How to prevent sows from crushing piglets to death? These methods are very practical
When we raise sows, we often encounter a problem: after farrowing, during the piglets' suckling period, sows may crush piglets to death, causing huge losses for farmers. So what causes sows to crush piglets to death? And how should we prevent this problem from occurring? Follow along with the editor below to find the answers in the following text.
1. Reasons why sows crush piglets to death
There are actually many reasons why sows crush piglets to death. For example, if the sow's milk supply is insufficient, the piglets will frequently nuzzle and bite at the teats, causing the sow to become agitated and thereby crush the piglets to death. There is also improper care of piglets, with no one on duty at night, which can also easily cause sows to crush piglets to death. Next is insufficient space in the farrowing crate, health problems in the sow after farrowing, an unsuitable farrowing house environment, the sow's body size, and the sow's postpartum instincts and behavior, all of which can cause the phenomenon of sows crushing piglets to death.
2. Preventive measures
In response to the phenomenon of sows crushing piglets to death, we need to make preventive preparations in advance after the sow gives birth. First, set up professional piglet protection rails, which makes it easier to manage the sow and piglets; second, use farrowing boxes or warming boxes, so that after drinking milk the piglets return to the farrowing box or warming box to sleep, and thus will not be crushed; let the piglets drink enough milk and improve the piglets' movement ability, which can also help them avoid being crushed; you can also improve the sow's constitution, grasp the patterns of the sow's activity, and pay attention to the sow's lying down and getting up before and after feeding to avoid crushing the piglets.
3. Points to note
About ten days before the sow farrows and after the sow gives birth, we must be very careful to avoid the situation of crushing piglets to death and causing economic losses. Generally speaking, before farrowing we should make prenatal preparations, such as preparing the tools needed for farrowing, improving the breeding environment so that it meets the conditions for farrowing, and reducing stress. After the sow gives birth, we should pay attention to feeding management, and at the same time, when the sow and piglets are not moving conveniently, do a good job of being on duty, and observe promptly when piglets squeal; throughout the entire process, move gently to avoid agitating the sow. Also, we should pay attention to the sow's nursing times, feed at fixed times, and not let the piglets nurse continuously; after an interval, keep things quiet so that the sow has some time to recover.
In fact, whether among free-range households or large-scale farms, the phenomenon of sows crushing piglets to death is very common. And this precisely shows a rather important reason, namely the lack of pig-raising technology and the absence of professional management technology for sows after farrowing, which is what leads to this kind of mistake. Therefore, in later breeding, we need to continuously improve our own breeding technology, and at the same time make preventive preparations, trying to cover all aspects as completely as possible, so as to better protect the economic profits of the piglets.