6 Key Periods to Master in Piglet Rearing
What are the 6 key periods for piglets?
1. Healthy sows produce the best piglets
A successful pregnancy begins in the farrowing house. The sow's feed intake should increase gradually, which helps with nutrient absorption and avoids excessive loss of her own body weight. A sow can lose at most 10% of her body weight, because excessive body loss is harmful to oocytes and thus affects the performance of the next litter.
Tips
① During the previous lactation period, gradually increase the sow's feed intake to avoid excessive weight loss and allow her to recover body condition in early gestation;
② In the farrowing house, increase the sow's water intake to ensure colostrum and regular milk production;
③ To ensure better piglets in the next litter, monitor gestation according to the operating procedures.
2. Strictly follow farrowing operating procedures
A farrowing lasting no more than 5 hours, with an average interval of 20-30 minutes between two piglets, is considered a good farrowing process. When farrowing takes too long or the sow is still straining, a manual check is needed. After all piglets are delivered, check whether the sow eats and drinks normally and whether she has a fever. In addition, all piglets should receive enough colostrum.
Tips
① Ensure the farrowing house is clean and hygienic;
② Provide the sow with plenty of clean drinking water;
③ Monitor the sow's farrowing process according to the operating procedures.
3. Colostrum - the most important feed for piglets
Colostrum contains energy, antibodies and other components that help piglets grow into good finishing pigs. Energy is crucial; without energy, piglets will shiver and die. Antibodies are also essential, because piglets lack antibodies after birth, and breast milk is their only source of antibodies. Ensuring that piglets take in enough antibodies from colostrum is an important measure for improving the survival rate of piglets suckled by high-yielding sows. Each piglet needs to consume at least 200 g of colostrum to meet its needs; from the perspective of antibody requirements, 100 g of colostrum is enough, and the rest of the colostrum is used to supplement the energy needs of newborn piglets. For high-yielding sows, because of the increase in litter size, the average amount of colostrum allocated to each piglet is less than 200 g, so attention must be paid to colostrum distribution, at least ensuring that each piglet consumes 100 g of colostrum, and then using highly digestible liquid supplementary feeding products to supplement energy needs, such as Mikewei - Yogurt.
Tips
① According to the operating procedures, distribute the colostrum evenly to each piglet;
② Give weak piglets additional activated energy.
4. Optimal use of breast milk
After colostrum intake, it is critical that each piglet is assigned to a functioning teat. The more functional teats a sow has, the more piglets she can raise. When the number of piglets exceeds the number of functional teats, the best approach is to cross-foster according to the operating procedures and mark each piglet. Proper recording and evaluation of your cross-fostering process is very important.
Tips
① Keep all piglets with their own mother unless the number of piglets exceeds the sow's number of functional teats;
② According to the operating procedures, cross-foster heavier piglets within 48 hours after birth;
③ When cross-fostering is not feasible, find another foster sow.
5. A good start begins with creep feeding
In addition to breast milk, it is very important for piglets to consume plenty of solid feed before weaning, because after weaning their gastrointestinal tract must adapt to eating and digesting feed. Also critical during this period is that the sow teaches the piglets how to eat.
Tips
① In addition to breast milk, feed Mikewei products as a supplement to stimulate early feed intake, improve digestion and help intestinal development;
② Train piglets to eat according to the operating procedures;
③ Keep the trough clean to encourage piglet feed intake.
6. Smooth weaning
The weaning process is very stressful for piglets, because they are separated from their mother and need to eat and drink on their own. In addition, in the new pen, the animals need to establish a new hierarchy, which can potentially lead to fighting among piglets. Therefore, extra attention should be paid to piglet feed and water intake in the first few days after weaning. The ideal picture is being able to see piglets eating together multiple times a day.
Tips
① According to the operating procedures, ensure that Mikewei products are fed after weaning in the same way as before weaning;
② In the first few days after weaning, use a circular water trough to provide piglets with extra water;
③ Ensure suitable temperature and ventilation in the nursery house;
④ Minimize weaning stress factors.