How to manage sows at farrowing time? Four precautions to remember

    Whether sow farrowing management is done well or not determines whether the sow can function normally after farrowing. Many post-farrowing problems, such as metritis, mastitis, agalactia syndrome and piglet diarrhea, are directly related to pre-farrowing management.

    I. Preparation of the farrowing room

    The farrowing room is very important for both sows and piglets. If the farrowing room is dirty, cold and humid, or has any two of these, it is very likely to cause adverse consequences for the pig farm due to disease. Cleanliness and dryness are essential conditions for a good farrowing room environment.

    1. Soak the farrowing crate and floor for 0.5-6 hours, then use tools such as an iron shovel to clean up the softened manure and feed residue, and then thoroughly rinse the pen and floor.

    2. Systematically clean the pens and equipment, paying attention to cleaning the water troughs and feed troughs and their surroundings; visible dust should be rinsed clean; do not use a high-pressure water gun to directly rinse an unisolated farrowing house, as this will have a negative impact on sows and piglets; a soft water hose can be used for rinsing.

    3. For disinfection of the farrowing room, be sure to maintain a sufficient concentration of disinfectant solution and spray it without missing any spot.

    4. The pig house must be completely dry before sows are moved into the farrowing room. If the pig house is not dry, moisture will evaporate from the floor, which will make the floor and farrowing crate cold.

    5. Check each drinker to see whether the water flow rate can reach 4 liters/minute. Insufficient water intake will lead to reduced feed intake in sows, especially in summer. During lactation, the recommended water intake is 35-50 liters per day.

    6. Check whether the heat lamps work, and whether the floor temperature can reach 34°C-35°C after the heat lamps are turned on.

    II. Move sows to the farrowing room 5-7 days in advance

    [Advantages]:

    1. After the pig house and pens are cleaned, they can be fully dried.

    2. The sow's feed can be adjusted 2-3 days before farrowing to avoid problems during farrowing.

    3. The sow has enough time to adapt to the new environment.

    4. The sow will not start farrowing in the gestation house.

    III. Reducing or increasing feed before farrowing for sows depends on the situation

    (1) According to the sow's body condition and udder development

    1. Sows in good body condition and with good udder development: gradually reduce the feeding amount 3-5 days before farrowing to 1/2 or 1/3 of the late gestation level, to prevent mastitis caused by excessive milk secretion, or piglet diarrhea caused by milk that is too concentrated.

    2. Thinner sows: feed should not be reduced.

    3. Sows whose udders are not sufficiently swollen a few days before farrowing: some protein-rich feed should be added, such as fish meal.

    (2) According to the sow's parity

    1. First- and second-parity sows: first- and second-parity sows are themselves small in size and have low feed intake; they may not appear to be fed much, yet they are already full. Therefore, first- and second-parity sows should be restricted in feed as much as possible before farrowing, otherwise they will not eat for several days after farrowing. More importantly, failure to restrict feed before farrowing may lead to milk that is too concentrated, causing nutritional diarrhea in piglets.

    2. Sows after the 3rd parity: they are large in size, and just maintaining such a large body requires consuming a lot of feed, so they are almost never full and are always in a state of feed restriction. Therefore, before farrowing there is no need to reduce the amount of feed too much, though of course they should not be allowed to eat to the point where a lot remains in the trough.

    IV. According to the sow's current condition:constipation, qi and blood deficiency and stagnation, insufficient farrowing strength, postpartum fatigue and refusal to eat, etc., carry out effective health conditioning

    [Method]:

    1. Mixed feeding with lactating sow feed: from 15 days before farrowing until weaning, estrus and mating, add 1000 g of Shuangbu Deyi San + 1000 g of Yimuyuan + 500 g of Butaneng powder to 1000 jin of feed.

    2. Intramuscular injection: after the sow's water breaks or after she gives birth to one piglet: intramuscular injection of Butaneng injection, 15-20 milliliters.

    [Effects]:

    1. Internally tonify qi and blood, and regulate the five internal organs; externally supplement physical strength and enhance stamina.

    2. Effectively shorten the farrowing process and reduce stillbirths;

    3. Improve the quality and quantity of milk, and improve the vitality and uniformity of newborn piglets.

    4. Shorten the number of days between weaning and estrus in sows, and increase the sow's service life.

    5. Promote the recovery of appetite after farrowing.