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Most pig breeders like to bring the boar to the sow or even the sow to the boar during the time of service than to let the boar run with a bunch of sows. It usually takes the first time and you must be sure to keep a record of the breeding date. You can breed the sow twice during a twelve to twenty four hour period. Pen mating means placing the boar and several sows into the same pen, but that can be your personal preference. The main attraction to this is that you can witness the mating and the exact farrowing date can be calculated. You can also check on the fertility of the boar.
I would think that a boar should not be bred to more than three sows during one day and not service more than three sows during one day. Usually a farmer will bring a sow to the boar in the morning and then another in the evening. You can also rotate the boars or leave one in the pen at all times. This is up to the individual farmer.
You might need to have a breeding crate to get a boar to service a sow and you can construct your own or buy one commercially made for this purpose.
Sometimes a mature boar needs this for a young gilt.
Sometimes a boar will be inactive and you might need to call in your veterinarian as he can use drugs or hormones to help the boar. Be sure to have the boar in familiar surroundings because some boars will not service in unfamiliar locations.
Artificial insemination in swine is currently used. There are many techniques for the collection of semen, storage, and for insemination. There are benefits to artificial insemination in swine as it will facilitate the breeding of outstanding sires to a larger number of females and will make it possible for owners of small herds to use production tested or otherwise superior boars. It is also useful in stopping the spread of some swine diseases, improves formity in carcass quality of commercial hogs and you can have more accurate breeding records.
Breeders of very valuable purebred swine and large scale commercial producers who are following terminal crossbreeding programs have become interested in embryo transplants. This helps to save those valuable bloodlines. The embryo transplant process involves surgically recovering the embryos from a donor sow 4 to 5 days after the sow was first in heat. The release of the eggs from the ovary and fertilization occur about 40 hours after the beginning of heat.
The embryo are flushed from the uterus of the sow by use of a compatable fluid. By use of a laparoscope, it is possible to see inside the sow and then flush the embryos out. The aspirated embryos are then taken to the recipient sow and careful care has to be taken to keep the embryos at body temperature and free from unsanitary conditions.
Hand mating is another means of breeding as it means individually placing a gilt or sow in heat with a specific boar until mating is completed, then separating them again. Usually this needs to be repeated for two days. Then you have a record of the exact time of breeding.
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