Small Ruminant and Swine Production
Sheep and goats
Know the main breeds and their purposes (meat, milk, wool, fibre), seasonal breeding patterns (short-day breeders in temperate zones, more flexible near the equator), gestation of about 145–152 days, and prolificacy differences between breeds. Key management points: flushing before mating to raise ovulation rate, condition scoring, shearing, hoof trimming, control of internal parasites, and prevention of bloat and acidosis when grain feeding.
Pigs
Pigs are monogastric, highly prolific and short-cycled. Know oestrus cycle (about 21 days), gestation (about 114 days, remembered as three months, three weeks, three days), weaning age (commonly 3–4 weeks in commercial units, later in smallholder systems), and the farrowing process. Iron injection for piglets, teeth and tail management, creep feeding and vaccination are routine.
Common traps
- Applying cattle gestation figures to sheep or pigs.
- Assuming sheep and goats are interchangeable - goats browse more, are less parasite-prone on browse, and have different copper tolerance.
- Forgetting that pigs cannot sweat effectively and need shade, wallows or cooling.
- Ignoring boar contact and heat detection as drivers of conception rate.
Worked rule of thumb
For pigs, use the 3-3-3 rule: mate 12–24 hours after standing heat, expect farrowing in three months, three weeks and three days, and plan weaning three to four weeks after birth. For sheep, flush ewes two to three weeks before mating to increase twins.
Production indicators
Track lambs or kids weaned per ewe or doe, piglets weaned per sow per year, pre-weaning mortality, and average daily gain.