This is my pigsty, which takes advantage of an existing stone cave at my house. This sow has been raised for two years. She gave birth to a litter of nine piglets. She had a direct mating.
The second time, she gave birth to six piglets, but one died. I don't know if it was because the mother pressed on her baby, suffocating it, or if the piglet died before labour. That was the biggest piglet. The sow must have had difficulty in giving birth. She had been in pain from the morning until 3 p.m. before giving birth. She gave birth to four piglets and then the fifth one took almost an hour to come. The sixth piglet died. When she was pregnant with a big belly, I thought she could give birth to many piglets. When these piglets are 4–5 kilogrammes, I will sell them as breeding pigs because the pigsty is small and I am busy. I can only raise four or five piglets each time.
Previously, the (Li-chăn) project helped with the insemination, but it didn't work. Then I let the sow mate directly. To have a successful insemination, it is necessary to have experience in her oestrous cycle. If I had had experience, I would have prefered artificial insemination because the piglets grow faster.
Since the project started, I have learnt about artificial insemination. With direct mating, it is difficult to transport the boars. Access to Oi village is even more difficult in the rainy season. I borrowed the boar from Mrs. Sáng in the village. The boar is a big male, and I had to ask for help to load him in a vehicle and put him in a pigsty. My husband was not at home, so it was very difficult for me to carry him. It costs 150,000 dong (7 US dollars) for pig mating services.
It takes a lot of time to choose the breeding boar for direct mating. Then the two pigs have to be familiar with each other, so the boar can only be returned the following day. Artificial insemination only takes 10–20 minutes. Artificial insemination is hygienic and free from infectious diseases. For direct mating, as I am not the owner of the boar, I am not sure if I can clean him.
Narrator: Quàng Thị Ly, Lèo Thị Xiền (Thai ethnicity, 31 years old)
Photographer: Quàng Thị Ly (Thai ethnicity, 21 years old)