How can pig farmers get sows to produce more piglets?

In pigs, any female pig that has given birth at any age is called a sow. There are many kinds of sows; by color, there are black sows, white sows, and also spotted sows. Their living habits also differ to some extent. For pig farmers, when a sow produces more piglets, the benefits can double! So how can sows be made to produce more piglets? In recent years, the low annual productivity of sows has become a bottleneck restricting the production and development of China's pig industry.

1. Breed excellent replacement gilts

1. Replacement gilts are required to have excellent genetic performance, conform to breed or line characteristics (such as Landrace, Large White, and Duroc), be in above-medium body condition, be well developed, have a longer body, have more than 6 pairs of functional teats arranged neatly and evenly, be docile in temperament, have good mothering ability, strong stress resistance, eat quickly, and not be picky. They should have genetic performance of fast growth, high feed conversion, thin backfat, high lean meat rate, and large litter size.

2. To raise replacement gilts well, before reaching 60 kg body weight, feed them ad libitum; after 60 kg, restrict feeding, feeding about 2 kg of feed per head per day, and add green fodder, so that body condition does not become too fat and affect the sow's reproductive performance. Under good feeding and management conditions, replacement gilts can come into first estrus on time at 6 months of age. At this time, the nutritional requirements of replacement gilts increase. It is recommended to start adding Yichuwang to the daily ration from 6 months of age for replacement gilts, to effectively supplement the trace elements and functional minerals needed for the reproductive development of replacement gilts, promote the development of the ovaries and uterus of replacement gilts, and achieve body maturity and sexual maturity.

2. Reasonably arrange the breeding season

Breed in October, farrow in January to February of the following year; breed again in February to March, farrow in June to July. With this arrangement, sows can produce 2.5 litters per year and 5 litters in two years (reaching the international advanced pig-raising level). Local breed sows should be bred 2 to 3 days after estrus, imported sows should be bred on the afternoon of the same day or the morning of the next day after estrus, and crossbred sows should be bred on the afternoon of the second day after estrus. When breeding, follow the principle of “old sows breed early, young sows breed late, and those neither old nor young breed in between.” Many years of practice have proved that mating before morning and evening feeding can ensure a conception rate of 85%.

3. The following measures can help reduce mortality in large litters of piglets

1. Gestation feeding: Adding fat to sow feed in late pregnancy and lactation can increase milk output and the fat content in colostrum. It can increase the survival rate of piglets under 1 kg by 17. However, excessive attention to backfat will have negative effects.

2. Farrowing monitoring: If the interval between piglet births exceeds 30 minutes, pay attention to this sow. It can be handled through the six-character formula for routine assisted delivery and the six-character formula for emergency assisted delivery. Use oxytocin cautiously, as it will affect the sow. Piglets with low vitality should be helped to fix on teats so they can get enough colostrum.

3. Temperature: Too high a temperature will reduce the sow's feed intake. If the temperature is too low, piglets will have lower body temperature and at the same time reduce their intake of colostrum. When piglets are over 2 days old, the temperature in the farrowing room should be lowered to 20 degrees.

4. Colostrum: Piglets need to drink enough colostrum 6 to 12 hours after birth. The piglet immune system is not yet mature, so their resistance mainly depends on immunoglobulins in colostrum. The number of piglets a sow nurses should not exceed the number of functional teats. The number of piglets nursed by first-litter sows can be limited to 10. Start supplementary creep feed after 14 days.

5. Cross-fostering: Carry out cross-fostering as soon as possible after piglets are born. Adjust pens within 24 hours so that the piglets nursed by each sow have similar body weights.

6. Crushing: In the first three days after birth, piglets like to huddle together beside the sow. It is recommended to shut them in an insulated box while the sow is feeding. Release them after the sow finishes eating or within 1 hour.

4. Also note:

1. 60 of fetal growth occurs in the last 30 days of gestation;

2. Before the first piglet is born, the temperature in the farrowing house should rise to 24 degrees;

3. Let the sow finish farrowing within 4 hours; if it exceeds 5 hours, piglet mortality doubles;

4. Besides stillbirths, crushing is also one of the important causes of piglet death;

5. Good monitoring and care can reduce pre-weaning mortality by 18 and reduce stillbirths by 50. However, excessive noise will disturb the sow, prolong farrowing time, and increase mortality;

6. Cross-fostering can reduce pre-weaning mortality by 40;

7. Antibodies in colostrum will decline to 50 of the initial level within 6 hours.

Appendix: How to deliver piglets when a sow is farrowing

Prepare hot boiled water, a basin, towels (to wipe the sow's udder clean when she is farrowing), paper (to wipe the mucus from the bodies and mouths of newborn piglets), hemostatic forceps, scissors (for cutting piglet umbilical cords), tooth clippers (for clipping piglet teeth), potassium permanganate (for disinfecting the sow's udder and vulva), iodine tincture (for disinfecting when cutting piglet umbilical cords), and an insulated box.

When the sow is farrowing, it is best to let her farrow naturally without manual assistance; just wait to deliver the newborn piglets. If the sow has dystocia, only then is assisted delivery needed: first wash the hands in a diluted potassium permanganate solution, then insert the hand into the sow's uterus, feel for the two hind feet of the piglet, and pull it out slowly.

During the sow's delivery, as long as the interval between births exceeds 2 hours, it is considered dystocia, and a professional veterinarian should be called!