ARE THE PIGS LYING IN THE CORRECT WAY?
- 5 minutes
Both groups of pigs have been treated. The red stripe on each piglet indicates that every piglet has been treated. Do you recognize specific signs?
SUCKLING BEHAVIOUR OF SOW AND PIGLETS
- 5 minutes
The sow should lie in a recumbent position and invite piglets with specific sounds expressing the desire for milk let-down. Piglets will normally try to have facial contact with the sow’s head to stimulate milk release. To ensure optimal interaction between a sow and her piglets, it is important to avoid treating piglets during the first 10 days after birth and, thereafter, when multiple treatments are required, they should be grouped together to minimize the number of interventions.
SIGNS OF HYPOGALACTIA
- 5 minutes
Hypogalactia is likely to result in malnutrition of suckling pigs.
VACCINATION OF SUCKLING PIGS
- 10 minutes
A frequent observation: after a treatment (injection, etc.) stressed piglets may not suckle for several hours. This has negative consequences for the development of the piglets and may result in milk-congestion in the sow.
FOSTERING PIGLETS
- 5 minutes
Although fostering is often necessary in highly prolific sow units, there are significant risks associated with the procedure:
MANAGING SUCKLING PIGLETS
- 5 minutes
Systematics in sucking pig management:
Checklist for a good start
1. Number of functional teats checked and recorded
2. A number of pigs, to leave two fewer piglets than the number of functional teats, are fostered out of a litter
OPTIMAL IRON SUPPLEMENTATION
- 5 minutes
Early and excessive iron supplementation can negatively influence health
Piglets are born with minimal iron-reserves (40 mg). This low iron concentration is a natural defence mechanism directed at combatting bacterial infections during and after birth.
Sow milk provides piglets with about 1 mg Iron/day. With a daily need of about 7 mg there is only sufficient iron for about 4 to 5 days.
PREVENTING PAIN
- 5 minutes
Sucking pigs have an irrepressible desire to live. However, painful events may have a negative impact on the further development of pigs by:
Lowering milk-intake
Restricting self-preservation instinct (reflex to flee)
ANIMAL WELFARE
- 5 minutes
Give all the piglets the same opportunity:
Secure colostrum-intake for all
Combine different interventions
Iron supplementation from day 3 or later
Preventative pain treatment = not only for male piglets
Apply pain-relieving/ anti-inflammatory medication with a broad spectrum of activity for docked tails or arthritis
INJECTING PIGS
- 5 minutes
Injecting, what’s the theory?
Most vaccinations in piglets are administered intramuscularly in the neck, behind the ear.
EARLY INFECTIONS WITH MYCOPLASMA?
- 5 minutes
Mycoplasmal infections (i.e. M.hyo) in piglets occurs typically at an age of 6-8 weeks after passive (maternal) immunity wanes.
Early infections with M.hyo are a clear indication of a poor and unstable immunity in the sow herd leading to the production of poor quality colostrum
DON’T VACCINATE PIGS TOO EARLY
- 5 minutes
While the advice below is generally applicable there may be exceptions, particularly for vaccines that are not delivered intramuscularly.
Avoid vaccination during the first 10 days of life*: Energy-intake may be impaired because pigs that are vaccinated need more time before they resume sucking the sow again.
PIGLETS MAKING A GOOD START
- 5 minutes
Animal welfare is becoming an extremely important consideration in pig rearing. The safety of vaccines is an important factor in this. Stressful treatments have negative impact on weight gain. Careful observation is essential and can make all the difference: