What are the key points to note when a sow gives birth?
Key points to note when a sow gives birth
Wu Fengjun
Sow farrowing is one of the most important steps in pig farming management. Every little life begins its growth here. If piglets do not grow well in the farrowing house, it will have a great impact on their later growth and development. Therefore, among all the steps in pig farming, special attention must be paid to farrowing house management and to doing a good job of all the work involved in sow farrowing and newborn piglets.
1 Farrowing house preparation: 5-7 days before the sow enters the farrowing house, clean the farrowing house thoroughly, disinfect it completely with 2% caustic soda solution, and leave it empty. Disinfect it once more with a disinfectant before use, then let it dry for later use. The temperature of the farrowing house should generally be 15°C-18°C. In cold winter and spring, clean bedding straw can be placed inside; in summer, appropriate measures can be taken to cool it down.
2 Move the sow into the farrowing house 5-7 days before the expected farrowing date so it can become familiar with the environment, and from that time begin gradually reducing the feed amount. Stop feeding on the day of farrowing to prevent the sow from overeating and having difficult labor, milk that is too thick or too abundant, constipation, mastitis, and piglet indigestion. For sows in poor body condition, there is no need to reduce feed.
3 From the expected farrowing date until farrowing, have dedicated staff on duty, watching day and night. Once the sow is found to be restless, with reduced appetite, increased frequency of defecation but small stool volume, milk flowing out when the teats are gently squeezed, hot udder, teats separated and upright in a "V" shape, head butting the pen door or trough, and accompanied by labor pains or increased frequency of labor pains, preparations for farrowing assistance should be made. There must be a dedicated person to deliver the piglets; do not leave. The person should wait for the pig, not the pig waiting for the person. Especially in cold seasons or at night, be even more vigilant and never be careless, so as to avoid unnecessary losses.
4 Keep the farrowing house quiet. Do not allow loud shouting or loud noises, so as not to startle the sow. Under no circumstances should the pig be hit. Especially for first-litter sows, be even more patient in waiting to deliver the piglets and establish nursing.
5 Before farrowing, wash the sow's udder and vulva clean, then wipe and disinfect them with 0.1% potassium permanganate solution to prevent infection. Squeeze out and discard the contaminated retained milk in the teats, so as to prevent the sow from developing metritis or the piglets from developing diarrhea. Also prepare tools and medicines; all tools must be disinfected.
6 After the piglet is born, first wipe away the mucus in the mouth and nasal cavity with a farrowing cloth, then dry the coat to ensure the piglet breathes smoothly. Then handle the umbilical cord. When cutting the umbilical cord, first strip the blood in the umbilical cord back into the piglet's body, then twist it off 3-5 cm from the piglet's abdomen, and disinfect with iodine tincture.
7 If a piglet appears stillborn (not breathing, but the heart and umbilical cord are still beating), rescue it immediately: hold it upside down by the hind legs, slap its back, or turn its four hooves upward, support the shoulder with one hand and the rump with the other, and repeatedly flex and extend until the piglet makes a sound.
8 During the birthing process, keep the sow quiet. After birth, the piglet should immediately drink enough colostrum, then be placed in a warming box (temperature inside the box 30°C-32°C). Especially in cold winter, it should receive colostrum early; otherwise its body temperature will drop and it will quickly die.
9 Pay special attention to the number of placentas expelled. Generally speaking, each piglet has one placenta. However, there are also cases where 2 piglets or multiple piglets share one placenta, so carefully count the number of umbilical cords. If the number of umbilical cords in the expelled placentas is low, it is very likely that there are still unborn piglets or that retained placenta may occur, and measures should be taken promptly. After the sow finishes farrowing, the placentas should be removed immediately and the site cleaned up.
10 After all piglets are born, immediately ear-tag, weigh, clip teeth, dock tails, and inject iron-selenium hematinic (for iron deficiency anemia and white muscle disease), and keep good farrowing records.
11 For sows giving birth for the first time or with a record of difficult labor, in order to promote smooth farrowing, oxytocin may be injected intramuscularly as appropriate (when using this drug, be sure to pay attention: if the sow's cervix is not open, do not use oxytocin). Each dose is 10-50 units. If necessary, give another dose after 30 minutes. If no piglet is delivered after another 10 minutes, immediately check the birth canal for any abnormalities. This avoids difficult labor caused by several piglets blocking the cervix at the same time or by abnormal piglet position.
12 Management of difficult labor: if difficult labor occurs, assist delivery according to routine procedures, and wash the sow's rump and vulva with disinfectant solution. The operator should disinfect both hands and arms and apply lubricant. The assistance should be gentle and steady. After farrowing is complete, flush the sow's uterus with 0.1% potassium permanganate, 2 times a day for 7 consecutive days, and infuse antibiotic saline. For sows that have delivered stillborn or mummified piglets, carry out the same treatment to prevent metritis.
Excerpted from Today's Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine. -2009, (8). -31
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Very good article. Bookmarked.
--------------------------------------
Thank you, OP. A document worth sharing.
--------------------------------------
Worth sharing~~~~
--------------------------------------
Good article, thank you OP for providing it.
Sow farrowing is one of the most important steps in pig farming management. Every little life begins its growth here. If piglets do not grow well in the farrowing house, it will have a great impact on their later growth and development. Therefore, among all the steps in pig farming, special attention must be paid to farrowing house management and to doing a good job of all the work involved in sow farrowing and newborn piglets.
1 Farrowing house preparation: 5-7 days before the sow enters the farrowing house, clean the farrowing house thoroughly, disinfect it completely with 2% caustic soda solution, and leave it empty. Disinfect it once more with a disinfectant before use, then let it dry for later use. The temperature of the farrowing house should generally be 15°C-18°C. In cold winter and spring, clean bedding straw can be placed inside; in summer, appropriate measures can be taken to cool it down.
2 Move the sow into the farrowing house 5-7 days before the expected farrowing date so it can become familiar with the environment, and from that time begin gradually reducing the feed amount. Stop feeding on the day of farrowing to prevent the sow from overeating and having difficult labor, milk that is too thick or too abundant, constipation, mastitis, and piglet indigestion. For sows in poor body condition, there is no need to reduce feed.
3 From the expected farrowing date until farrowing, have dedicated staff on duty, watching day and night. Once the sow is found to be restless, with reduced appetite, increased frequency of defecation but small stool volume, milk flowing out when the teats are gently squeezed, hot udder, teats separated and upright in a "V" shape, head butting the pen door or trough, and accompanied by labor pains or increased frequency of labor pains, preparations for farrowing assistance should be made. There must be a dedicated person to deliver the piglets; do not leave. The person should wait for the pig, not the pig waiting for the person. Especially in cold seasons or at night, be even more vigilant and never be careless, so as to avoid unnecessary losses.
4 Keep the farrowing house quiet. Do not allow loud shouting or loud noises, so as not to startle the sow. Under no circumstances should the pig be hit. Especially for first-litter sows, be even more patient in waiting to deliver the piglets and establish nursing.
5 Before farrowing, wash the sow's udder and vulva clean, then wipe and disinfect them with 0.1% potassium permanganate solution to prevent infection. Squeeze out and discard the contaminated retained milk in the teats, so as to prevent the sow from developing metritis or the piglets from developing diarrhea. Also prepare tools and medicines; all tools must be disinfected.
6 After the piglet is born, first wipe away the mucus in the mouth and nasal cavity with a farrowing cloth, then dry the coat to ensure the piglet breathes smoothly. Then handle the umbilical cord. When cutting the umbilical cord, first strip the blood in the umbilical cord back into the piglet's body, then twist it off 3-5 cm from the piglet's abdomen, and disinfect with iodine tincture.
7 If a piglet appears stillborn (not breathing, but the heart and umbilical cord are still beating), rescue it immediately: hold it upside down by the hind legs, slap its back, or turn its four hooves upward, support the shoulder with one hand and the rump with the other, and repeatedly flex and extend until the piglet makes a sound.
8 During the birthing process, keep the sow quiet. After birth, the piglet should immediately drink enough colostrum, then be placed in a warming box (temperature inside the box 30°C-32°C). Especially in cold winter, it should receive colostrum early; otherwise its body temperature will drop and it will quickly die.
9 Pay special attention to the number of placentas expelled. Generally speaking, each piglet has one placenta. However, there are also cases where 2 piglets or multiple piglets share one placenta, so carefully count the number of umbilical cords. If the number of umbilical cords in the expelled placentas is low, it is very likely that there are still unborn piglets or that retained placenta may occur, and measures should be taken promptly. After the sow finishes farrowing, the placentas should be removed immediately and the site cleaned up.
10 After all piglets are born, immediately ear-tag, weigh, clip teeth, dock tails, and inject iron-selenium hematinic (for iron deficiency anemia and white muscle disease), and keep good farrowing records.
11 For sows giving birth for the first time or with a record of difficult labor, in order to promote smooth farrowing, oxytocin may be injected intramuscularly as appropriate (when using this drug, be sure to pay attention: if the sow's cervix is not open, do not use oxytocin). Each dose is 10-50 units. If necessary, give another dose after 30 minutes. If no piglet is delivered after another 10 minutes, immediately check the birth canal for any abnormalities. This avoids difficult labor caused by several piglets blocking the cervix at the same time or by abnormal piglet position.
12 Management of difficult labor: if difficult labor occurs, assist delivery according to routine procedures, and wash the sow's rump and vulva with disinfectant solution. The operator should disinfect both hands and arms and apply lubricant. The assistance should be gentle and steady. After farrowing is complete, flush the sow's uterus with 0.1% potassium permanganate, 2 times a day for 7 consecutive days, and infuse antibiotic saline. For sows that have delivered stillborn or mummified piglets, carry out the same treatment to prevent metritis.
Excerpted from Today's Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine. -2009, (8). -31
--------------------------------------
Very good article. Bookmarked.
--------------------------------------
Thank you, OP. A document worth sharing.
--------------------------------------
Worth sharing~~~~
--------------------------------------
Good article, thank you OP for providing it.