Gestation in Hogs

Dear Dr. McGraw,

I was wondering if you could answer a question about my hog -- how can I tell if she is pregnant? I have had her for 6 weeks and she is not even showing signs that she is.


Beebee



Dear Beebee,

Thanks for your question. It would be difficult to tell if your sow is pregnant or not. I am sure you are aware that the gestation, the number of days from conception to birth, in hogs is about 114 days. The easiest way to remember that is 3-3-3 -- three months, three weeks, three days. Sows are very predictable that way (not so predictable in other ways!) So you can see that 60 days is only about half way through gestation. In a large sow, you wouldn't be able to tell if she were pregnant or not by just looking at her. In another month or so, you should start to see mammary development.

I hope that helps to answer your question.