Pig tail-biting is related to stress, so how should it be prevented and treated?
In current intensive @#@227@#@ production, the phenomenon of pigs biting each other's tails is fairly common, and it is especially likely to occur in pig herds under production conditions.
1. Stress. In intensive pig production, stressors affecting the normal physiological activities of pigs are increasing day by day. After animals are affected by stressors, immune function can decline, catabolism increases while anabolism decreases, and sexual function becomes disordered; in severe cases, a series of stress syndromes can be caused. Such as pale, soft, exudative pork; dry, hard, dark pork; back muscle necrosis in adult pigs; acute gastric ulcers in pigs; pig tail-biting, etc. It can be seen that pig tail-biting is a pathological manifestation of porcine stress syndrome.
2. Triggers
1. Breed and individual differences. If pigs of different breeds, or of the same breed but with large body weight differences, are raised in one pig pen, the phenomenon of the big bullying the small often occurs when occupying sleeping area and competing for feed.
2. Environment. (1) Indoor temperature too high or too low; (2) poor ventilation and accumulation of harmful gases; (3) sudden weather changes; (4) dampness in the pig pen causing itchy skin and other factors, making pigs feel uncomfortable or rest poorly and triggering biting; (5) excessive light, with pigs in an excited state and restless; (6) a monotonous living environment for pigs, especially since piglets are lively and active, so they "play" with each other's ears or tails, etc., all of which can trigger tail-biting.
3. Nutrition. When the nutritional level of the feed is lower than the feeding standard and cannot meet the nutritional needs of pig growth and development, pig tail-biting can be caused. (1) For example, lack of protein feed and too low crude fiber can both lead to the occurrence of tail-biting; (2) imbalance among various nutritional components in the diet, such as insufficient and disproportionately balanced amounts of some minerals, trace elements and various vitamins, can all lead to tail-biting.
4. Management. (1) Those with low social status in the pig herd cannot get a trough position; (2) pig herd density too high and too many pigs in the same pen, leading to disorder; (3) insufficient trough positions and drinkers, and feeding on the floor; (4) pigs moving frequently and unable to rest fully, becoming restless; (5) pigs having unstable mood due to hormonal stimulation; (6) poor hygiene conditions or pen merging, poor uniformity of the pig herd, etc., all of which can induce the occurrence of tail-biting.
5. Disease: (1) nutritional metabolic disorders caused by rabies, severe diarrhea, and deficiency of calcium, phosphorus, iron, etc.; (2) when suffering from external parasites such as lice and mange, skin irritation in pigs can be caused, making them restless; (3) internal parasite diseases, especially pig roundworm, stimulate affected pigs to attack other pigs, resulting in tail-biting.
3. Comprehensive prevention and control measures
1. Breed stress-resistant pig varieties. Tail-biting occurs more often in Landrace and Harbin White pig herds, and is rare in Min pigs. Therefore, using breeding methods to select stress-resistant pigs and cull stress-sensitive pigs can gradually establish stress-resistant pig populations and fundamentally solve the problem of stress in pigs.
2. Improve feeding management. In intensive animal husbandry, in pursuit of maximum economic benefit, people often adopt a series of measures in feeding management, some of which may at the same time also be stress factors. Therefore, in order to prevent or reduce the impact caused by stress and effectively prevent the occurrence of pig tail-biting in intensive production, feeding management must be improved throughout the entire process of pig raising, purchasing and selling, transportation and slaughter, creating a good living environment for pig growth and development. The main work that needs to be done is as follows.
Meet the nutritional needs of pigs. The nutritional level of the diet must be able to meet the nutritional needs of pigs at different growth stages. Feed complete compound feed, feed at fixed times and in fixed amounts, do not feed moldy and deteriorated feed, drinking water must be clean, trough and water trough facilities must be sufficient, pay attention to hygiene, and avoid fighting over food and uneven eating and drinking. When tail-biting is found, the nutritional components of the feed should be analyzed in a timely manner, and for the insufficient parts, especially trace elements and vitamins, supplementary feeding should be carried out in time to eliminate tail-biting induced by nutritional stress.
Provide good environmental conditions. Pig house construction (site selection, farm layout, pig house type) and environmental engineering design (ventilation type, manure and sewage treatment method, etc.) as well as the selection of indoor facilities (feed troughs, drinking method selection, etc.) must all conform to the normal physiological requirements of pigs, and as far as possible create a relatively suitable microclimate environment for pig growth, so as to avoid stress caused by factors such as severe heat and cold, draft invasion, manure pollution, turbid air, and dampness.
Reasonable grouping. Group and raise pigs that are similar in source, body weight, physique, temperament and eating habits. Under feeding and management conditions of natural temperature and natural ventilation, 10-20 pigs per group is appropriate; the body weight difference among individuals in the same group of pigs must not be too large. At the piglet stage, the body weight within the group should preferably not exceed 4-5 kg, and at the feeder pig stage, preferably not exceed 7-10 kg. After grouping, the stability of the pig herd should be maintained. Except for adjustment because of disease or because the body weight difference is too large or the physique is too weak to be suitable for raising in the group, it should not be changed arbitrarily.
Suitable raising density. Generally, on a pig farm, the pen area required for one finishing pig aged 3-4 months is preferably 0.6 sq m, for 4-6 months 0.8 sq m, and for 7-8 months and 9-10 months respectively 1 sq m and 1.2 sq m.
Piglet tail docking. On the day the piglet is born, at about 1 cm from the tail root, use blunt-edged shears to cut off the tail and apply iodine tincture, or within 2 days after the piglet is born, when ear notching is done, use wire pliers to clamp continuously twice at the lower 1/3 of the tail, with the two clamps about 0.4 cm apart, crushing the tail bone and tail muscle, flattening the blood vessels and nerves, and pressing the skin into a groove. After clamping, the lower 1/3 of the tail can fall off in 7-10 days. This method is simple, causes no bleeding and no inflammation, and has good effect. Tail docking of piglets is an effective measure to control tail-biting.
3. Drug prevention and treatment. In order to prevent the occurrence of pig tail-biting induced by stress, anti-stress drugs can be given through diet and drinking water or by other routes. These drugs are generally divided into three categories: stress preventives, adaptogens, and symptomatic treatment drugs or stress relievers.
Stress preventives can weaken the effect of stress on the body. They usually include tranquilizing analgesics and tranquilizers, most of which are now banned. Adaptogens can improve the body's nonspecific resistance, thereby improving stress resistance. They include substances involved in carbohydrate metabolism (citric acid, succinic acid, etc.), substances that relieve acidosis and maintain acid-base balance, such as sodium bicarbonate and ammonium chloride, trace elements (zinc, selenium, etc.), microecological preparations, agar tissue preparations, and Chinese herbal preparations. Vitamin preparations (vitamin C and E have the best effect) have been widely used in the poultry industry, while their anti-stress effect on pigs remains to be further studied. Stress relievers include bacitracin zinc, etc. The effectiveness of the above anti-stress drugs in preventing and treating pig tail-biting still deserves more attention.