Cause Analysis and Prevention and Control Methods of Pig Pica
During pig farming, digestive system disorders and abnormal appetite may occur, with pigs liking to eat foreign objects and being unwilling to eat feed. This is pig pica, a disease caused by nutritional metabolic disorders or improper feeding management. So what causes pig pica? How should it be prevented and controlled? Let's find out together.
1. Causes
The main cause is a lack of certain mineral elements in the feed, such as sodium, chlorine, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins, which often manifests as abnormal appetite. In addition, pig pica may also be caused by certain chronic diseases, such as pig roundworm, runt pigs, piglet rickets, and osteomalacia in growing and finishing pigs. All of these conditions may cause pica.
2. Symptoms
Pigs with pica like to eat poultry manure and also eat their own excreted feces. They often lick and eat bedding straw, drink sewage, or gnaw on soil and coal cinders, and they will also root up the pen floor. Their growth will be hindered, seriously affecting the growth and development of the pigs. When pregnant sows lack vitamins and minerals, they will prey on other poultry. Postpartum sows will swallow the afterbirth and piglets, and in severe cases, they will bite each other's tails or ears with other pigs, thereby sucking blood.
3. Prevention and Control Methods
The nutritional needs of the pig herd must be met, especially the needs for minerals and vitamins, so that pica can be effectively prevented and controlled. Pigs with biting pica should be raised in isolation. The pig herd should be dewormed in a timely manner, twice a year. Salt, bone meal, vitamins, and other substances should be added to the feed, and none of the three can be omitted. Mix them into the feed and feed for one week, and the pigs will stop pica. The effect is excellent. In addition, the calcium and phosphorus substances in it can also promote the growth of piglets. During routine feeding, a five-flavor digestive aid can be added to ensure the pigs' diet and feeding. All bitter, spicy, sour, sweet, and salty foods have the effect of strengthening the stomach and promoting digestion, and can also improve the digestibility and absorption utilization rate of the feed.
The above is an introduction to the causes and prevention and control methods of pig pica. We hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.