7 Proven Methods to Boost Piglet Survival Rates: A Guide for Pig Farmers

For pig farmers, ensuring high rates of piglet survival is crucial since it affects the total production and profitability of their piggeries. It takes a mix of attentive management, dietary techniques, and a deep comprehension of the particular difficulties encountered during the farrowing process to raise healthy piglets.

We’ll go through seven proven method to boost piglet survival rates on your farm.

1. Ideal Conditions for Farrowing:

The key to piglet survival is setting up the ideal farrowing habitat. Farrowing crates should be sufficiently roomy to permit the sow to walk around freely while preventing unintentional crushing. They are made to provide a compromise between the sow’s comfort and the protection of the piglets.

Sustaining air quality requires adequate ventilation, and a temperature range of 70–75°F (21–24°C) fosters a stress-free atmosphere. Providing hay or straw for the sow and her offspring helps create a comfortable nesting area.

It’s critical to routinely check farrowing crates for any possible dangers or broken equipment that could endanger the piglets. Keeping the farrowing area clean and well-lit is important for maintaining a healthy environment.

Given that stress can have a negative impact on farrowing, you should pay close attention to the sow’s comfort. Setting up an ideal farrowing habitat first creates the foundation for a productive beginning to piglet rearing.

2. Management of Colostrum:

Known as “liquid gold,” colostrum is the first milk a sow produces after fowling. This nutrient-rich material is full of vital nutrients and antibodies that are necessary for piglet survival.

Since colostrum provides passive immunity and piglets’ immune systems are still developing at birth, timely access to milk is essential. To make sure all of the piglets get enough colostrum, you should keep an eye on the quantity and quality of colostrum that the sows are producing.

The treatment of colostrum goes beyond the first several hours following farrowing. Giving piglets several meals during the first twenty-four hours increases the likelihood that they will absorb critical antibodies.

If you want to evaluate colostrum quality in an impartial manner, you might want to use a refractometer. High-quality commercial colostrum replacers can be used in situations where colostrum supplementation is required.

Proactive control of the colostrum greatly enhances the vitality of piglets and prepares them for strong immune system development.

3. Cross Fostering:

Redistributing piglets among sows in order to balance out litter sizes and improve piglet survival rates is known as cross-fostering.

Since piglets develop a close link with their mother during this crucial time, this procedure should be carried out during the first 24 hours of farrowing.

Making educated decisions about fostering is aided by observing sow behavior and taking into account variables like as piglet size, health, and teat accessibility.

Cross-fostering helps produce more consistent litters, but it’s important to find the right balance to prevent piglets and sows from suffering undue stress. Precise documentation guarantees that every piglet gets the finest care possible and facilitates the tracking of their movements.

The success rate of fostering should be the basis for decisions on fostering, taking into account the short- and long-term effects on the growth and development of the piglets.

4. Healthy Eating:

Piglet survival rates are greatly impacted by the dietary requirements of sows. A balanced diet throughout gestation guarantees the sow’s best health and creates the conditions for fruitful reproduction.

After fowlling, it’s critical to switch to a lactation diet because the production of milk during this stage necessitates higher nutritional and energy intake. Diets enriched in nutrients help produce milk and colostrum of superior quality, which benefits piglets’ growth and development.

Frequent assessment of the sow’s physical state aids in modifying feeding schedules appropriately. Creating diets that are tailored to the individual requirements of sows at various phases of reproduction can be made easier with the help of a licensed nutritionist.

Sustaining the sustainability of your piggery operation is aided by adequate feeding, which also improves the general health of the sows.

5. Biosecurity and Disease Prevention:

In order to maintain a healthy environment that is favorable to piglet survival, disease control and biosecurity measures are essential. Colostrum from vaccinated sows against major illnesses guarantees immunity transmission to piglets.

Strict biosecurity measures, like restricting access for personnel and equipment, stop the entry and spread of illnesses.

Early intervention is made possible by routine health examinations and observation for symptoms of sickness in both sows and piglets. Maintaining a disease-free environment involves keeping sick animals isolated as soon as possible and adhering to immunization recommendations. A thorough biosecurity plan that incorporates good sanitation techniques contributes to the development of a strong defense against illnesses that can endanger the health and survival of piglets.

6. Appropriate Management of Creep areas:

Within the farrowing pen, dedicated sections known as “creep areas” allow piglets to acquire additional nourishment without the sow interfering. Piglets can be helped to transition to solid food by starting them on creep feed early on.

In order to manage creep zones properly, piglets must have equal access to feed and must keep an eye on cleanliness and feed availability.

Selecting a creep feed that is both extremely tasty and well-balanced in terms of nutrients is essential to getting piglets to eat it. Piglets develop best when feed formulas are regularly modified to suit their evolving nutritional needs.

By keeping an eye on each piglet’s consumption, you may spot possible health problems early on and make sure they all get the nutrients they need for healthy growth.

7. Monitoring and Intervention:

Proactive piglet management necessitates regular observation of sow and piglet behavior. Farmers can identify indications of distress, disease, or violence by using surveillance cameras or conducting routine physical inspections. The prevention of subsequent difficulties and improvement of overall piglet survival rates can be achieved through early intervention in cases of piglet crushing, health issues, or sow hostility.

Monitoring should continue for the whole breastfeeding phase, not just the immediate post-farrowing time. Piglet growth rates, behavior, and general health can all be observed to help spot any problems that might need to be addressed.

In order to continuously increase piglet survival rates on the farm, producers may monitor trends, spot any problems, and make well-informed decisions by putting in place a methodical record-keeping system for sow and piglet health.

Conclusion:

Putting these seven tried-and-true methods into practice increases the chances of raising piglet survival rates on swine farms. Every tactic adds something special to the piglets’ general well-being, highlighting the significance of an all-encompassing and coordinated approach.

Pig farmers may guarantee healthier, more resilient piglets and promote sustainable success in their operations by giving priority to ideal farrowing habitats, colostrum management, fostering, nutrition, disease avoidance, creep area control, and constant monitoring..