When should piglets be docked? The reason for docking right after birth
AbstractThe time for docking piglets' tails: within 1-2 days after birth, dock the tail at a point 2.5 cm from the base of the tail. Reasons for docking piglets' tails: it can save feed, increase daily weight gain, reduce tail-biting, improve carcass quality, and effectively lower piglet mortality and benefit the pig's health and hygiene. Methods for docking piglets' tails: you can cut them off with scissors, or cauterize the pig's tail off, or slowly strangle it off with an elastic band.
1. The time for docking piglets' tails
Piglets are generally docked within 1-2 days after birth, during which the tail is cut off at a point 2.5 cm from the base of the tail. Piglets recover fairly quickly from docking, needing only 10-15 days. Before preparing for the docking procedure, you need to prepare high-temperature sterilized tools, mainly cotton, alcohol, gentian violet, a scalpel, a single-edge blade, etc.
2. Reasons for docking piglets' tails
1. Saves feed and increases daily weight gain
Because the energy a pig expends wagging its tail every day accounts for 15% of its daily metabolizable energy, this invisibly causes feed waste. If this portion of energy is used for fat deposition, the daily weight can be increased by 2%-3%, and it also saves feed. At the same time, it can reduce restlessness in the herd caused by tail wagging, which is beneficial for sleep.
2. Reduces tail-biting
(1) Tail-biting is a vice in pigs, and its causes are very complex. Docking the piglets' tails during this period can effectively control the occurrence of this condition.
(2) According to relevant statistics, tail-biting can reach 200% within the same group. Because the appearance of tail-biting lowers pigs' feed intake and disease resistance, and at the same time makes them prone to infection by necrobacillus, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, etc., thereby lowering the pigs' production performance. Docking the piglets' tails greatly reduces the occurrence of tail-biting.
3. Improves carcass quality
After docking, the amount of intercostal fat deposition in pigs increases, while the muscle fibers become finer, the chewing resistance decreases, the palatability increases, and the dressing percentage can increase by 4%-5%.
4. Lowers piglet mortality
After docking, the litter survival rate of piglets can be significantly improved, mainly because a lactating sow may accidentally lie on a piglet's tail, making the piglet unable to move, and the piglet cannot struggle free, so death is easily caused. Also, some sows have a vice of specifically biting off piglets' tails, which can be avoided after docking the piglets' tails.
5. Benefits the pig's health and hygiene
It makes it less likely for the anus to be exposed, and the excreted feces and urine will not stick to the tail. Even with diarrhea, the feces will not be flung around because of the pig's tail wagging, which benefits the hygiene of the herd.
3. Methods for docking piglets' tails
1. Cutting off with scissors
Using scissors to dock the tail is a relatively traditional old method. First disinfect the scissors and the piglet's tail area, then prepare sharp scissors, which can effectively reduce the piglet's pain. After cutting off the piglet's tail, disinfect and bandage it immediately to avoid bacterial infection.
2. Cauterizing the pig's tail off
Using the tail-cauterizing method to dock piglets' tails makes them less susceptible to bacterial infection, but the drawback is that piglets are easily burned. During the process, the branding iron must be heated well, and you must be fast and accurate. The advantage of this method is that the cauterized tail is very unlikely to grow back.
3. Slowly strangling off with an elastic band
Slowly strangling off with an elastic band is a chronic method, and the time required is relatively long. Its advantage is that there is no pain. During the process, tie the elastic band on the tail, allowing the piglet's tail to naturally fall off due to long-term lack of nutrients.