Unlike natural mating, where a boar is physically placed with sows to breed. Artificial insemination entails the insemination of sows with semen of a boar that may not necessarily be on the farm.
It allows large numbers of sows to be bred in a short time, giving a producer better control of breeding dates and subsequent pig flow.
Farmers may buy semen or collect it from boars on the farm. The semen is alive so it should be handled with care. It should be kept at 16 to 18 degrees celsius from collection to insemination, as viability will be reduced outside of this range.
Most farmers use a teaser boar or pheromones to help detect heat. Signs
that a sow is in heat include erect ears, the vulva may be red and swollen, a water stringy discharge from the vulva and when back-pressure is applied, she stands rock solid whereas she would have run away.
Farmers are advised to wipe away all dirt and clean the sow vulva with a dry paper towel. Open the vulva lips with the left hand and gently insert the catheter with the right hand, so it points upwards at an angle of 45 degrees to avoid the bladder.
Thereafter, the catheter should gently
be moved further up the reproductive
tract until a firm resistance is felt. Some catheters need to be turned clockwise to ensure it locks into the cervix.
The catheter should be left in the sow for another 5min after insemination, helps to keep a boar near a sow during the process, encouraging a strong oestrus response. This helps the process by causing the sow to draw the semen into the reproductive tract minimizing flow back.
