Key Points of Feeding and Management Techniques for Weaned Piglets
Seeking advice on feeding and management techniques for weaned piglets?
(Agricultural Wealth Network) Seeking advice on feeding and management techniques for weaned piglets?
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(1) Feeding of Weaned Piglets
Weaned piglets are in a stage of intense growth and development; their various tissues and organs still need further development, and their functions still need further improvement, especially the digestive organs, which are particularly prominent. Sow's milk is extremely easy for piglets to digest and absorb, with a digestibility of up to 100%, whereas after weaning the required nutrients come entirely from feed. The milk fat that serves as the main energy source is replaced by cereal starch, the casein that can be completely digested and absorbed becomes plant protein with lower digestibility, and the feed also contains a certain amount of crude fiber. According to research, when weaned piglets consume a relatively large amount of feed, the protein and minerals in it easily combine with the free hydrochloric acid in the piglets' stomachs, failing to fully inhibit the reproduction of E. coli in the digestive tract, often causing diarrheal disease.
In order to enable weaned piglets to adapt to post-weaning feed as quickly as possible and reduce the adverse effects caused by weaning, in addition to early forced supplementary feeding of suckling piglets and reducing the supply of sow's milk before weaning (reducing feed for the sow before weaning) to force piglets to eat more supplementary feed before weaning, piglets must also undergo a transition in feed and a transition in feeding method. The feed transition means that within 2 weeks of weaning the feed should remain unchanged (still feeding the supplementary feed used during the suckling period), with appropriate amounts of antibiotics, vitamins and amino acids added to reduce the stress response; after 2 weeks, gradually transition to weaned piglet feed. The feeding method transition means that for 3 to 5 days after weaning it is best to feed piglets on a restricted basis, with an average intake of 160g, and after 5 days switch to free feeding.
It is best to install automatic waterers in the weaned piglet pens to ensure that clean drinking water is supplied to the piglets at all times. Weaned piglets that eat large amounts of dry feed often feel thirsty and need to drink a relatively large amount of water. Insufficient water supply will not only affect the normal growth and development of the piglets, but drinking contaminated water can also cause diseases such as diarrhea.
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(2) Management of Weaned Piglets
1. Grouping
Piglet pens are mostly rectangular, about 1.8 to 2.0m long, about 1.7m wide, with an area of 3.06 to 3.40m. Each pen houses 8 to 10 piglets. For the first 1 to 2 days after weaning, piglets are very unsettled and often squeal while searching for the sow, especially at night. In order to stabilize the piglets' restless emotions and reduce stress losses, it is best to adopt the "original pen rearing method," in which they are not moved from the original pen and not mixed into different groups or litters. When piglets reach weaning age, move the sow back to the empty sow house, and keep the piglets in the farrowing house for a period of time, then transfer them to the piglet rearing house once they have adapted. Because it is the original environment and the original littermates, weaning stress can be reduced. The disadvantage of this method is that it lowers the utilization rate of the farrowing house, and more farrowing pens must be built when constructing the farm.
Industrialized pig production adopts a year-round balanced production method, with strict design at each process stage and assembly-line operation. Weaned piglets are immediately transferred to the piglet rearing house; pigs in the farrowing house are managed on an all-in, all-out basis, and after the pigs are moved out the house is immediately cleaned and disinfected before the next sows due to farrow are moved in. When transferring weaned piglets between groups, original-litter rearing is generally adopted, that is, the original litter of piglets (excluding a few poorly developed individuals) is transferred to the rearing house and kept in the same pen. If there are too many or too few piglets in the original litter, they need to be regrouped; they can be combined and penned according to body weight, size, and strength, and the body weight difference among piglets in the same pen should not exceed 1 to 2kg. The weak and small piglets from each litter are combined into small groups and reared separately. When piglets are grouped together there will be fighting to establish hierarchy, so appropriate supervision can be provided to prevent bite injuries.
2. Good environmental conditions.
(1) Temperature The suitable environmental temperature for weaned piglets is 21°C to 22°C for 30 to 40 days of age, 21°C for 41 to 60 days of age, and 20°C for 60 to 90 days of age. In order to maintain the above temperatures, insulation measures must be taken in winter. In addition to paying attention to windproofing and insulating the housing and increasing the number of pigs raised in the house to maintain the house temperature, it is best to install heating equipment such as radiators (including local radiators), hot-air furnaces and coal-fired stoves. In hot summer, heat protection and cooling measures are needed, and cooling methods such as spraying, showering and ventilation can be used. In recent years, many pig houses have adopted longitudinal ventilation cooling with good results.
(2) Humidity Excessive humidity in the piglet rearing house can increase the adverse effects of cold and heat on pigs. Dampness is conducive to the breeding and reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms and can cause various diseases in piglets. The suitable relative humidity for weaned piglet houses is 65% to 75%.
(3) Cleanliness and hygiene The inside and outside of the pig house must be cleaned frequently and disinfected regularly to kill pathogens and prevent infectious diseases.
(4) Keep the air fresh The harmful gases in the air of the pig house have long-term, continuous and cumulative toxic effects on pigs. Manure and urine and other organic matter in the pens should be removed and treated in a timely manner to reduce the production of harmful gases such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, control the amount of ventilation, remove stale air from the house, and keep the air fresh.
3. Training and management
Newly weaned and transferred piglets have not yet formed fixed locations for eating, lying down, drinking water and excreting, so training must be strengthened to help them form ideal sleeping and excretion areas. This not only keeps the pen sanitary but also makes cleaning easier. The piglet rearing pen is best rectangular (convenient for training and partitioning), with an automatic feeder set at one end of the central walkway and an automatic waterer at the other end, the side near the feeder being the sleeping area and the other side being the excretion area (as shown in Figure 9-3). The training method is: do not clean the manure in the excretion area for the time being, to induce piglets to excrete there. Manure in other areas is cleaned away promptly. When piglets are active, use a small stick to drive away and scold piglets that do not excrete at the designated location. When piglets are sleeping, they can be driven at fixed times to the fixed area to excrete. After one week of training, a conditioned reflex for fixed-point sleeping and excretion can be established.
4. Set up iron-ring toys
Newly weaned piglets often exhibit tail biting and sucking of ears, prepuce and other such phenomena. The main reason is that newly weaned piglets attempt to continue suckling; of course, it can also be caused by incomplete feed nutrition, excessive rearing density, and poor ventilation stress. The way to prevent this is, while improving feeding and management conditions, to set up toys for the piglets to divert their attention. Toys include toy balls placed in the pen and iron-ring chains suspended in the air. Balls easily become dirty and unhygienic, so it is best to hang two chains made of connected iron rings in each pen, at a height such that the piglets can bite them with their heads raised. This not only prevents the occurrence of bad habits such as tail biting in piglets, but also satisfies the piglets' need to be active and play.
5. Preventive injection
At 60 days of age, piglets are injected with vaccines against swine fever, swine erysipelas, swine pneumonia and piglet paratyphoid, and internal and external parasites are dewormed before group transfer.
--------------------------------------
(1) Feeding of Weaned Piglets
Weaned piglets are in a stage of intense growth and development; their various tissues and organs still need further development, and their functions still need further improvement, especially the digestive organs, which are particularly prominent. Sow's milk is extremely easy for piglets to digest and absorb, with a digestibility of up to 100%, whereas after weaning the required nutrients come entirely from feed. The milk fat that serves as the main energy source is replaced by cereal starch, the casein that can be completely digested and absorbed becomes plant protein with lower digestibility, and the feed also contains a certain amount of crude fiber. According to research, when weaned piglets consume a relatively large amount of feed, the protein and minerals in it easily combine with the free hydrochloric acid in the piglets' stomachs, failing to fully inhibit the reproduction of E. coli in the digestive tract, often causing diarrheal disease.
In order to enable weaned piglets to adapt to post-weaning feed as quickly as possible and reduce the adverse effects caused by weaning, in addition to early forced supplementary feeding of suckling piglets and reducing the supply of sow's milk before weaning (reducing feed for the sow before weaning) to force piglets to eat more supplementary feed before weaning, piglets must also undergo a transition in feed and a transition in feeding method. The feed transition means that within 2 weeks of weaning the feed should remain unchanged (still feeding the supplementary feed used during the suckling period), with appropriate amounts of antibiotics, vitamins and amino acids added to reduce the stress response; after 2 weeks, gradually transition to weaned piglet feed. The feeding method transition means that for 3 to 5 days after weaning it is best to feed piglets on a restricted basis, with an average intake of 160g, and after 5 days switch to free feeding.
It is best to install automatic waterers in the weaned piglet pens to ensure that clean drinking water is supplied to the piglets at all times. Weaned piglets that eat large amounts of dry feed often feel thirsty and need to drink a relatively large amount of water. Insufficient water supply will not only affect the normal growth and development of the piglets, but drinking contaminated water can also cause diseases such as diarrhea.
--------------------------------------
(2) Management of Weaned Piglets
1. Grouping
Piglet pens are mostly rectangular, about 1.8 to 2.0m long, about 1.7m wide, with an area of 3.06 to 3.40m. Each pen houses 8 to 10 piglets. For the first 1 to 2 days after weaning, piglets are very unsettled and often squeal while searching for the sow, especially at night. In order to stabilize the piglets' restless emotions and reduce stress losses, it is best to adopt the "original pen rearing method," in which they are not moved from the original pen and not mixed into different groups or litters. When piglets reach weaning age, move the sow back to the empty sow house, and keep the piglets in the farrowing house for a period of time, then transfer them to the piglet rearing house once they have adapted. Because it is the original environment and the original littermates, weaning stress can be reduced. The disadvantage of this method is that it lowers the utilization rate of the farrowing house, and more farrowing pens must be built when constructing the farm.
Industrialized pig production adopts a year-round balanced production method, with strict design at each process stage and assembly-line operation. Weaned piglets are immediately transferred to the piglet rearing house; pigs in the farrowing house are managed on an all-in, all-out basis, and after the pigs are moved out the house is immediately cleaned and disinfected before the next sows due to farrow are moved in. When transferring weaned piglets between groups, original-litter rearing is generally adopted, that is, the original litter of piglets (excluding a few poorly developed individuals) is transferred to the rearing house and kept in the same pen. If there are too many or too few piglets in the original litter, they need to be regrouped; they can be combined and penned according to body weight, size, and strength, and the body weight difference among piglets in the same pen should not exceed 1 to 2kg. The weak and small piglets from each litter are combined into small groups and reared separately. When piglets are grouped together there will be fighting to establish hierarchy, so appropriate supervision can be provided to prevent bite injuries.
2. Good environmental conditions.
(1) Temperature The suitable environmental temperature for weaned piglets is 21°C to 22°C for 30 to 40 days of age, 21°C for 41 to 60 days of age, and 20°C for 60 to 90 days of age. In order to maintain the above temperatures, insulation measures must be taken in winter. In addition to paying attention to windproofing and insulating the housing and increasing the number of pigs raised in the house to maintain the house temperature, it is best to install heating equipment such as radiators (including local radiators), hot-air furnaces and coal-fired stoves. In hot summer, heat protection and cooling measures are needed, and cooling methods such as spraying, showering and ventilation can be used. In recent years, many pig houses have adopted longitudinal ventilation cooling with good results.
(2) Humidity Excessive humidity in the piglet rearing house can increase the adverse effects of cold and heat on pigs. Dampness is conducive to the breeding and reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms and can cause various diseases in piglets. The suitable relative humidity for weaned piglet houses is 65% to 75%.
(3) Cleanliness and hygiene The inside and outside of the pig house must be cleaned frequently and disinfected regularly to kill pathogens and prevent infectious diseases.
(4) Keep the air fresh The harmful gases in the air of the pig house have long-term, continuous and cumulative toxic effects on pigs. Manure and urine and other organic matter in the pens should be removed and treated in a timely manner to reduce the production of harmful gases such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, control the amount of ventilation, remove stale air from the house, and keep the air fresh.
3. Training and management
Newly weaned and transferred piglets have not yet formed fixed locations for eating, lying down, drinking water and excreting, so training must be strengthened to help them form ideal sleeping and excretion areas. This not only keeps the pen sanitary but also makes cleaning easier. The piglet rearing pen is best rectangular (convenient for training and partitioning), with an automatic feeder set at one end of the central walkway and an automatic waterer at the other end, the side near the feeder being the sleeping area and the other side being the excretion area (as shown in Figure 9-3). The training method is: do not clean the manure in the excretion area for the time being, to induce piglets to excrete there. Manure in other areas is cleaned away promptly. When piglets are active, use a small stick to drive away and scold piglets that do not excrete at the designated location. When piglets are sleeping, they can be driven at fixed times to the fixed area to excrete. After one week of training, a conditioned reflex for fixed-point sleeping and excretion can be established.
4. Set up iron-ring toys
Newly weaned piglets often exhibit tail biting and sucking of ears, prepuce and other such phenomena. The main reason is that newly weaned piglets attempt to continue suckling; of course, it can also be caused by incomplete feed nutrition, excessive rearing density, and poor ventilation stress. The way to prevent this is, while improving feeding and management conditions, to set up toys for the piglets to divert their attention. Toys include toy balls placed in the pen and iron-ring chains suspended in the air. Balls easily become dirty and unhygienic, so it is best to hang two chains made of connected iron rings in each pen, at a height such that the piglets can bite them with their heads raised. This not only prevents the occurrence of bad habits such as tail biting in piglets, but also satisfies the piglets' need to be active and play.
5. Preventive injection
At 60 days of age, piglets are injected with vaccines against swine fever, swine erysipelas, swine pneumonia and piglet paratyphoid, and internal and external parasites are dewormed before group transfer.