How long before gilt's will begin to show ?

[voodoo feeders]

We have a gilt bred for late July litter, this is our first time to breed a pig. She did not come back into heat 3 weeks after AI so I assumed she was bred.I never noticed any other signs of heat since. My question is though, When should we be able to see her getting bellied up ? Right now she still looks normal and is pretty flat sided and smooth underline. Also when will the teats start to change shape if she is prego ?

[HogDoc]

There is a lot of variation in when they show visible signs of pregnancy. Most of the time by 60 days you can start to see evidence but there are some that never look very pregnant and don't get much udder development until right before they pig.

[bulletsnbait]

Voodoo, I'm right with you there. I wrote a blog post about it once. Not kidding. My kids thought I was loony, because I'd just sit there, staring at the the business end of my pigs, wondering, "Is it pointed up? Is that normal? Are their sides bigger? Are they pregnant?" You're in good company. We have two that are going to pig in July about when yours are. If you want, I can send you pictures of them so you can see what our flat-sided sow looks like at this point.

[mtbkmom]

Honestly, I can usually tell with gilts much easier than sows. At day 80 or around then, Where the inside of their rear leg comes up into their belly line. This is where I look. You can see a subtle drop right there---if they are pregnant, the belly drops right there as you look from the side--it fills in the space between the belly and rear leg and look like a triangle. Look at the gilt you are looking at and then look at a definite not bred gilt and you will see the difference right there if she is bred in most cases. My sows--around 80 days just start putting on shape, have a little more belly drop in front of the rear leg, and have a little more teat development than the other not bred sows...still the sows are a little harder because they never go back to their "gilt" shape after that first litter.

[conner22]

bulletsnbait: could you possibly send me pics of your gilts so i could see kinda in the same boat?

[Darin]

If you want to take the guesswork out, I can sell you an ultrasound and you can know at 23 days whether or not she is pregnant.

[HogDoc]

If you want to take the guesswork out, I can sell you an ultrasound and you can know at 23 days whether or not she is pregnant.

I wouldn't be without mine! Worth every penny.

[mtbkmom]

Is that the preg gone or a different device. I have a preg gone. I don't get the direction to aim the thing in. Wish I could find a diagram/reliable video that demonstrates the angle and not just sticking it under their bellies.

[Darin]

Preg tone, no. This is an actual ultrasound machine in which you can look at the image to determine pregnancy. There are several kinds on the market. There are getting to be some really cool wireless digital ones available, but they're kind of pricey. I just have cheap little ones that attach to your arm. Nothing fancy but they get the job done.

[mtbkmom]

What is the time range for checking with the ultrasound you mentioned...just at 23 days or say 23 to ??? days.

[Darin]

23 until birth, however it is easiest to check in that 23-35 day window when you get really nice, defined black holes to look at. As they get farther along in pregnancy and the fetus grows, the embryonic fluid isn't quite as easy to see (although still easy to determine pregnancy once you know what you are looking at). If they are near full maturity you will see spine and other bone pretty easily. In the early stages what you are looking for are the embryonic sacs, which appear in the image as black holes, kind of like swiss cheese. Liquid is black, tissue is grey/white.

[don wells]

Where can we find info on the ultra sound units?

[LzDy]

Older post from last year but would like feedback on people who have an Ultrasound on what brand model you have? Pros and cons of your ultrasound? And if you could upgrade what wouldn you get and why? Looking at possibly buying a new one. Ours just doesn't get deep enough

[HogDoc]

We have a VSS700 at the farm I don't have any complaints about it but if I was buying one today I'd look at the wireless probe. I don't have any experience with that model but I like the concept.

[Darin]

LzDy,

I can't say that I've seen one that doesn't have a variable depth setting. Maybe if you work with the setting a bit you can resolve your issue?

Otherwise, there are several good options in the market. Most are kind of pricey for a small showpig farm. The best ones are all digital and create a crisp, sharp image. Whether you get a hand-held, wrist-mount or wireless probe that works with your tablet, the digital ones will create the best image. The older-style mechanical probes are another option. The better end of those will also create a good image. The mechanical probe machines are lower-cost. We still have a couple old wrist-scan machines available and we can source other machines direct from China as well. I'll be the first to tell you that these are not high image quality and the screen is quite small. However, they are low cost and they function just fine to see whether or not a sow is pregnant. If you're only checking a few, it's not hard to put up with a small screen and a more grainy image to save some money, which is the reason we carried these in the first place.

You are welcome to pm, email or call if you want more help with this.