What age in days and what weight defines a nursery pig?
Nursery pigs are weaned piglets at 65-70 days of age and under 60 jin in weight. After weaning, they lose the living environment they shared with the sow, and combined with changes in feed type and environment, this causes major changes in growth and development, making them highly prone to losing condition, weak constitution, increased disease incidence, and improper feeding management, and they easily become stunted pigs or even die. Therefore, doing a good job of feeding and managing piglets before and after weaning is crucial.
Key points for feeding and managing nursery pigs:
1. Preparation of the nursery house
One week before the pigs are brought in, the nursery pig house must be thoroughly cleaned. First, wash the floor and the situation clean with water, and after it dries, fumigate and disinfect it with methanol and potassium permanganate, then disinfect it with disinfectant three days later. This can kill most bacteria and microorganisms, help eliminate sources of infection, cut off transmission routes, and benefit the growth of nursery pigs. Before bringing in the pigs, also check the feed troughs and drinking water utensils. In addition, the temperature inside the house should be controlled at 28-30 degrees, adjusted according to climate changes; in cold seasons, increase and maintain warmth, and in hot seasons, strengthen ventilation to expel toxic gases.
2. Feeding management
The digestive system of nursery pigs is not yet fully developed, and they are relatively sensitive to the nutrition and composition of feed, so when choosing feed, choose one that is easy to digest and highly nutritious, so as to avoid indigestion in the piglets and promote growth. When feeding, record the feed time of the feed to ensure that the feed trough is never empty, and at the same time supply sufficient warm boiled water; if water intake is insufficient, it may affect feed intake and lead to slow growth. To prevent stress reactions, vitamins, glucose, antibiotics and other drugs can be added to the drinking water to increase the piglets' disease resistance. Feeding time and feeding frequency should be fixed, generally feeding 6 times a day. At the same time, to avoid indigestion, diarrhea and other symptoms caused by the feeding method, feeding should be restricted within 1-2 weeks after weaning, and after 3 weeks they can feed freely.
3. Environment management
Within one week after weaning, the temperature of the pig house should be kept at 25-27 degrees, then lowered by 2 degrees each week until it reaches normal temperature, and the humidity should be controlled at 55%-65%. At the same time, pay attention to stocking density; if the density is too high, not only will biting occur, but it will also cause an increase in toxic gases and make respiratory diseases more likely. After weaning, piglets should not be moved directly into the nursery house; the sow should be moved out, and the piglets should be raised in the original house for one week before being moved into the nursery house. When transferring, they should be reasonably grouped according to body weight and age; piglets of similar weight and age should be raised in the same pen, piglets from different sources should be raised in separate pens, and piglets from each litter that are in poorer condition and smaller in weight should be raised together in groups. Carefully observe the piglets' activity, feeding and excretion, keep the house environment clean and hygienic, and provide a good environment for piglet growth.
4. Immunization and deworming
Vaccination of the pig house is one of the important tasks of the nursery house, such as swine fever vaccine, foot-and-mouth disease vaccine, etc., and this must be done; in addition, parasites such as sarcoptic mange mites and roundworms can also cause certain harm to piglet growth and damage the body's immune system, so deworming work should be done well.
The above is the relevant introduction to how big nursery pigs are, and I hope it is helpful to everyone.