Due to the rooting process, the use of hogs on potato or other root crop after harvest will generally provide enough food for the hogs and a well cleared field in the process. In the breeding operation, most farmers will limit introduction of new animals and concentrate on internal reproduction. Breeding goals can be expressed using the following statistics. Loss of 25 percent of piglets before weaning due to still births or early death is normal. Stud servicing is dangerous regarding disease transmission.
Boars can service one sow daily when under one year of age and double that when fully mature.
Young females are called gilts until the second pregnancy and are then known as sows. Gilts can reproduce as early as 9 months of age but are often held back until a full year old to increase the number of eggs and, thus, the size of the litter. Gestation is an average of 114 days. Piglets can be weaned early by using a starter mash at 1 to 2 weeks. By 3 to 6 weeks, the weaning process will begin with a completion goal of 8 weeks in order to prepare the sow for the next breeding process.