How to Scientifically Promote Milk Production in Lactating Sows? A Detailed Guide to the Methods

The quality of the milk of lactating sows, that is, how much milk they secrete, directly affects the growth rate and health of the piglets. Therefore, once a lactating sow has insufficient or low milk supply, scientific milk promotion must be carried out. The types of milk deficiency in sows are analyzed as follows:

1. Milk promotion method for first-litter sows: Low milk production in first-litter sows is mostly caused by insufficient mammary gland development or a low dietary nutrient level. Therefore, the udder should be manually massaged 1-2 times daily before farrowing and for one week after farrowing to promote mammary gland development and the recovery of lactation function. For sows with low milk production after farrowing, 1-2 afterbirths of healthy sows can be chopped, decocted into a soup and given in 3 divided doses, or 1-100 human lactation-promoting tablets can be fed.

2. Multiparous sows: This is mostly caused by mastitis or systemic diseases. The underlying disease should be treated, gastrointestinal function adjusted, and some green fodder added. For treatment, use Chinese herbal medicine: 200 g each of astragalus (Huangqi) and cowherb seed (Wangbuliuxing), decocted in water and mixed for administration, one dose daily for 3-5 consecutive days; the milk-promoting effect is good.

3. Milk promotion method for obese sows: This is mostly because the sow is too fat, leading to low or absent milk. Hormone therapy should be used for treatment. Prolactin injected subcutaneously, 500-1000 international units each time, for two consecutive injections, or oxytocin 30-50 units; the injection effect is very good. In addition, reduce the energy and protein in the feed.

4. Milk promotion for overly thin sows: Postpartum milk deficiency in thin sows is mainly caused by malnutrition and some wasting diseases that make the sow emaciated, resulting in milk deficiency. Treatment should be symptomatic and the diet adjusted. Add 20% corn, 10% soybean cake and 20% bone meal to the diet for feeding, and at the same time simmer pig bones into a soup, add it to the feed and mix well before feeding.

5. Sows with multiple fetuses and multiple litters: For sows with multiple fetuses, uneven litter size or small litters, and milk deficiency, those with 8 or more parities should be culled. For sows with large litters, the following two methods can be adopted: a. Fostering: Let sows with small litters raise them; the principle is "take out the large and keep the small", because the large and strong ones in the original litter are taken out and fostered to sows with few piglets, and fostering is done at night to reduce stress. The fostering period should preferably be such that the farrowing dates of the sow and the foster sow do not differ by more than three days of age, and early creep feeding can be induced. The sow should be given added high-energy protein, and some vegetable oil can be added, with 3% animal fat added, to increase milk production and meet the nutritional needs of the piglets.

6. Measures to promote ovulation in sows

1. Estrus induction: Use the teasing method, with a boar chasing a sow that has not been in heat for a long time, or keeping the boar and sow in the same pen, to promote estrus and ovulation.

2. Early weaning: In general, for pig farms with moderate technical conditions, early weaning can be adopted, preferably not exceeding 5-6 weeks.

3. Combining litters and controlling suckling time: After piglets born to sows with small litters have taken colostrum for 3 days, foster them to other sows. In this way, the sow no longer nurses, so it can quickly come into estrus and be mated. To control suckling time, that is, after training the piglets to start eating early, adopt the method of separating the sow and piglets, control the suckling time and number of sucklings; after a period without nursing, the sow begins to come into estrus 6-7 days later.

4. Hormone-induced estrus: The hormones commonly used in production include pregnant mare serum, chorionic gonadotropin or estrogen. Pregnant mare serum injected subcutaneously 5 ml each time, and estrus can occur in 4 days; chorionic gonadotropin is preferably injected intramuscularly at 1000 units for medium-sized sows;

5. Chinese herbal medicine: Estrus-promoting powder, 40 g each of actinolite (Yangqishi) and epimedium (Yinyanghuo), and 30 g each of angelica (Danggui), astragalus (Huangqi), cinnamon (Rougui), Chinese yam (Shanyao) and prepared rehmannia (Shudi), ground into powder and mixed evenly, then mixed with feed and fed to one sow at a time.