3 Management Points for Safe and Efficient Pig Farming in Winter

Winter temperatures are low and the weather is cold, which is not conducive to the normal growth and development of pigs and also makes them prone to disease. Therefore, safe @#@227@#@ in winter should revolve around the theme of cold protection, and specifically the following three aspects should be grasped:

1. Raising the temperature

There are many ways to raise the temperature of pig housing, but there are four simple, economical and practical methods:

1. Cover open-style pig housing with plastic film. It is best to cover with double-layer plastic film. Although the cost is somewhat higher than single-layer plastic film covering, the insulation effect is better. This method is suitable for fattening pig housing and non-lactating sow housing.

2. Use boiler-type heating supply for enclosed pig farming buildings.

3. Heating supply plus plastic film covering for open-style pig housing.

4. Heating supply plus electric heaters, suitable for lactating sow housing.

2. Pig housing conditions

1. The outer walls of the pig housing should be thick and tight. In winter, insulation facilities should be added to the back wall, gable wall and front wall of the pig housing. For this purpose, crop straw can be piled up, or mud adobe can be temporarily built. It is best to thicken the four outer walls when the pig housing is first built. For old pig housing, the remaining gaps in the walls, doors and windows should be sealed tightly in time.

2. The floor of the pig housing should be dry, and manure and sewage should be removed promptly and cleaned thoroughly. To facilitate drying, the pig housing should have a cement floor.

3. Add bed boards. At the piglet stage, where conditions permit, it is best to use warm bed boards such as wooden boards, bamboo boards or thickened fiberboards; where conditions do not permit, cement precast slabs can be laid.

4. Increase the lighting area of the pig housing. When the pig housing is first built, the lighting area should be taken into consideration. Open-style pig housing should have a relatively large open area so that it can be covered with plastic film in winter to facilitate lighting. Enclosed pig housing should have reserved windows on the south wall and the roof so that glass can be installed in winter.

3. Feeding management

1. Do not let pigs drink cold water. Cold water should be boiled into warm water before being given to pigs to drink.

2. Moderately increase the energy level in the feed, by about 10% above the original feed energy level. Large pigs should have a lower increase, and small pigs a higher increase. For small pigs, oil-type high-energy feed can be added; for large pigs, the amount of ordinary energy feed such as corn in the mixed feed can be increased.

3. Appropriately increase stocking density. When stocking density is high, the floor area occupied by each pig is reduced, and they can warm each other by lying close together. At the same time, when pig stocking density is high, their bodies also release more heat, which helps raise the temperature inside the housing.

4. Increase the number of feedings. The purpose of increasing the number of feedings is to relatively increase feed intake, so as to fill the weight deficit caused by the heat produced by fat and muscle metabolism in pigs due to low temperatures. Where conditions permit, it is best to adopt free feeding. Where feeding is done on a fixed-schedule basis, one additional feeding can be added at night.