What to do when pigs lose weight in summer? These countermeasures you need to know
After summer arrives, the weather is hot, and the pigs on pig farms all show poor appetite and low feed intake, and the pig herd commonly shows weight loss, which has a great impact on pig-raising efficiency and farming costs. So how can you keep pigs from losing weight when raising them in summer? Let's find out together.
1. Shade and escape the heat
Summer is hot with high temperatures, and most pig farms have open-style pig houses, while pigs have relatively thick subcutaneous fat and underdeveloped sweat glands, so their heat dissipation is poor, making heatstroke very likely. Therefore, for this situation, pig farmers can build a shade shelter for the pig house to avoid direct sunlight, achieving the effect of shading and escaping the heat, and increasing the pig herd's appetite.
2. Adjust feeding time
In summer, daytime temperatures are high, the pig herd's appetite is relatively low, and feed intake cannot keep up, so weight loss occurs in pigs. Therefore, it is recommended to feed at night in summer. Night temperatures are lower than daytime, and at this time the pig herd's appetite is also relatively higher. Generally, feed at 7 pm, 11 pm and 4 am, and during the day at 8 am and 2 pm feed some salt water and green feed. Doing this can not only prevent weight loss, but also promote the growth of the pig herd.
3. Adjust feed structure
In order to keep pigs having a good appetite, the pigs' daily ration structure can be adjusted, reducing energy feed as much as possible and increasing the proportion of green feed, to improve the pigs' appetite. Generally, it is better for energy feed and green feed to each account for 50%.
4. Sufficient drinking water
Summer is hot and rainy, and the pig body loses water seriously, while a large amount of drinking water can excrete toxins from the pig's body. In addition, adding a small amount of salt water to the water can play a role in regulating body temperature. Generally speaking, in summer a pig's daily drinking water amount is 23.8% of its own body weight. Be sure to keep drinking water sufficient and cool. You can also feed a little vinegar or sauerkraut juice, white hyacinth bean, mung bean soup, watermelon rind juice, etc., which can play a role in stimulating appetite, relieving summer heat and strengthening the stomach, and clearing heat and relieving summer heat.
5. Reduce farming density
If farming density is too high, the pig herd's respiration and body surface heat dissipation will make the heat higher and higher, and collective heatstroke and disease outbreaks are very likely to occur. Therefore, when raising pigs in summer, farming density can be appropriately reduced.
The above is an introduction to what to do when pigs lose weight in summer. I hope it can help you. To learn more related knowledge, please follow us.