How to raise finishing pigs to improve economic returns

  (1) Strengthen pig herd health care and reduce mortality: The health status of the pig herd can significantly affect the finishing time. Under normal circumstances, the mortality rate of finishing pig herds is 98%; to reduce pig mortality, it is necessary to strengthen care for weak piglets in the herd. Generally, when piglets are transferred in, keep a few reserve pens, raise them in isolation, treat weak piglets with medication or medicated drinking water, and decisively cull pigs with no treatment value.

  (2) Reduce feed prices and increase feed returns: Finishing pig feed can be purchased locally, and computer automatic formula technology can be used to do everything possible to reduce feed costs. In winter, pay attention to keeping the pig herd warm; in summer, pay attention to reducing stocking density, spraying water to cool down, increasing ventilation, shading, and so on to improve growth speed.

Pictured: pigs

  (3) Reduce waste: Waste on pig farms can be seen everywhere. The waste situations are summarized as follows:

  1) Feed waste: Throughout the year, temperatures differ, and the pig's nutritional needs also differ. No formula used can be suitable for all four seasons. Using a high-protein formula in winter causes protein waste; using a high-energy formula in summer causes energy waste, and so on. If we can adjust the formula in a timely manner and reduce the feed-to-meat ratio of the whole herd by 0.1, for a 10,000-head pig farm, it can save 80,000 to 90,000 kg of feed a year and save more than 100,000 yuan in funds.

  Using high-moisture corn without changing the formula causes waste: In autumn and winter, pig farmers often report that the quality of premix or concentrate has become poor and that pigs eat but do not grow. According to understanding, the reason for slow pig growth is not caused by the quality of the premix or concentrate, but by the excessively high moisture content of the corn at that time. Because in autumn and winter, temperatures are relatively low, and the pig's energy requirement is higher than in spring and summer, while the corn at this time is mostly newly harvested corn with moisture mostly above 16%. The mixed feed therefore has insufficient energy. If the formula is not modified and feeding is carried out according to a fixed feeding procedure, energy deficiency will inevitably occur, affecting the normal life of the pigs. The way to solve this problem is, while keeping other raw materials unchanged, to increase the proportion of corn and at the same time increase the feeding amount; second, while using wet corn, combine it with high-energy feed such as oil, which is suitable for suckling pig feed or piglet feed that requires a high energy concentration.

  Waste caused by processing feed not according to the formula: There are several situations. First, no weighing during processing; second, when one raw material is lacking, easily replacing it with another raw material; third, using inferior raw materials as good ones, such as using wet corn instead of dry corn, and so on. These practices destroy the rationality of the feed formula and affect feed utilization.

  2) Drug waste mainly includes the following situations:

  Waste caused by uneven mixing when adding medication: This is a common problem. Adding medication to feed and adding medication to drinking water are already popular methods. The gradual dilution method and the pyramid mixing method are actually rarely used because users find them troublesome. Now when adding medication, some mix it on the feed cart, some mix it on the ground, and some add water and mix it into the feed. None can mix the feed evenly, and drug waste is astonishing.

  Waste caused by improper use methods: adding medication to feed for pigs that have already refused to eat; administering water-insoluble drugs through drinking water; using preventive doses for pig herds that are already diseased. In the above three situations, there is no effect or very poor effect on treatment, and drug waste is unavoidable.

  Waste caused by indiscriminate drug use: Some people advocate long-term high-dose drug control, and many pig farms have achieved good results. This method has been accepted by people. However, large amounts of medication increase costs, and more importantly, after long-term high-dose medication, once the drug is stopped, disease outbreaks may occur. This also leads to the abnormal phenomenon that suckling piglets are easy to raise but nursery pigs are difficult to raise, and when nursery pigs are raised well, problems appear in the growing-finishing stage, while also producing severe drug resistance.

  Waste from raising ineffective boars and sows: A normal pig farm has sows producing 2.2 litters per year, with more than 10 live piglets per litter, and each boar should guarantee the mating of 25 to 40 sows. If a pig farm does not reach the target, it is very likely that ineffective breeding pigs are being raised. Ineffective breeding pigs mainly include the following: sows that do not come into heat for a long time; sows that return to estrus repeatedly after mating; sows with habitual abortion; sows raised in the gestation barn but that do not return to estrus; sows with few piglets born or poor lactation performance; boars with limb and hoof disease that cannot be used, and so on. Raising these boars and sows wastes manpower, wastes feed, and wastes pens, and they should be culled in a timely manner.