Pigs and piglets eat poorly and do not grow: what to do

Piglets do not eat well and grow poorly due to many factors that need to be considered when keeping pigs. Sometimes the lack of appetite in pigs is attributed to stress, but this condition rarely lasts longer than one day, and the pig does not have time to stop growing. It is worse if the pig does not eat well for several days. Loss of interest in food is often associated with an infectious disease or parasite.

Why is the lack of appetite in pigs and pigs dangerous?

Pigs are greedy animals. If the piglet does not eat well, it has problems. Fasting itself is harmless to a fattened pig, but it is the first sign of other problems.

A hunger strike is dangerous for newborn piglets. They do not yet have either fat reserves or a fully developed gastrointestinal tract. If the piglet does not eat well for the first few days, it may starve to death. Weak piglets, which get the poorest nipple, do not grow well, since they cannot fully eat.

Is the piglet healthy

Before purchasing a piglet, first determine the productive direction of the pig. Having found a suitable breed, they look closely at the behavior of the piglets. Any sign of a good pig will be useless if the brood is sick.

A healthy pig, when trying to pick it up, will throw a tantrum all over the neighborhood, calling on the pig. And it is better that the pig is securely covered. If the pig is silent or squeals softly, this is a sign of illness or severe weakness of the cub. When buying on the market, do not trust the seller's assurances that the pigs are simply tired, run over and want to sleep. The piglet, full of strength, will screech from sleep. The pig's eyes should be clear and shiny, with no signs of nitrous oxide.

You cannot buy a pig in a bag where it was placed "for the convenience of the buyer." All the pigs are silent in the bags. At one time this was the source of the saying "buy a pig in a poke". There was a custom in Russia to buy young pigs directly in sacks, only having estimated the weight of the pig on the hand. Since all animals are silent in a closed dark space, unscrupulous sellers sold cats instead of pigs. In terms of weight, a month-old piglet was just equal to an adult cat. If the pig in the bag is silent, it is impossible to understand whether it is healthy.

After deciding on the health of the supervised piglets, you need to pay attention to the size of the litter mates. Pigs in a brood often have 1-2 piglets that are much smaller than the rest. Such a pig eats very well, but grows poorly. You do not need to take it, even if they offer to sell it at a discount. On large farms, such piglets are destroyed immediately.

Exterior features

After the health and the main prospects for fattening have become clear, attention is paid to the exterior characteristics of the pig. A good pig has a wide chest and a strong, straight back.

Legs are straight and strong. The estimation of leg length will depend on the chosen feeding direction of the pig. Long legs are good for a pig intended for meat. If fattening is planned, you need to take a short-legged pig. Meat pig breeds grow slowly to full size, but gain weight quickly as the meat grows. The short-legged greasy pig will quickly stop growing and begin to gain fat.

The question of a tail ring as a sign of a good pig is controversial. Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs have drooping tails. And this breed of pig is not the only one in the world. In addition, sometimes piglets' tails are docked so that they do not bite off each other due to vitamin deficiencies or mineral deficiency.

It is possible that the owner cut them off to hide the necrosis of the tail tip in vitamin BV deficiency.

But if the question is about choosing a piglet of a large white breed, then he should have not only a tail in a ringlet, but also large pink ears directed forward.

In other breeds of pigs, little attention is paid to the color of the ears, their size and the degree of lop-earedness. The main thing: the inside of the pig's ears must be clean. A scab inside the ear indicates the presence of a sarcoptic mite.

Special attention should be paid to the teeth and bite of the pig. On the lower jaw, the incisors are razor-sharp and directed forward. If the lower jaw is shortened, the pig does not eat well and swallows food poorly, since the lower incisors, which injure the palate, interfere with it. If the lower jaw is too long, there will be fewer problems, but such a piglet will grow more slowly than its littermates.

To check the bite, you will have to wait until the piglet swoops down to its fullest. After the pig closes its mouth, the lips should be gently parted and the bite is assessed.

If the piglet turns out to have character, it will bite. It is difficult to check a pig's bite. They look at him from the front, and the pig has a sedentary patch in front of him. The position of the lower jaw in the pig is assessed by looking at it from below. The overshot will be clearly visible.

A "meat" pig at the age of 1-2 months has a heavy head, a "greasy" one - light, snub-nosed. When buying a purebred pig, deviations from the norm often indicate inbreeding. If you are buying a pig of an unknown breed, these signs will help you determine the right type of pig.

Eating feed

The selected pigs are assessed for their desire to eat their food. You can keep an eye on the most greedy piglets even in suckling age. When buying a pig, it should be ready to eat on its own. The one month old pig is already eating by itself, but continues to suckle the sow. At this age, it is difficult to assess how fully he will eat on his own. Monthly piglets can still eat liquid food, "suck" badly. At 2 months old, the piglets already know for sure that they need to open their mouth wider and immerse the snout in the swill as deep as possible. It fits more in one sip. The most greedy pig of the watched and must be chosen. The piglet eats well and grows well. If a piglet, even at 2 months old, continues to go through food, it will either grow poorly or be sick.

A pig or a piglet does not eat well: reasons and how to fix it

All the reasons why pigs do not eat well and do not grow can be divided into 3 large groups:

• inadequate diet;
• diseases;
• genetic problems.

The owner has to approach the preparation of a ration for pigs in an integrated manner. It is impossible to focus only on the calorie content of the product, without taking into account vitamins and minerals.With uniform feeding, pigs have a shortage of some elements and an overabundance of others.

Diseases of pigs, even non-infectious ones, are practically all characterized by a lack of appetite. The piglet does not eat well and prefers to lie down even because of pain in the leg. The pain in this case is caused by the fact that the leg was injured while playing with littermates.

Congenital pathologies

Genetic problems usually arise from inbreeding, to which pigs are very susceptible. One of these problems, which can hardly be called pathology, is dwarfism. In this case, the piglets grow poorly and often grow 2 times less than the norm. But their appetite is excellent. Such "mini-pigs" eat a full portion of their large relatives. There are no other developmental disorders with dwarfism.

Genetic abnormalities leading to poor feed intake and lack of growth include malocclusion, umbilical and inguinal-scrotal hernia, and gastrointestinal tract pathologies.

Malocclusion

It is never acquired, no matter what some breeders of pigs, dogs, horses and other animals say about it. With a snack, the problem in the sucking age is practically not noticeable. In older piglets, undershot is also much less interfering with life and eating than undershot. A pig is an animal adapted to dig roots out of the ground with the incisors of the lower jaw. Digging in the soil, a piglet grinds its teeth with a snack, and they do not cause him much inconvenience.

The situation is worse with undershot. Piglets are born with ready-made milk teeth. When overshot, the incisors rest against the palate and interfere with eating already in the sucking period. From the first days such piglets grow poorly and gain weight. The problem will worsen with age, as the incisors will not grind on the ground. Conscientious breeders immediately destroy such cubs, since the issue of overshot can be solved only by breaking the pig's incisors.

Hernia

Hernias do not interfere with eating, they interfere with the digestion of food. There can be three types:

• umbilical;
• inguinal and scrotal;
• perineal.

The latter is rarely observed in pigs. It occurs when the blind sac of the peritoneum breaks or stretches between the rectum and the bladder (males) or vagina (females). It is not congenital and occurs as a result of pushing during farrowing or prolonged severe pain in the rectum without excretion of feces. In piglets, it can result from any gastrointestinal disease.

Umbilical hernia

This defect is considered hereditary. Most often occurs in multiple animals, including pigs. A hernia occurs at the site of the umbilical ring, which did not close after the birth of the piglet. One of the main reasons for the appearance of umbilical hernias is considered to be inbreeding and violation of the technology of raising pigs.

But umbilical hernias in piglets can occur because the umbilical cord is too short in relation to the uterus. This usually applies to those piglets that are located at the front ends of the uterine horns. In this case, stretching the umbilical cord expands the umbilical ring even before the piglet is born.

Some practitioners believe that umbilical hernias can occur due to the struggle of piglets for the nipple or crawling into too low holes. If the piglet bends its back strongly, the ventral abdominal wall is stretched and the umbilical ring expands. Also, a hernia in a piglet can occur due to tearing off the umbilical cord without first fixing the stump (pigs cannot bite the umbilical cord, like predators). There are other reasons that can lead to umbilical hernias in piglets. But there is no reliably established reason.

Symptoms and Treatment

There is a swelling at the site of the navel. When you press it in depth, you can sometimes feel the umbilical hole. If the hernia can be repaired, its contents, when pressed, are displaced into the abdominal cavity. When part of the intestine falls out into the opening, you can feel its peristalsis.

With strangulated hernias, the animal is restless. Pigs may vomit.The swelling is hot and painful as peritonitis begins to develop.

Hernia treatment is always prompt. With a reducible operation, it can be planned. With an infringement, the count goes on for minutes, and surgical intervention must be carried out immediately.

Inguinal-scrotal hernia

An inguinal / scrotal hernia is a prolapse of the intestine between the scrotum and the common lining of the vagina. Introvaginal - prolapse between the testis and the common vaginal membrane.

The reasons for the formation of such hernias are genetics or metabolic diseases:

• rickets;
• exhaustion;
• avitaminosis;
• bloating of the intestines;
• diarrhea.

May occur due to the tension of the abdominal wall.

Symptoms and Treatment

The skin of the scrotum hangs down on one side and is smoothed out from folds. The contents of the scrotum are soft and painless. Treatment is only surgical. The inguinal rings are sutured.

Congenital anomalies of the gastrointestinal tract

There can only be a genetic problem, since the anomaly is laid in the embryonic period. During normal development of the embryo, the cecum connects to the protrusion of the skin, forming the anus. If something went wrong, there may be options for the wrong development:

• smooth skin instead of anus, but under the skin there is a well-developed rectum with a blind end;
• the cutaneous opening is present, but the rectum ends in the pelvic cavity with a blind sac;
• the cutaneous opening is absent, the rectum is short and ends deep in the pelvic cavity with a blind end;
• in mumps, the rectum may open into the vagina without the anus.

Treatment in all cases is only operative. With piglets, the issue is usually easier to solve: they are immediately killed.

Lack of vitamins, minerals, or micro- and macronutrients

Often any problems with growth and weight gain in piglets are attributed to a lack of vitamins. And so it is. With any type of vitamin deficiency, the piglets stop developing and do not grow. But the same occurs when there is a lack of micro- and macroelements in the pigs ration. Usually this point is overlooked, although there are areas where pigs do not grow not because of vitamin deficiencies, but because of the lack of necessary trace elements in the soil.

Avitaminosis

The most famous vitamins are: A, E, C and group B. The rest of the vitamins have less influence on the formation of a growing organism. But the lack of any of these vitamins leads to a slowdown in the growth and development of the pig. Although with avitaminosis B₁, the piglet does not have time to stop growing. He dies a few days after the appearance of clinical signs of vitamin B1 deficiency.

Avitaminosis A

It occurs when the content of carotene in feed is low. With vitamin A deficiency, pigs gain weight poorly, and then lose weight. Common signs of vitamin deficiency:

• anemia;
• weakness;
• exhaustion;
• eye diseases;
• eczema and dermatitis;
• drying and peeling of the skin;
• improper growth of the hoof horn;
• impaired coordination of movements;
• sometimes paralysis and seizures.

Due to general weakness, pigs do not eat well. Avitaminosis A can also occur with a full diet, if carotene is poorly absorbed.

Pregnant pigs have:

• endometritis;
• infertility;
• abortion;
• retention of the placenta.

A decrease in fertility has been recorded, but one cannot be sure that the brood is small in number due to vitamin deficiency, and not due to other factors. In boars with avitaminosis A, spermatogenesis is impaired.

Piglets suffering from vitamin deficiency A do not grow, eat poorly and stop developing. They often suffer from bronchopneumonia.

Treatment

Providing pigs with feed rich in carotene:

• carrot;
• green grass;
• beet;
• herbal flour in winter;
• silage and haylage.

Fortified fish oil is added to the feed: 20 ml for piglets 2 times a day; adult pigs 75 ml once a day. Vitamin A is injected subcutaneously or intramuscularly: pigs - 75 thousand IU, piglets - 35 thousand IU daily.

For the prevention of vitamin deficiency, depending on the season, pigs provide:

• fresh grass;
• sprouted grain;
• hydroponic greens;
• pine needles or pine flour;
• red carrots;
• herbal flour.

If necessary, an oil solution of vitamin A is added to the feed.

Avitaminosis C

Pigs are one of the animals most suffering from this type of vitamin deficiency. This is due to the fact that the owners, wanting to feed the piglet faster, give him mealy food:

• porridge;
• boiled potatoes;
• compound feed.

Vitamin C is destroyed when heated. A pig that eats only boiled foods will inevitably fall ill with vitamin C deficiency. Another cause of the disease is disruption of the gastrointestinal tract, when the vitamin is no longer absorbed and synthesized. Less common is vitamin C deficiency, which developed as a result of infections, intoxication and inflammatory processes.

Clinical signs of vitamin C deficiency in animals are different. In pigs, vitamin C deficiency is characterized by:

• growth retardation;
• hemorrhages;
• pallor of the skin and mucous membranes;
• unpleasant odor from the mouth;
• unsteadiness of teeth;
• necrosis and ulcers in the oral cavity.

The symptoms of vitamin deficiency are very close to the description of scurvy in humans. It is scurvy with vitamin C deficiency in pigs.

Treatment

The treatment of vitamin deficiency is to provide pigs with feed rich in vitamin C: fresh herbs, not boiled potatoes, milk. Pigs are additionally given vitamin C: for piglets 0.1-0.2 g; adult animals - 0.5-1 g are fed with food, water or injections.

Avitaminosis E

It is accompanied by metabolic disorders. There is no stopping of piglets in growth, since in young animals the consequence of vitamin deficiency is white muscle disease. Measures must be taken immediately. After a few days, the changes in the body become irreversible and the piglet can only be slaughtered. In adult pigs, vitamin E deficiency is characterized by degenerative changes in the reproductive system.

Treatment consists in developing a complete diet and, if necessary, adding an oil solution of vitamin E to the feed.

Avitaminosis B₂

In terms of its main features, it is similar to vitamin deficiency B₅ (pellagra). It occurs due to the low content of vitamin B₂ in feed or as a result of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and liver.

Symptoms

Pigs do not grow, lose weight, do not eat. Gradually, they develop anemia. Dermatitis appears on the piglets' skin. Eye diseases develop. Stubble on the back falls out.

Treatment and prevention

Pigs are omnivorous animals, therefore they are provided with animal feed with a high content of B vitamins. As a preventive measure, they balance the protein diet.

Pellagra (rough skin)

The disease also belongs to vitamin deficiency. Rough skin is the popular name for this type of vitamin deficiency, derived from one of the symptoms. Other names for pellagra: vitamin deficiency B₅ (PP). The vitamin itself has less catchy names:

• niacin;
• a nicotinic acid;
• antipellargic factor.

Vitamin is synthesized by microorganisms in the digestive tract, in plants and, with normal metabolism in a pig, from tryptophan.

The latter is an essential amino acid found in animal protein and soy. Pigs are usually not pampered with meat, and soybeans are not grown in Russia, and it is not customary to feed them to livestock. Grain feed is not able to provide pigs with vitamin PP. The best grain for fattening piglets is considered to be corn, the owner often feeds the pigs with it. But a large percentage of corn in feed causes pigs to lack B vitamins and tryptophan, which leads to pellagra.

Pellagra symptoms

It is characterized by damage to the intestines, skin and central nervous system. It can occur in 2 forms: acute and chronic. Piglets are more likely to have an acute form that looks like eczema of the skin with the formation of black scabs. The first 2 weeks of the rash are symmetrical. Later they spread to the whole body of the piglet. Cracks and dry scabs on the legs cause pain to the animal, which often causes the pig to stop moving. Piglets grow poorly.

In addition to eczema, young animals are noted:

• swollen mucous membrane of the gums and cheeks with minor bruises;
• salivation;
• anemia;
• sore tongue;
• digestive disorders;
• stunting;
• unwillingness to eat;
• convulsions;
• impaired coordination of movements;
• desire to lie.

In pregnant pigs, non-viable offspring are born, which die in the first days. A decrease in fertility is also noted. Abortions are possible with a simultaneous lack of vitamin B₂.

The chronic form of pellagra develops slowly, the symptoms are mild and blurred. Piglets get sick most often in winter and spring, when there is a lack of vitamins in the diet. On industrial pig farms with a mixed feed ration, vitamin B₅ occurs all year round.

Diagnostics

The diagnosis is made on the basis of the external symptoms of vitamin deficiency: gastrointestinal disorders, damage to the central nervous system and skin. The diagnosis is confirmed by pathological studies:

• cheesy plaque on the mucous membranes of the colon and rectum;
• ulcers on the intestinal mucosa;
• fatty degeneration of the liver;
• atrophy of bones, endocrine glands, muscles.

When diagnosing, the lack of cobalt and vitamin B₁₂, paratyphoid fever, scabies and dysentery are excluded. Treatment and prevention are carried out in the same ways. Only the dosage of the drugs differs.

Treatment and prevention

The diet includes feed containing a large amount of B vitamins:

• legumes;
• animal protein;
• wheat bran;
• herbal flour;
• fresh grass if possible.

Vitamin B₅ is administered orally at a dose of 0.02 g 3 times a day for a course of 2 weeks. Injections are made intramuscularly or subcutaneously at a dose of 1-2 ml once a day. Also within 2 weeks.

Prevention of vitamin deficiency consists in the constant provision of pigs with complete feed. If necessary, vitamin B₅ is added to the feed at the rate of 13-25 mg per 1 kg of dry diet.

Avitaminosis B₆

Prolonged feeding of pigs with moldy, spoiled and boiled feed contributes to the occurrence of beriberi. Although the pig will gladly eat the fish, you cannot get carried away with such a source of protein. Fish contributes to vitamin deficiency.

Signs of vitamin deficiency:

• pigs grow and develop poorly;
• the activity of the central nervous system is disrupted.

In pigs, appetite perversion, gastrointestinal upset, tail end necrosis are often observed. Piglets develop skin lesions. Especially in the lower abdomen. Dermatitis appears around the eyes and nose.

Treatment

Avitaminosis B₆ is often overlooked and rarely recorded as an independent disease. Treatment is almost the same as for vitamin B deficiency. For prophylaxis, the diet includes feed containing a large amount of pyridoxine:

• sprouted grain;
• greens;
• dairy products;
• egg yolk;
• fruit.

1-4 mg of pyridoxine per 1 kg of feed is regularly added to food.

Avitaminosis B₁₂

It appears:

• poor growth and development;
• progressive anemia;
• metabolic disorders;
• decreased immunity.

Signs of eczema may appear on the skin.

Treatment is carried out by including animal products in the diet.

Vitamin compatibility problems

B vitamins can be fat or water soluble. They are destroyed when mixed. Incompatible vitamins:

• В₁ and В₆, В₁₂;
• В₂ and В₁₂;
• В₂ and В₁;
• В₆ and В₁₂;
• B₁₂ and C, PP, B₆;
• B₁₂ and E.

This does not mean that different vitamins cannot be contained in the same product. This means that vitamins cannot be mixed in the same syringe or added to the same feed.

Avitaminosis D (rickets)

If the pig does not grow, first of all they sin on rickets. This is the most common problem in raising animals. Rickets develops with a cumulative deficiency of vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus in the body. But it starts the process of vitamin D, without which calcium cannot be absorbed.The course of rickets is chronic and it develops gradually.

The main symptoms are:

• piglets do not grow and stop developing;
• try to eat inedible objects (lick bleached walls, eat earth);
• diarrhea;
• bloating;
• constipation;
• dull bristles;
• dry, inelastic skin;
• enlargement of the joints;
• lameness;
• soreness and curvature of bones.

As a complication in the later stages of the development of the disease, tachycardia, anemia, and heart weakness appear.

Treatment and prevention

Piglets' diet includes feed rich in protein, vitamins A and D and minerals. Ultraviolet irradiation is carried out. An oily solution of vitamin D is injected intramuscularly. Yeast is fed.

The basis of prevention: calcium-rich feed and long outdoor exercise.

Lack of micro- and macronutrients

When raising piglets, they usually do not focus on anything other than vitamins. The only exception is iron deficiency, as it manifests itself quickly, and piglets often die from alimentary anemia. But there are other elements that make piglets grow poorly.

Piglets grow poorly with hypocobaltosis, hypocuprosis and manganese deficiency. Piglets are less sensitive to cobalt and copper deficiencies than other animals. But they can also get sick if these elements are absent in the diet for a long time.

Manganese deficiency is acutely felt by 2 types of domestic animals: pigs and cattle. With a deficiency of manganese, piglets do not grow well, their bones are bent and coordination of movements is impaired.

Iron deficiency

Of all young domestic animals, piglets are most often sick with iron deficiency anemia. Wild pigs do not have such problems, as their piglets get the right amount of iron by digging in the forest soil. Domestic pigs are often kept on concrete floors. It is hygienic and convenient, but piglets have nowhere to get iron in the absence of walking in the pasture. Most often, nutritional anemia occurs during winter farrowing.

Immediately after birth, the pig's liver stores 50 mg of iron. The daily requirement is 10-15 mg. The pig gets 1 mg with milk. The rest he must "get" from the ground. The disease develops due to lack of access to soil. But the piglet stops gaining weight and loses weight not 5 days after birth, but only on the 18-25th day. It is at this time that signs of iron deficiency appear.

Symptoms of anemia

The main feature: pale mucous membranes and skin, appears on average 3 weeks after the birth of the pig. By this time, diarrhea develops. The back of the sick piglets is hunched over and shivers. The bristles are dull. The skin is wrinkled and dry. Piglets grow poorly and often die. Often, shortly before death in piglets, the hind legs are paralyzed.

Treatment and prevention

There is virtually no treatment, since measures must be taken in advance. If signs of anemia appear, further prognosis is usually poor.

For prophylaxis, iron-containing preparations are injected to piglets on days 2-5. There are many similar drugs, the dosage and timing of injections should be seen in the instructions for a particular type. Most often, ferroglukin is used in a dose of 2-4 ml. The first time the injection is done on 2-5 days of the pig's life. The second time the pigs are injected with "iron" after 7-14 days.

The presence of parasites

Parasites that cause pigs to lose weight are usually referred to as worms. But there is another parasite that causes pigs to eat poorly and do not grow: the sarcoptoid mite.

It is a scabies itch that lives in the epidermis. As a result of vital activity, it causes scabies and inflammation of the skin. The consequence of the disease: impaired skin respiration and depletion of the pig. Pigs are not eaten because of the worrying scabies and stress. Infection occurs when a piglet comes into contact with a pig. Usually at the age of one month. In pigs, sarcoptic mange is in 2 forms: ear and total.

Signs of sarcoptic mange:

• the appearance of papules;
• coarsening and thickening of the skin;
• hair loss;
• peeling;
• severe itching.

The pig can be sick for 1 year, after which it dies. Pigs are treated by spraying or rubbing in acaricidal preparations.

Helminthiasis

In pigs, flat, round and tapeworms can parasitize. Regardless of the biological classification of the parasite, infestation with worms leads to weight loss in the pig. In some cases, this happens gradually, as with metastrongylosis. Sometimes the pig is losing weight rapidly, as with trichinosis. With a strong infection with Trichinella, the pig may even die after 2 weeks.

Treatment and prevention for helminthiasis is the same: the use of anthelmintic drugs. For the prevention of worms, they are driven every 4 months.

Pork tapeworm is also dangerous for humans, since people are the final hosts of this 8-meter parasite. But in pigs, infection with pork tapeworm is asymptomatic.

Erysipelas

Infectious diseases almost all lead to wasting pigs. Erysipelas is one such bacterial infection that affects piglets between 3 and 12 months of age. The causative agent of pig erysipelas is very stable in the external environment. It is able to survive for several months in the corpses of pigs. It survives for up to a month in indirect sunlight, but direct ones kill the bacteria in a few hours. Stored in salted and smoked pork. At temperatures above 70 ° C, it dies in a couple of minutes.

Symptoms

Pig erysipelas has 4 forms of flow:

• lightning fast;
• sharp;
• subacute;
• chronic.

With the first two forms, the piglet does not have time to lose weight, since after 2-8 days of the incubation period, the severity of the disease increases very quickly, and the pig dies in a few hours (fulminant) or 3-5 days after the first signs of the disease. A fulminant course is rarely recorded. Mostly piglets are 7-10 months old.

Signs of an acute course:

• temperature 42 ° C;
• chills;
• conjunctivitis;
• the piglet does not eat well;
• bowel disorder;
• blue skin of the peritoneum and submandibular space;
• sometimes erythremia spots.

Signs of a subacute form are similar, but less pronounced.

Subacute and chronic forms are also characterized by:

• anemia;
• arthritis;
• exhaustion;
• necrosis of the skin;
• verrucous endometritis.

In addition to the form of flow, in erysipelas of pigs, there are also septic, skin and latent types.

Treatment and prevention

The bacteria that cause erysipelas in pigs are sensitive to antibiotics of the tetracycline and penicillin groups. In addition to antibiotics, anti-fatty serum is used.

Prevention consists in vaccinating all pigs from 2 months of age, observing quarantine and keeping conditions.

Violation of the rules of feeding

Violation of the rules of feeding pigs leads not only to exhaustion and vitamin deficiencies. Even the sex of the pig influences the development of the diet. If a breeding boar eats a large amount of voluminous feed, his sexual energy decreases. Watery foods reduce the number of viable motile sperm. The lack of minerals and vitamins reduces the fertility of the boar. For these reasons, the boars are fed strictly according to the norms.

Pregnant pigs are very sensitive to the lack of amino acids and vitamins, since they have almost no synthesis of microbial protein, vitamins and amino acids. With an unbalanced diet, pigs start to get sick.

Their fertility, large-fruitedness decreases, the uniformity of the litter is disturbed. Milk flow decreases, which leads to the death of suckling pigs. By the problems in newborn piglets, you can even determine what the pig lacked during gestation. But it’s too late to fix it.

Pregnant pigs must eat succulent feed and grass / grass meal.

Piglets from 3 days are provided with biologically pure red clay from a depth of at least 1 m. This is how anemia is prevented without the use of injections of iron-containing preparations. From day 5, various mineral supplements are given. From a month they are accustomed to juicy feed. Piglets are taken away at 2 months and transferred to rationed feeding. Concentrates are given in the form of porridge, making sure not to unbalance the diet and not cause vitamin deficiency. Piglets start eating "adult" food after 1 month.

Failure to comply with content rules

When keeping pigs in groups, a homogeneous composition is selected. Piglets in a group must be of the same age and size, otherwise the strong will start to oppress the weak at the feeders. Weak piglets will not be able to eat and will grow poorly, and then they may die completely.

Pregnant pigs are also collected in fattening groups. The difference in time of fertilization of different individuals should not exceed 8 days.

It is impossible to violate the norms of the area for one pig. In crowded housing, pigs are stressed. Piglets grow poorly in this case. Pigs are losing weight.

Newborn piglets with a pig are kept in a room with an air temperature of + 25-30 ° C. If the temperature regime is violated, the piglets freeze, eat poorly and grow and may die.

Prevention measures

Prevention depends on the reason the piglets are not growing and gaining weight. If these are infectious diseases, in order to prevent them, it is necessary to observe sanitary standards for keeping pigs.

Avitaminosis and mineral deficiency are easier to prevent by carefully compiling rations and taking into account the area of ​​pig breeding. The easiest way to prevent pigs from stressing due to overcrowding. It is enough to provide them with a spacious walk.

Conclusion

Piglets eat poorly and grow poorly, usually due to an oversight of the owner, who did not take into account the nuances of feeding the pigs. But an overabundance of nutrients in the diet is also harmful. Sometimes hypervitaminosis is much worse than vitamin deficiency, and an excess of micro- and macroelements can cause poisoning in pigs.

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