10 Ways to Keep Pig Pens Warm and Cold-Proof, So Weak and Sick Pigs Are No Longer Frozen to Death
In the past few days, temperatures have plunged across most of the country, catching many pig farmers off guard. Here is a reminder for large-scale pig farms: although pigs have thick fat, the work of cold-proofing and warming pig pens must never be relaxed. If feeding and management are poor, weak pigs and sick pigs can be frozen to death, seriously affecting farming profits. Below are 10 ways to keep pig pens warm and cold-proof, so pig farmers everywhere had better read carefully!
1. Keep the pig pen dry.
A damp pig pen causes a series of adverse effects. First, when humidity in the pig pen is high, pigs feel cold and huddle together, leading to squeezing injuries and crushing injuries; second, it favors the growth and reproduction of bacteria and easily triggers diseases, commonly including skin diseases, respiratory diseases, infectious diseases and parasitic diseases. To prevent dampness in the pig pen, do the “four musts”: first, prevent rain leakage; second, frequently add and replace dry straw; third, train the pigs to defecate and urinate at fixed spots; fourth, regularly remove pig manure and pig urine to eliminate the source of dampness in the pig pen.
2. Remove harmful gases.
If the concentration of harmful gases in the pig pen is too high, the pigs' disease resistance and cold resistance will be noticeably reduced. Therefore, every day during the high-temperature period at noon, open doors and windows for ventilation to remove harmful gases and bring in fresh air, which helps the pigs' growth and development.
3. Spread sawdust.
Spread sawdust about 10 cm thick in the pig pen, which can noticeably raise the temperature of the pig pen.
4. Spread straw.
Add soft dry straw, soft crop stalks and the like about 20 cm thick on the pig bed, which can absorb moisture, remove dampness and keep warm, but the straw must be replaced frequently to prevent dampness and mildew from producing ammonia gas and harming the pigs' health.
5. Add energy feed.
When preparing the pigs' daily ration, appropriately increase the proportion of energy feed such as corn and wheat bran, and provide warm water for drinking. With sufficient feed supply and more feeding times, and with the pig feed somewhat dry, the pigs' cold resistance and disease resistance can be enhanced and rapid weight gain promoted.
6. Add wind-dispelling and cold-dispelling Chinese herbal medicine to the feed.
Adding Chinese herbal medicine that dispels wind and cold, invigorates blood and removes stasis, and strengthens the spleen and dries dampness to the feed can both promote rapid fattening of pigs and resist cold and prevent disease. For example: hawthorn, medicated leaven, Sichuan lovage rhizome, poria, saposhnikovia root, bitter orange, notopterygium root, bupleurum root, atractylodes rhizome, areca seed and licorice, 20 grams each, mixed into the feed, fed twice a week.
7. Add a heat source inside the pig pen.
Use artificial methods to add a heat source inside the pig pen and raise the temperature in the pig pen. Heat sources can be provided by equipment such as hot-air furnaces, fan heaters and coal stoves. For piglets, use heating equipment such as piglet electric heating plates and infrared light bulbs to provide an additional heat source for the piglet nursery box. When using heating equipment fueled by coal, pay attention to keeping the flue unobstructed to avoid carbon monoxide remaining in the pen and causing carbon monoxide poisoning in pigs.
8. Appropriately increase stocking density.
Raise separately kept pigs together in groups and appropriately increase the stocking density, which can naturally raise the barn temperature. At the same time, with pigs sleeping close together, they can warm each other and also raise the temperature of the whole pig pen.
9. Get more sunshine.
On clear and warm days, from 1 to 3 p.m., drive the pigs outside to bask in the sun and appropriately strengthen outdoor exercise to improve the pigs' resistance to cold weather.
10. Prevent wind.
In early spring, cold wind invading the pig pen and striking the pigs' bodies can cause diseases such as colds and pneumonia in pigs. Use wooden boards, straw curtains or plastic film to tightly block places in the pig pen where wind leaks, preventing cold wind from entering.
Also, before pigs reach 60 kg body weight, 16-22°C; 60-90 kg, 14-20°C; above 90 kg, 12-16°C. Generally, the relative humidity inside the pen should be 50%-75%.
Remember to keep the pig pen dry, replace the straw in time and clean up the pig manure.