Key Points of Feed Nutrition Management in Early Care of Nursery Pigs

Suckling Attraction Feeding and Intestinal Development

The purpose of early supplementary feeding of suckling piglets is to help them adapt to the feed environment as quickly as possible after weaning, become familiar with the shape and taste of the feed, and increase feed intake after weaning. Piglets begin to produce a small amount of hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes in the stomach at around 14 days of age. Therefore, at about 2 weeks after birth, piglets can be provided with a round disc-type feed trough with a small amount of starter feed added, allowing them to gradually learn to eat through play. Once they eat the starter feed, the acid and enzymes produced in the stomach increase rapidly, which accelerates the breakdown and absorption of feed, and with acid present in the stomach, harmful bacteria such as E. coli will not multiply.

Once piglets quickly adapt to weaning and begin eating feed, the food in the stomach rapidly stimulates the secretion of new digestive fluids, and the weaned pigs will normally digest food, absorb nutrients, and adapt to the nursery barn environment. If weaned piglets do not adapt to the nursery environment and eat only very little feed, the secretion of gastric acid and other digestive fluids drops sharply, the acidity in the stomach decreases, the environment suitable for beneficial bacteria is destroyed, and harmful bacteria that damage intestinal absorption multiply rapidly, ultimately leading to malnutrition, emaciation, and even death of the piglets.

Group Effect

Pigs are social animals that are accustomed to the feeding pattern of sows nursing them in groups. They like to compete for feed and often imitate the behavior of pigs in the same pen, including eating, sleeping, and excreting. Therefore, after pigs are moved to the nursery barn, conditions should be created so that they can eat at the same time. When they hear or see other pigs rooting feed out of the trough, they will be enticed to do the same, thereby increasing feed intake.

Feeding Frequency and Feed Form

After birth, the sow calls the piglets to suckle at intervals of about 1 hour. Once weaned, however, piglets must leave the sow, live independently, and find feed and water on their own, so they must be trained as early as possible. In the initial stage, the suckling-period routine should be simulated by feeding once every 1 hour (with the interval gradually increased afterward), and the trough should be tapped to create a conditioned reflex and develop good behavioral habits. In terms of feed form, the transition from liquid milk to solid feed requires a gradual process. Therefore, during the piglet training stage, a small amount of water can be added to the feed, using wet mash to gradually transition to meal and pellets.

Feed Freshness

Since piglets have just been weaned, feeding should follow the principle of small amounts given frequently, ensuring that pigs can eat feed at any time while avoiding waste. If a large amount of feed is placed in the trough at one time, the saliva flowing from the piglets' mouths while eating will cause the feed to clump and become moldy, affecting feed freshness and triggering intestinal diseases in piglets. In addition, after chewing, piglets will leave behind a considerable amount of meal. Meal covering the feed will cause piglets to refuse to eat. Therefore, the feed provided should be both sufficient and not wasted.

Trough Design

Pigs are raised in groups and like to compete for feed. When designing the trough, it is necessary both to minimize feed waste and to accommodate as much as possible the pigs' ability to eat simultaneously, so as to increase feed intake. Round feed troughs achieve this better than other types of troughs. The feed in the trough should be checked every day, and clumped feed and feed contaminated by feces and urine should be removed to increase feed freshness.