If the pen is not clean and the pigs are dirty, will it affect the pigs' health?
If the pen is not clean and the pigs are very dirty, will it affect the pigs' health?
1. Receive the pigs according to the distribution of pigs from the nursery. After 28-42 days of nursery rearing and when body weight reaches 18-27 kg, they are transferred to the grow-finish barn.
2. Implement batch management. The grow-finish barn implements batch management according to the pigs transferred out, so as to facilitate feed and veterinary drug management and fully implement all-in, all-out.
3. Grouping. After the pigs are transferred to the finishing barn, they are grouped and penned by strength and size, and pens are arranged at 0.8 and 1.2 sq m per pig according to body weight stage. Where conditions permit, each unit should reserve 1-2 pens for removing weak and sick pigs during rearing and keeping them isolated in separate groups. When grouping and mixing groups, in order to reduce stress caused by pigs biting and fighting, the principles of “keep the weak, not the strong,” “split the many, not the few,” and “mix at night, not by day” should be followed. Pigs being grouped together may be sprayed with a scented medicinal liquid (such as alcohol or Lysol) to eliminate odor differences. After adjusting pens, the keeper should observe them more.
First, group according to breed, sex, and strength;
Second, keep the weak, not the strong: keep the weaker pigs in the original pen without moving them, and move the stronger pigs out;
Third, split the many, not the few: keep the pen with fewer pigs unmoved, and merge the larger number into the group with fewer pigs;
Fourth, mix at night, not by day: spray the groups preparing to be merged with the same scented drug or manure/urine so that their odors are hard to distinguish, and merge them at night;
Fifth, move to a new pen together: for two groups that are similar in body weight, physical condition, feed intake, etc., equal in number, and comparable in strength, after merging, move them together to a new pig pen;
Sixth, split when hungry and merge when full: split groups when the pigs are hungry, and feed them immediately after merging to ensure the pigs eat and drink their fill, thereby achieving the goal of not attacking one another. Where conditions allow, pig farms can add some enrichment toys, such as plastic bottles, iron chains, waste tires, etc.
4. Train the pig herd. Train the pigs to develop the habit of three-point positioning (eating and drinking, sleeping, and excreting).
Tips for three-point positioning of eating and drinking, sleeping, and excreting:
(1) Water positioning: put some water where the pigs urinate and defecate, even covering most of the pen area, forcing the pigs into a very small area. After the pigs have fixed their lying-down spot, gradually remove the water;
(2) Manure positioning: first put some dirty material (pig manure, etc.) where the pigs should defecate and urinate. Because pigs like cleanliness, they will actively walk over there;
(3) Toy positioning: pigs like to root and play with their snouts, so an iron door frame or plastic bag can be placed at the defecation spot for the pigs to play with. Pigs generally like to defecate there, achieving the purpose of positioning;
(4) Feed positioning: scatter some feed where the pigs are to lie down. Pigs generally do not defecate or urinate on feed, but they will lie down on it;
(5) Wooden board positioning: nursery barns mostly have concrete floors, and sometimes the floor is still wet, which makes the pigs feel colder; lay a 1X2m2 wooden board for the pigs where positioning is needed. The pigs will actively lie on it and will not urinate on it;
(6) Wall-corner positioning: newly transferred pigs generally like to lie down in wind-sheltered places, so wall corners and wall edges become the places where pigs position themselves for lying down; therefore, for newly transferred pigs, we need to design the wall or wall corner for them; if pigs need to lie down near the doorway, then block the doorway with a wooden board or other object, and the pigs will also actively go there to lie down.
(7) Nighttime positioning: at night, the keeper spends a little time driving up pigs that are lying in the wrong place and chasing them to the area where they should lie down, until they settle down and sleep well.
5. Clean manure twice a day to keep it clean, replace the disinfectant in the disinfection pool at the doorway once every 3 days, spray-disinfect the pigs 1—2 times per week, and wash the pig pens once a day in summer.
6. Pay attention to observing the health of the pig herd: defecation, feed intake, and breathing. If sick pigs are found, isolate and care for them promptly andtreat them; if the condition is severe or the cause is unknown, report it. Dead pigs should be registered and relevant reports filled out. (Source: Pig Raising Yidiantong)