Weaned piglets into the nursery period is the second shift in the living conditions of the pig's life (from the previous dependence on the life of the sow, to their own independent life), in the middle of the process to have a process of adaptation.
During this period, it is inevitable to encounter many stress reactions. At this time, the piglets' digestive function is still not sound, the gastrointestinal flora is easy to be out of order, and the level of maternally derived antibodies will decrease, all of which may lead to the piglets getting sick.
In addition, improper feeding management may cause nursery pigs to grow slowly or even form stiff pigs; or cause diseases and increase mortality. The growth performance of nursery pigs has a great influence on the growth and fattening stage, so it can be said that the cultivation of nursery pigs is the top priority of pig farm production.
Weaning
Good weaning is the key to raise good nursery pigs. In the stage of nursing piglets, we should take comprehensive measures to prepare for good weaning.
When weaning, follow the principle of “two maintenance, three transitions” of feed, feeding system and living environment as much as possible, i.e., maintain the management in the original pen and maintain the feeding with original feed, and gradually do the transition of feed, feeding system and living environment.
Grouping and conditioning
When weaning piglets, it is best to raise them in groups according to their size. Generally 10~20 heads per pen is appropriate to ensure that each pig has a suitable pen area. Density should not be too high, too high density will lead to poor living environment, increased fighting, and more prone to disease.
Sick and weak pigs should be kept in sick pens and care should be strengthened. If conditions permit, sick pig houses should be set up to facilitate care and control the horizontal spread of disease.
Immediately after the group transfer, we should start the conditioning of “three-point positioning”, so that the pigs will develop the habit of defecating, feeding and resting in a fixed place since entering the new environment.
Feeding management
It is better to implement all-in-all-out system in nursery pigsties. There are always slow-growing pigs or even sick pigs in the barn, and these pigs often carry pathogens, which can easily spread the disease to the new piglets. All-in-all-out can effectively cut off the vertical transmission of diseases.
Most of the diseases occur in the process of mixing group after weaning. Timely isolation of sick pigs to sick pens or sick barns and strengthened care can effectively control the horizontal spread of disease and also facilitate the recovery of sick pigs.
Administering drugs to feed or drinking water can reduce the stress of healthy pigs and enhance their resistance to the disease. Sick pigs with severe infections will be culled firmly.
In addition to nutritional factors, the most serious stress in nursery pigs is the change of temperature. For piglets weaned at 4 weeks of age, the optimal temperature is 23℃. The temperature of pig stalls is 12℃～20℃, and the temperature difference between day and night should not be more than 2℃.
Insulation
For modern pig farms, infrared lamps, electric insulation boards and hot air stoves are essential. Traditional pig farms can also use insulation boxes and thick bedding, or padded sacks and boards for insulation. It can be reduced by 2℃ per week.
Observe the sleeping condition of piglets. Under normal circumstances, piglets are scattered sleeping, moving around, then the temperature is appropriate; if the piglets are crowded lying together, and very little activity, it means that the temperature is too low.
Cold not only makes the growth of piglets slow, but also leads to the decline of its resistance to disease. While keeping warm, attention must be paid to the ventilation of the nursery.
Due to the special environment of nursery, it is easy to cause dirty air, harmful gases seriously exceed the standard, and the concentration of pathogenic microorganisms in the air increases, which leads to the disease of piglets. Ensuring air quality is the key to controlling respiratory diseases.
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