Building a Farrowing stall or Box.

Pigs giving birth is called farrowing.

Since moving, we no longer have a barn, so in lieu we built a farrowing box in the garage. We us the same principles with a stall. To allow the sow to settle, we put her in the box the week before her due date with a friend. We used a small gilt from a different breeding.

On her due date we pulled the young gilt as the sow was getting irritated by her and we seen signs of labor. As soon as everything settled my sweet sow went into labor soon after.

Farrowing boxes or stalls are set up so the sow can not roll on the babies or get into the heat lamps.

Piglets are dependent on their mom for only food, but are drawn to the heat to sleep. The piglets figure out how to travel under the crush bars quickly to get to mom from the heat, and back. Note: this is important because sows squish their babies on accident otherwis.

crush bars (I call them) are 8“ off the ground, all walls on sow side and a divider where the piglets can go under to sleep or get away from mom. Another benefit, when it’s time to indroduce food, piglets will have a place to eat on their own. As the babies get bigger the bars will go up.

let me add, for the first several weeks to months, piglets can not maintain their own heat so we help them. Please be prepared with warm place, bedding and heat lamps. Piglets will great about moving in and out of the heat as needed To regulate. I started with two lamps in one place, as they age, lamps are spread out. I watch them closely if more heat is needed.