The basic skills a pig farmer should master: three, three, one
????1. "Three observations," namely observing eating, observing manure, and observing behavior
Appetite is a clear indicator of whether a pig is healthy. Therefore, when feeding each time, be sure to carefully observe the pig's appetite. If the pig eats voraciously and wolfs down its food, it shows a good appetite. On the contrary, if the pig roots around in the trough, eats a little and then stops, it shows a poor appetite. When this happens, attention should be paid to finding out the cause and dealing with it promptly.
Observing pig manure is also a good way to understand a pig's health status. Based on changes in the shape of the manure, one can judge whether the pig is normal. If the manure is neither dry nor loose, has a glossy surface, and has no special odor, it shows that the feed is properly mixed and digestion is good.
If a pig passes a small amount of dry dung pellets, it indicates internal heat, poor appetite, and indigestion, and it is a diseased state. If the pig passes dry manure, but in no small amount, it indicates improper feed mixing, mostly caused by having only coarse feed and no green feed, or by having too much coarse feed and too little concentrate. If the pig passes loose manure with a foul, fishy odor, it indicates improper feed mixing and indigestion; or that the feed has become moldy and spoiled, or that there is too much soybean cake, or that it is caused by a sudden change of feed, and it may also be a sign of disease. The cause should be found out promptly.
Observing the pig's behavior is also very important. A healthy pig has bright, spirited eyes, a tail curled upward and able to swing freely, and either walks around looking for food or sleeps quietly and soundly. Whenever a pig is found to be listless, with head and tail drooping, an arched back, hot ear bases, a dry snout, heavy eye discharge, and shivering all over, it is usually sick and should be diagnosed and treated promptly.
2. "Three fixed items," meaning that pig feeding must be fixed in time, fixed in amount, and fixed in temperature
Fixed time: The time for feeding pigs each day should be fixed, so that the pigs develop a habit and want to eat when the time comes, eat with relish, and digest well. So how many meals a day should they be fed? This should be decided according to the type of pig, age, season, and the nature of the feed, and cannot be generalized.
Suckling piglets eat little and have weak digestive power, so they can be fed more than 6 meals a day; weaned piglets also have weak digestive power and grow relatively quickly, so they can be fed 4 to 6 meals a day; lactating sows and sows in late pregnancy need more nutrients, so they can be fed 4 meals; other pigs can be fed 3 meals a day. A daily ration based mainly on green feed should be fed in more meals than one based mainly on concentrate. In summer, when it is hot and the days are long and the nights short, it is best to add one meal of thin feed before noon and one after noon. In winter, when it is cold and the days are short and the nights long, the evening feeding time should be postponed a little.
Fixed amount: The amount fed each day and at each meal should be roughly fixed, so that the pigs eat just right, neither going hungry nor overeating. Do not let them go hungry for one meal and stuffed for another. Only in this way can the pigs maintain a strong appetite. A pig's appetite is generally strongest in the evening, next in the morning, and slightly poorer at noon. The daily feeding amount should be distributed according to this characteristic. In winter, when it is cold and the nights are longer, the evening meal should be fed thicker and more filling.
Fixed temperature: The temperature of the pig feed should be roughly constant, and it must not be cold one meal and hot another. Generally speaking, warm feed should be fed in cold weather, and cool feed may be fed in hot weather. If the feed temperature is too low, especially when frozen feed is fed in winter, it easily causes miscarriage in pigs, harms the stomach and intestines, and also increases energy loss, invisibly wasting a lot of feed.
Therefore, in the cold regions of northern China, from early October each year to the end of April the following year, warm feed is generally fed, so the pigs eat their fill, eat warm, save feed, and it helps preserve condition and gain meat. In the other months, cool feed is fed, which not only has no adverse effect on pigs, but also saves fuel and labor.
????3. "One gradual"
Changes in the type of pig feed or increases and decreases in the feeding amount should be carried out gradually, so that the pigs have a process of getting used to it. Otherwise, it easily affects the pigs' appetite and digestion. For example, if a large amount of green feed is suddenly fed, the pigs will have loose manure; if bran is suddenly replaced with sorghum, it will not only affect the pigs' appetite, but may also cause constipation; if syrup or soy sauce residue is suddenly added, the taste improves, and it often easily causes the pigs to overeat and then harm their stomachs, resulting in a sharp decrease in appetite. Therefore, when changing the type of feed or the feeding amount, it should be increased or decreased gradually. People believe that "pigs eat fixed food." This means that pigs always recognize feed of one flavor, and if there is the slightest change, it will affect their appetite.