Key Technical Points for Sow Rearing Management at Different Stages
Sow Rearing and Management Techniques at Different Stages
According to the growth and breeding patterns of sows, they can be divided into five stages: replacement gilts, pregnant sows, sows about to farrow, lactating sows and open sows. The quality of feeding and management at each stage directly affects the growth, reproduction and value of the sow. Therefore, doing a good job in the feeding and management of sows at each stage is the key to improving sow reproductive performance.
Key Techniques for Feeding and Managing Replacement Gilts
Replacement gilts refer to sows kept for breeding from 2 months of age until before first mating. Feeding at this stage must both maintain their normal growth and development and keep them in appropriate body condition; being too fat or too thin will both lead to abnormal estrus and reduced fertilization rate and reproductive capacity.
Breed selection Replacement gilts generally use Landrace and Large Yorkshire as the main female parent, and should have excellent breed characteristics, requiring a good body shape, a sound and well-proportioned physique, a straight backline, strong and neat limbs, well-developed external genital organs, neatly and evenly arranged teats, and more than 6 functional teats.
Appropriate density In rural areas, sows, their piglets and lactation are generally kept in a single pen in the same house, and each sow should have a pen area of 12 sq m to 15 sq m. If sows are raised in separate pens by stage, replacement gilts are generally kept 4 to 6 per pen, with each occupying about 2 sq m. Excessive density will affect the growth and development of replacement gilts and cause the vice of tail biting.
Restricted feeding Starting from a body weight of 60 kg, replacement gilts should be fed replacement gilt feed with restricted feeding to ensure a balanced supply of protein, VA, VD and VE, generally 1.5 kg to 1.8 kg per day. At a body weight of 80 kg, the daily feeding amount reaches 1.6 kg to 2 kg. Where conditions permit, farms and households may also add high-quality green fodder.
Sufficient drinking water The amount of drinking water is generally 3 to 5 times the amount of dry powder feed consumed; insufficient drinking water will limit feed intake and reduce the production performance of replacement gilts. Generally, in addition to installing automatic drinkers in the pig pen (house) at a height of 0.6 cm to 0.75 cm from the ground and at a downward angle of 45 degrees, clean drinking water should also be added to the trough to ensure supply.
Training and management After replacement gilts are moved into the house, training and management should be strengthened. In addition to training them to eat and defecate at fixed locations, the sows should also be frequently stroked when cleaning the pen and feeding, so as to achieve a friendly relationship between pigs and people and facilitate future management.
Deworming and epidemic prevention At 7 months of age, replacement gilts should be injected subcutaneously with avermectin at 0.3 mg per kg to expel internal parasites, and sprayed over the whole body with 2% trichlorfon once to expel external parasites. After an interval of 7 to 10 days, they should be vaccinated in sequence once against swine fever, foot-and-mouth disease, parvovirus, pseudorabies gene-deleted vaccine and highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome vaccine.
Timely mating Replacement gilts may be mated only after they have reached 8 months of age, a body weight of about 100 kg, and have shown 2 to 3 estrous cycles. Observe the estrous period before the morning feeding and after the afternoon feeding every day. When the vulvar slit shows fine wrinkles, the mucous membrane color changes from bright red to lacquer red, the mucus stretches into an unbroken thread, or when pressing the sow's lower back causes both ears to stand upright and the sow to stand still, that is the best time for mating; they should be mated twice consecutively at an interval of 8 to 12 hours.
Establish records Keep detailed records of the ear number, epidemic prevention, medication, estrus and mating status of each replacement gilt to facilitate production guidance.
Key Techniques for Feeding and Managing Replacement Gilts
Replacement gilts refer to sows kept for breeding from 2 months of age until before first mating. Feeding at this stage must both maintain their normal growth and development and keep them in appropriate body condition; being too fat or too thin will both lead to abnormal estrus and reduced fertilization rate and reproductive capacity.
Breed selection Replacement gilts generally use Landrace and Large Yorkshire as the main female parent, and should have excellent breed characteristics, requiring a good body shape, a sound and well-proportioned physique, a straight backline, strong and neat limbs, well-developed external genital organs, neatly and evenly arranged teats, and more than 6 functional teats.
Appropriate density In rural areas, sows, their piglets and lactation are generally kept in a single pen in the same house, and each sow should have a pen area of 12 sq m to 15 sq m. If sows are raised in separate pens by stage, replacement gilts are generally kept 4 to 6 per pen, with each occupying about 2 sq m. Excessive density will affect the growth and development of replacement gilts and cause the vice of tail biting.
Restricted feeding Starting from a body weight of 60 kg, replacement gilts should be fed replacement gilt feed with restricted feeding to ensure a balanced supply of protein, VA, VD and VE, generally 1.5 kg to 1.8 kg per day. At a body weight of 80 kg, the daily feeding amount reaches 1.6 kg to 2 kg. Where conditions permit, farms and households may also add high-quality green fodder.
Sufficient drinking water The amount of drinking water is generally 3 to 5 times the amount of dry powder feed consumed; insufficient drinking water will limit feed intake and reduce the production performance of replacement gilts. Generally, in addition to installing automatic drinkers in the pig pen (house) at a height of 0.6 cm to 0.75 cm from the ground and at a downward angle of 45 degrees, clean drinking water should also be added to the trough to ensure supply.
Training and management After replacement gilts are moved into the house, training and management should be strengthened. In addition to training them to eat and defecate at fixed locations, the sows should also be frequently stroked when cleaning the pen and feeding, so as to achieve a friendly relationship between pigs and people and facilitate future management.
Deworming and epidemic prevention At 7 months of age, replacement gilts should be injected subcutaneously with avermectin at 0.3 mg per kg to expel internal parasites, and sprayed over the whole body with 2% trichlorfon once to expel external parasites. After an interval of 7 to 10 days, they should be vaccinated in sequence once against swine fever, foot-and-mouth disease, parvovirus, pseudorabies gene-deleted vaccine and highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome vaccine.
Timely mating Replacement gilts may be mated only after they have reached 8 months of age, a body weight of about 100 kg, and have shown 2 to 3 estrous cycles. Observe the estrous period before the morning feeding and after the afternoon feeding every day. When the vulvar slit shows fine wrinkles, the mucous membrane color changes from bright red to lacquer red, the mucus stretches into an unbroken thread, or when pressing the sow's lower back causes both ears to stand upright and the sow to stand still, that is the best time for mating; they should be mated twice consecutively at an interval of 8 to 12 hours.
Establish records Keep detailed records of the ear number, epidemic prevention, medication, estrus and mating status of each replacement gilt to facilitate production guidance.