What to Do When a Sow Has No Milk After Farrowing? Cause Analysis and Methods to Promote Milk Let-Down

After farrowing, sows may experience insufficient milk supply due to various factors, and insufficient milk supply affects the growth of piglets. So what should be done when a sow has no milk after farrowing?

1. What to do when a sow has no milk after farrowing?

1. Boil the afterbirth

The afterbirth delivered by the sow should not be discarded; it can be washed clean, boiled, and mixed with brown sugar to feed the sow. This is a very effective method, and it also has a certain effect on preventing pseudorabies in piglets.

2. Boil fresh fish soup

This can effectively increase the sow's milk production. After boiling fresh fish, there is no need to add salt or other seasonings; simply feed the boiled fish soup directly to the sow, twice a day for 4 consecutive days. If there is not that much fresh fish, buying some fish meal and boiling it into soup also works, and both can effectively promote milk let-down.

3. Boil kelp and shrimp powder soup

Kelp and shrimp powder are a secret recipe for promoting milk let-down. Boil shrimp powder into soup, soak about 250 grams of kelp, chop it up, add some animal fat, and feed once in the morning and once in the evening for 2-3 days; a clear increase in milk production can be seen.

4. Buy some traditional Chinese medicine for human use

Add things like Liquidambar fruit and cowherb seed to the feed for the sow to eat, increasing the sow's milk production. Of course, some oxytocic drugs also have a milk-promoting effect.

5. Feed some feed additives

Sows having no milk is one of the most common pre- and post-farrowing problems. To thoroughly improve milk quality, it is necessary to start with the feeding and management of the sow, and to pay attention to the sow's nutritional balance during gestation and lactation. Some feed additives rich in protein and vitamins can be fed to supplement the sow's nutrition.

2. Why do sows have no milk?

1. Nutritional factors: If a sow is overfed, it can also lead to low milk or no milk after farrowing. However, if the sow feed in late gestation is not nutritionally complete or the feeding amount is small, causing insufficient energy and protein in the body, no milk or low milk can also occur.

2. Physiological factors: Generally, a sow's milk production is low in the first litter, peaks at the 3rd to 4th litter, and then gradually declines. If replacement gilts are used too early, the bones and mammary glands are not fully developed, leading to low milk production in the sow after farrowing.

3. Pathological factors: If anti-inflammatory treatment is not strict when the sow is about to farrow, vaginitis, endometritis, postpartum fever, etc. may occur, all of which can lead to no milk or low milk in the sow. An environment that is too hot or too cold can also cause changes in the sow's digestive function.