Improving piglet survival and growth

The usually low body weight and physiological immaturity of piglets at birth define their vulnerability to poor growth rates and death, in the worst circumstances. Management strategies to improve the survival and growth of newly born piglets focus on maximizing colostrum intake, proper monitoring of the farrowing process, quality of creep feed, and provision of health-promoting feed additives.  

Farrowing supervision and interventions

 The farrowing process

Good supervision during the farrowing process improves pre-weaning survival. The duration of farrowing varies between 1-2 hours up to 12 hours. A few piglets are usually born in a short period, after which there is a longer interval. If this interval lasts more than 1-2 hours or the total birth lasts more than 5 hours, it should be considered abnormal. On the other hand, when the last piglet has been born, the rest of the placenta should come within 30 minutes to an hour. If this is not the case, the farmer should consult a veterinarian. To reduce piglet mortality, the piglets can be locked up during the sow’s feeding time during the first days after farrowing.

What to do with difficulties during farrowing

If the farrowing process takes too long, the following procedure could be taken to help the sow:

• Proper cleaning of the vulva and its surroundings with soap and water;
• Hands and arms should be washed with soap, rinsed, and then apply some lubricant. Fingernails should be cut short and no rings on fingers.
• The sow should be entered with a clean lubricated hand; 
• Piglets can be taken by putting a finger in the mouth or by pulling on a leg. One can also make use of a metal hook that can be put in the eye socket;
• The sows can be injected with oxytocin if the intervals in between contractions are too long; 
• In case of failure to remove the piglets, a veterinary surgeon must do a cesarean section.

Care soon after birth

• It is recommended to dry piglets and assist them in finding the teats, the heating lamp, or the piglet box.
• When assisting the smaller or weaker piglets in finding teats, remember that the front teats produce more milk than the rear teats.
• If the number of piglets born exceeds the number of teats, some piglets (the bigger ones) can be transferred to another lactating sow (that has given birth within 2-3 days earlier). Piglets should be transferred after taking colostrum from their own mother. In large farms where several sows farrow within a few days, all piglets may be divided among the sows.
• Other measures taken after farrowing to encourage survival and growth include disinfecting the umbilical cords and providing an iron supply. 

Fostering and colostrum intake

Fostering or cross-fostering which is the transference of piglets from one sow to another, reduces the detrimental effects of low birth weight on pre-weaning survival by promoting the equitable intake of colostrum. Colostrum is rich in immunoglobulins, enzymes, and immune-promoting lymphocytes; it provides piglets with warmth, energy, and immunity. Colostrum is most accessible during the first 12 hours following birth — the reason it is encouraged not to move piglets from the sow before the 12-hour period. The following points are worth considering when implementing fostering of piglets:

• Consider an extra dose of colostrum from multiparous sows to piglets of first parity sows since gilts produce less colostrum with lower immunoglobulin G concentration.
• For even colostrum intake, split suckling prior to fostering should be implemented. The fostering should occur between 12 and 24 hours with minimum movement of piglets to prevent the possible transfer of diseases.
• Assessment of functional teats should be done at farrowing. 
• Multiparous sows should be carefully assessed for rearing abilities.
• Piglet movement after 24 hours should also be minimised. 

Fostering is a must when the following is observed: 

• Too many piglets born alive and not matching the number of teats of the sow; 
• Birth of a mixture of big and small and weak piglets — small and weaker piglets are usually fostered to a sow with good teat access to increase their survivability;
• When the sow fails to produce milk; 
• Death of the sow at farrowing.

Creep feeding and housing.

Creep feeding is important to maximize piglet weight at the end of lactation and prepare the piglets for weaning (transition from milk consumption during the suckling period to a solid feed diet after weaning). It is wise to give piglets a highly palatable and highly digestible diet (creep feeding) normally after the first week or ten days of lactation. The benefit of piglets that consume creep feed during lactation is improved post-weaning performance through a shortened onset of feed consumption. To enhance intake, flavored creep feed is recommended, combined with the use of a feeder that stimulates piglet exploratory behavior.

To avoid piglet mortality, accommodation for the sow with piglets is essential. Usually, separate areas for both sow and piglets are required. It is observed that not all sows are careful, so special arrangements are needed to avoid the crushing of piglets. Using guard rails and hurdles and providing a creep area where the piglets have a warm nest away from the sow can reduce mortality; nest temperature in the first week must be 32°C, but the floor where the sow stays must be cool. The creep area must have an area of at least 1 m2 per sow. A farrowing crate is encouraged to protect piglets against crushing; this is a crate used for a sow with piglets during the first 2 weeks after farrowing. It is recommended to put the sow in the farrowing crate a week before farrowing.

Use of probiotics 

In neonatal piglets, the use of antibiotics and zinc has been common practice to enhance gut function and reduce the incidence of diarrhea, however, antibiotics could influence the balance of gut bacteria, resulting in the development of resistant bacteria. As an alternative to antibiotics, probiotics have emerged a reliable solution to diarrhea and the enhanced health of piglets. Probiotics are reported to improve the intestinal structure, aid in the development of immunity, and improve the growth performance of pigs. Research shows that the oral administration of the probiotic ‘Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG’ to newborn piglets is beneficial for intestinal health as it enhances the immunologic barriers of the intestinal mucosa. Other probiotics reported to improve animal health and performance are the Bacillus, Aspergillus, Saccharomyces, and Streptococcus species.

Benefits of environmental enrichment 

The use of environmental enrichment in piglets results in decreased piglet stress at weaning, increasing animal welfare; today’s consumers of animal products are more concerned about the welfare of animals than ever before. Several objects can be hung in the pen of piglets to stimulate explorative behavior and possibly reduce aggression time post-weaning; objects such as ropes, plastic balls, peat, etc., can be used. It is, however, important to keep the objects at the piglet’s eye level height and placed out of the sow’s reach. Interestingly, new studies show that live insects such as the black soldier fly larvae could be used as edible environmental enrichment for pigs.

Concluding remarks

To ensure piglet survival and better growth during the pre-weaning period, attention should be put on monitoring the farrowing process, provision of colostrum and creep feed, fostering, use of probiotics, and enrichment of the piglet environment. However, one thing to remember is that this is not an exhaustive list of the factors to help improve piglet survival and growth, but certainly the most important of them.  

References

Valerie Vanheukelom, Bert Driessen, Daniël Maenhout, Rony Geers. 2011. Peat as environmental enrichment for piglets: The effect on behaviour, skin lesions and production results. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2011.06.010

Allyson F. Ipema, Walter J.J. Gerrits, Eddie A.M. Bokkers, Bas Kemp, and J. Elizabeth Bolhuis. 2021. Live black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) provisioning is a promising environmental enrichment for pigs as indicated by feed- and enrichment-preference tests. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2021.105481

Yang WANG, Li GONG, Yan-ping WU, Zhi-wen CUI, Yong-qiang WANG, Yi HUANG, Xiao-ping ZHANG, and Wei-fen LI. 2019. Oral administration of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG to newborn piglets augments gut barrier function in pre-weaning piglets. https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.B1800022

Chung-Hsuan Yang, Heng-Lun Ko, Laura Salazar Hofmann, Lourdes Llonch, Xavier Manteca, Irene Camerlink, and Pol Llonch. 2018. Pre-weaning environmental enrichment increases piglets’ object play behaviour on a large-scale commercial pig farm. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2018.02.004

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R. Muns, C. Silva, X. Manteca, and J. Gasa. 2014. Effect of cross-fostering and oral supplementation with colostrums on performance of newborn piglets. https://doi.org/10.2527/jas.2013-6858

Jena G. Alexopoulos, David S. Lines, Suzanne Hallett and Kate J. Plush. 2018. A Review of Success Factors for Piglet Fostering in Lactation. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani8030038

Joaquin Miguel, Olga Mitjana, María Teresa Tejedor, Antonio Martínez and María Victoria Falceto. 2021. Supplementing Colostrum from Multiparous Sows: Effects on Performance and Health in Piglets from Gilts in Farm Conditions. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092563

Ramon Muns Vila and Padet Tummaruk. 2016. Management strategies in farrowing house to improve piglet pre-weaning survival and growth. Thai J Vet Med. 2016. 46(3): 347-354.