Basic pregnancy information

Pregnant and nursing sows need 20mg of Vitamin C each day. Note that this is true for all pregnant sows, not just young ones, and it is very important.

Gestation time is anywhere from 64-72 days (depending on who you talk to). Litters can range from 1 - 6 (sometimes as high as 8), but average is 3 or 4. Longer gestation times tend towards small litters, and visa-versa.

When you can feel the babies kicking/moving inside the mother, she is about three weeks away, give or take a few days. There aren't any real obvious signs that the sow is about to give birth, although she may get a little "bitchy" in the final week. This really depends on the individual pig. You might be able to tell when the pelvic bones start to seperate (anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days before labor), however.

It is not necessary to remove the male from the cage during the pregnancy if he has been neutered. If the male is "whole", though, he should be removed before delivery takes place, because the female will be ready to mate again within one hour of giving birth. It is very hard on a sow to go from giving birth straight into another pregnancy.

If the male remains with the sow throughout labor, he may actually help the mother clean the babies and keep them warm. This depends on the male and female pair, however, as some males simply aren't interested in the birth process at all, and some females consider the male to be a stressor in the final few days. Watch their interactions closely; if the female is acting very agressively towards the male (biting, etc.), then you may want to remove him until after the birth.

She should deliver the whole litter within 5 to 30 minutes. If her contractions go for more than 35-45 minutes, there is probably something wrong, and you'll either have to help her or get her to a vet (if you can in time). After 30 minutes, the chance the babies will be born alive drops drastically.

Babies will wean between 3 and 4 weeks. After weaning, remove any young males, as they can be virile at any point after this. Females first come into season any time after about one month. At seven weeks, the males may start dominance battles, depending on the individual pigs' personalities, which may force you to separate them to prevent serious injuries or deaths.