What is the best time for a gilt to come into estrus?

Sows are the money printers of a pig farm, and raising sows well is half the battle won. Sow management is roughly divided into four stages: the open (non-pregnant) period, the breeding period, the gestation period and the farrowing period, and sow management differs at each stage. So what are the best time for a gilt to come into estrus and the best time to breed?

Generally, an individual sow matures at 3~6 months of age, but different pig breeds mature at different times. Overall, a sow should not be bred when it is still very small. At puberty (that is, the first estrus) it should not be bred; you should wait until the second or third estrus, which is the best breeding time. The average estrous cycle of a sow is about 21 days, with one estrus each time, and each estrus lasts 3~5 days.

The best breeding time for a gilt being bred for the first time is generally the first mating 12 hours after standing heat, with a repeat mating 8/12 hours later.

A sow can be bred 10 hours after showing the standing reflex, and then bred once more 8 hours later.

Generally, the best time to breed a replacement gilt in estrus is on the fourth and fifth days, 8-12 hours after the standing reflex appears, when the mucus can be drawn out in strands and the color of the vulva gradually turns pinkish-white. Breed 2-3 times in a row, with an interval of 8-12 hours each time.