What comprehensive health care measures should be taken for pigs and chickens in June?
In the past, we controlled diseases mainly by relying on vaccines and drugs. A large amount of practice has proven that this is wrong. Effective disease prevention and control must be a sound biosecurity system. In June, the comprehensive health care measures taken for pigs and chickens mainly include:
1. Heat prevention and cooling
(1) Insulation. Pig and chicken farms should be built in ventilated open areas, facing south. In southern regions, open or semi-open types are suitable. Traditional open pens with shade sheds or shade nets can effectively block sunlight and reduce the harm of heat stress to pigs and chickens. In northern regions, build enclosed pig and chicken houses, paint the roof white or cover it with an insulation layer, fill the ceiling with insulation materials such as sawdust, and increase the span of the pig and chicken houses.
(2) Ventilation. Adjustable roof ventilation windows and floor ventilation windows can also be built, and house doors can be converted into ventilation doors to strengthen ventilation and air exchange and remove harmful gases. Planting tall trees in and around the site can reduce sunlight exposure and lower the ambient and in-house temperature. If natural ventilation by opening doors and windows alone cannot lower the house temperature, mechanical ventilation can be used, installing fans or blowers to promote air flow, effectively reduce air humidity, and carry away heat inside the house. Longitudinal ventilation is more effective than cross ventilation.
(3) Spraying (sprinkling) water. Evaporative cooling is the most effective method. When the house temperature is too high, a hose or sprayer can be used to regularly spray water on the roof for cooling or to manually sprinkle water for cooling. In hot weather, using spraying or sprinkling cooling methods cools quickly; in 5-10 minutes, the house temperature can be reduced by 5°C-8°C, and it can also purify the air, but it will increase the humidity inside the house.
(4) Wet curtain fan cooling. The wet curtain fan cooling system is a relatively ideal cooling method that has emerged in recent years. When the wet curtain thickness is 12 cm and the air speed through the curtain is 1.0-1.2 m/s, the wet curtain cooling efficiency is 81%-87%, and it can reduce the house temperature by 5°C-7°C. The drier the air and the higher the temperature, the greater the temperature drop of the air passing through the wet curtain, and the more significant the effect.
2. Improving feeding management
(1) Adjusting the feed formula. Under high temperature conditions, in order to reduce the burden of heat dissipation, pigs and chickens will inevitably reduce feed intake, resulting in insufficient intake of nutrients such as energy and protein, thereby affecting growth and production performance. Therefore, it is necessary to choose raw materials with good palatability and fresh, high quality to prepare the diet, appropriately reduce the proportion of high-fiber raw materials, and control the crude fiber level of the diet to reduce heat increment. Fat has a small volume, high net energy value, and low heat increment, and is an ideal energy source for pigs and chickens under high temperature conditions. Fat can be added to the feed at no more than 5%. Under heat stress, the protein requirement of pigs and chickens increases, so increasing the crude protein content in the feed can improve feed utilization and reduce the burden of heat dissipation in hot seasons.
(2) Strengthening management. Reducing stocking density can lower the house temperature. Where conditions permit, automatic drinkers can be installed to supply sufficient drinking water and promote body heat loss. Changing dry feeding to wet feeding or using pelleted feed can increase feed intake. Increase the number of feedings, try to avoid feeding during hot weather, and add a nighttime feeding. Manage feed storage well to prevent mold. In order to improve sow reproductive performance, avoid mating in June. Synchronized estrus can be used so that most sows are mated in a season with a more suitable temperature.
3. Preventing mosquitoes, flies, midges, and rodents
Mosquitoes, flies, and midges are vectors of many infectious diseases and can directly transmit many diseases. Mosquitoes, flies, and midges can first be eliminated by spraying with a (50-80)×10-6 decis solution; then the eggs can be killed by piling up the removed manure and covering it tightly with plastic sheeting to let the manure ferment. Normally, manure should be cleaned up in a timely manner to keep the house dry. There are many commonly used rodenticides. Sodium diphacinone is the preferred rodenticide for farms. The method for preparing its bait is: weigh sodium diphacinone, rice grain, and boiling water in a ratio of 2:1000:250, first dissolve the sodium diphacinone in the boiling water, then pour the medicinal solution into the rice grain while hot and mix well, and use it after the solution has dried.
4. Establishing an epidemic information early warning system
Keep timely informed about epidemic prevalence in surrounding areas and at home and abroad; establish a testing system (immune monitoring, disinfection monitoring, drug sensitivity testing); establish a daily condition observation system for pig and chicken flocks to keep timely informed about the health status of pigs and chickens.