In pig farming, feeding suckling piglets and weaning them are of great importance for their further development. Let's consider the optimal timing of weaning piglets, at what age to take babies from the sow, and how to wean them correctly. How to prepare, the weaning process itself, how animals can react and how to care for piglets after being weaned from their mother.
At what age is it customary to separate piglets from a sow?
In pig farming, two types of weaning are practiced: early and late.The choice of one or the other depends on the further use of the piglets. Early weaning is carried out until the brood is 2 months old and is practiced on large farms with a significant number of livestock. Early weaning allows the sow to recover faster, it is possible to get more than 2 farrows per year, the animal consumes less feed because it does not spend it on milk production, and the digestive tract of piglets develops much faster due to the introduction of solid feed.
Late weaning is also common in households - at 2.5 months. Advantages: strong piglets with good immunity.
How to wean weaned piglets
The process of weaning, or separation from their mother, is always a great stress for babies. If weaned incorrectly, the babies will begin to get sick and lose their appetite, which will immediately affect their development. The weaning process is not started abruptly; first, preparations are carried out: the babies are gradually fed solid food and the length of time when the piglets need to be kept with the mother is gradually reduced.
Preparatory stage
3-day-old babies are given boiled water so that they get used to it, and the stomachs produce beneficial microflora necessary for digesting solid food. One-week-old babies are given liquid oatmeal porridge boiled in water or milk. At 1.5 weeks, pigs can eat finely chopped hay, at 2 weeks - grass and chopped root vegetables.
At the same time, it is necessary to reduce the time that piglets spend with their mother. The pig begins to be removed from the pen where the brood is located, first for 1-2 hours, and then the time is increased. By the age of 2 months, the pig is brought to the litter only during feeding.
Weaning process
A week before weaning, the sow is given less succulent feed to reduce milk secretion. At this time, the number of feedings of the offspring is reduced from 6 to 1 per day. After weaning, the brood is kept in its home pen for another 1-1.5 weeks to reduce stress and its consequences on the animals.
Movement of young animals, sorting and vaccinations can be done no earlier than 1.5 weeks after weaning.
Pig behavior
The piglets may become nervous and scream until they get used to being without the pig. They may not eat well or refuse to feed at all. This behavior is normal, after a while the kids will calm down. As for sows, they rarely experience stress from separation from their offspring, their behavior hardly changes, and their appetite is not lost.
Further care of the animal
Weaned piglets should be monitored for the first 2-3 weeks after weaning. Stress can stimulate your appetite. In this case, you need to reduce your daily diet by 20%. This will eliminate overeating and problems with the digestive tract. Over the course of 1-1.5 weeks, the amount of feed is gradually brought back to normal. The number of feed distributions is 5 times a day, in even portions.
They are given finely chopped grass, crushed grain, grated vegetables and root vegetables. Everything is mixed in a mash. Add salt, a little chalk, vitamins, and nutritional supplements. If the diet and feeding regime are chosen correctly, piglets should gain 350-400 g of weight gain per day.
After getting used to it, the young animals can be vaccinated and treated against helminths.Vaccination and deworming will reduce the likelihood of disease and death of young animals. The conditions for keeping piglets are a warm, dry, well-lit and ventilated room. It is necessary to clean the litter every day, clean the feeders, and change the water to fresh water. The health of the piglets and their future productivity depend on the cleanliness of the pen.
The time for weaning piglets from the sow has long been determined in pig farming. Babies are taken away at least 2 months of age so that they have time to develop and not get sick. It is important to properly prepare for this process, as well as to properly care for the weanlings after it.
