How to Raise Piglets? A Detailed Guide to Scientific Feeding and Management Methods
Hog farming has always been an important part of our country's breeding industry, and the quality of piglet rearing affects the later growth of the hogs, so how to raise piglets is also an issue that hog farmers need to take seriously.
How to raise piglets?
1. Heat preservation and moisture retention
Piglets have thin subcutaneous fat and weak cold resistance, so heat preservation must be strengthened. The temperature for 1-3 days of age should be 30-32°C; the temperature for 4-7 days of age should be 28-30°C; the temperature for 8-30 days of age should be 22-26°C. The optimal humidity for pigs is 50%-80%; when the relative humidity reaches above 80% during the piglet stage, diarrhea is easily caused. However, if it stays dry for a long time, it can cause respiratory infections in piglets, so humidity should be maintained.
2. Feed and feeding
When feeding piglet feed normally, it should be done at fixed times and in fixed amounts, given in small amounts and added frequently, to prevent overeating. Feeding high-copper feed and acidified feed has a promoting effect on piglets, but high-copper feed should preferably not be fed beyond 2 months of age. Piglets grow very quickly during the vigorous feeding stage and absorb protein very well. Therefore, attention should be paid to supplementing protein feed and trace elements. More soybean cake, soybean dregs, fish meal, or small fish and small shrimp can be fed, and diarrhea generally does not occur; moreover, it can promote vigorous feeding and make the piglets grow faster.
3. Disease prevention
After piglets are weaned for 7 days, enrofloxacin or lincomycin should be added to the feed to prevent diarrhea and piglet edema disease. At 50-60 days of age, the triple vaccine against swine fever, swine erysipelas, and swine pasteurellosis should be injected in a timely manner for disease prevention.
4. Hygiene
Clean the pig pen regularly, removing the manure inside as well as the vegetables the pigs no longer eat. The hay inside also needs to be cleaned regularly, which can prevent the occurrence of disease to a certain extent.
In addition, when buying piglets, be sure to choose a company or farm with complete qualifications and a good reputation, so as to avoid buying poor-quality piglets as much as possible.