew and play with keeps them busy and satisfies their natural curiosity.

What do pigs eat?

  • Pig feed is carefully formulated to meet the exact needs of the pig in each stage of life.
  • Pigs are fed a high-quality, grain-based diet consisting of mainly of crops such as barley, wheat, corn, canola meal and soymeal. For optimum nutrition, feed is fortified with vitamins and minerals.
  • Clean fresh water is an essential part of a pig’s diet.
  • Farmers work closely with swine nutritionists to develop the right feeding program for their pigs.
  • Fun Fact: weanlings eat the equivalent of 33 bowls of cereal per day!

Nursery Barn

  • At 3-4 weeks of age, piglets are moved to the nursery barn. Here, they are housed in group pens with pigs of the same size and age for 5-8 weeks.
  • While in the nursery, pigs from different litters get to socialize with each other for the first time.
  • Farmers walk through the nursery pens routinely to make sure the pigs are eating regularly and adjusting well.
  • To ensure weanling comfort, the nursery is kept very warm, at 24-30˚C (75-86˚F).
  • Fun fact: pigs are born with 8 razor-sharp teeth

Breeding Barn

  • While most farmers breed female pigs by artificial insemination, they still keep boars (male pigs) in the breeding barn to stimulate and detect heat in sows (female pigs).
  • During the first trimester, pregnant pigs are more susceptible to miscarriage. To provide them with privacy, protection and individualized care, they are housed in the breeding barn for 4-5 weeks.
  • Fun fact: the four most popular breeds of pig in Manitoba are: Yorkshire, Landrace, Hampshire, and Duroc.

Feeder Barn

  • After leaving the nursery, pigs are moved to the feeder barn for 3-4 months.
  • Feeder pigs choose how much to eat and usually consume 5-6 pounds of feed daily.
  • These pigs are raised together in open, group pens for their entire lives.
  • Feeder pigs remain in the feeder barn until they reach market weight – about 275 pounds.
  • Fun fact: pigs don’t have sweat glands! Temperature-controlled barns help keep pigs comfortable.

Farrowing Barn

  • Pregnant sows are moved to the farrowing barn a few days before they are due to give birth.
  • Individual farrowing pens provide sows with comfort and privacy for their arriving litters.
  • Sows and piglets are monitored during and after farrowing to ensure that their comfort, safety, and health is maintained.
  • The first food piglets receive is their mother’s milk. The milk produced on the first day, called colostrum, is full of antibodies and important nutrients.
  • Fun fact: A healthy sow will have at least 2 litters per year, farrowing an average of 12 piglets per litter.

Transportation

  • Manitoba hog farmers devote time and care in raising their pigs and want to ensure they are always handled and transported safely and humanely.
  • Pigs go to market in specially designed trucks.
  • There are strict rules for transporting pigs and all drivers are well trained to handle, care for, and transport the pigs.
  • Fun fact: Most movements of pigs in Manitoba are less than four hours long.
#cycle

Where Does All The Poop Go?

Pig manure is a valued organic fertilizer that has been used by farmers for over 10,000 years to build and maintain soil health. Over 90% of hog manure in Manitoba is injected or immediately incorporated into the soil, preventing nutrient run-off and excessive odours. By regulation, Manitoba hog farmers must file manure management plans with the provincial government each year. Most plans follow the 4Rs of nutrient stewardship.

The Nutrient Cycle

The Nutrient Cycle

#myths

Busting Pig Farming Myths

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