Causes and Solutions for Sows Not Eating After Farrowing
A sow not eating after farrowing is a common condition. Many sows eat normally during gestation, but once they give birth to piglets they become anorexic and refuse to eat, or only eat highly palatable food, causing the nursing piglets to grow very poorly. Dealing with a sow not eating after farrowing should start with feeding management. Let's take a look below at what to do when a sow won't eat after farrowing!
Causes of Sows Not Eating After Farrowing
1. Calcium deficiency: A lack of calcium in the diet or an improper calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, insufficient sunlight, or lack of exercise can all lower blood calcium concentration and slow gastrointestinal motility. If the course is prolonged, severe movement disorders may also appear.
2. Vitamin B1 deficiency: Vitamin B1 can stimulate the stomach and intestines, strengthening their peristalsis and secretory function. When deficient, it can cause weakened gastrointestinal motility, reduced gastric juice secretion, decreased appetite, and digestive disorders.
3. Postpartum infection: A sow developing metritis or a systemic infection after farrowing leads to elevated body temperature and listlessness, affecting appetite or thirst.
4. Postpartum weakness: Malnutrition, a weakened constitution, excessive fatigue from prolonged labor, and too much blood loss during delivery causing depletion of qi and blood all result in postpartum weakness and reduced appetite.
5. Gastrointestinal nerve disorder: Gastrointestinal nerve disorder mostly occurs in first-time farrowing sows. Pain and fatigue excite the sympathetic nerves and strongly inhibit the parasympathetic nerves, causing gastrointestinal motility and secretory function to drop drastically, with appetite declining accordingly.
Prevention of Sows Not Eating After Farrowing
1. Before farrowing: Gestating sows should be fed high-quality, safe, complete-premix products rich in various vitamins including vitamin B1 and vitamin B2, while also exercising moderately and receiving adequate sunlight exposure.
2. During farrowing: Once the sow enters the expected farrowing period and milk can be squeezed from the frontmost pair of teats, inject oxytocin and administer radish seed (Lai Fu Zi) orally to speed up farrowing and promote the expulsion of the fetal membranes and complete clearing of uterine lochia.
3. After farrowing: Provide high-quality, complete feed combined with "Danggui Buxue Tang" or "Shenghua San", and orally administer yeast tablets, lactobacillus tablets, artificial salt, etc., which help improve appetite, postpartum recovery, and cleanse the uterus.
What to Do When a Sow Won't Eat After Farrowing?
1. The diet composition should be changed, providing high-quality complete feed rich in minerals and vitamins, taking care that the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio in the diet is appropriate, and appropriately increasing outdoor exercise and sunlight exposure.
2. If accompanied by stomatitis and neuritis, it is vitamin B1 deficiency. An appropriate amount of vitamin B1 and antibiotics should be injected, and vitamin B2, yeast tablets, etc. given orally, along with increasing feed rich in B vitamins, such as bran, green fodder, germinated barley, yeast, etc.
3. If the vulva is red and swollen and discharges a white secretion, the uterine lochia has not been fully expelled. Drugs such as oxytocin, antibiotics, and vitamin C should be injected. If there are no systemic symptoms, cleaning the uterus is recommended.
4. If a sow has elevated body temperature and is listless after farrowing, it is a postpartum infection. Drugs for antipyretic and analgesic, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antiallergic effects should be injected for symptomatic treatment.
5. Postpartum weakness is clinically divided into postpartum blood deficiency and postpartum deficiency of both qi and blood. For blood deficiency, the main focus should be on nourishing blood. If qi and blood are depleted, both qi and blood should be tonified and the meridians unblocked, using the formula "Tongru San", with appropriate exercise and selection of high-quality, complete, easily digestible feed.
6. If the mouth and nose are dry, dry feces are passed in ball shapes, and the sow is restless when lying down and getting up, it is a gastrointestinal nerve disorder. Vinegar and "Pingwei San" should be administered orally, combined with calcium supplementation and yeast tablets, with intramuscular injection of vitamin B1, vitamin C, etc.