31/05/2018
Over the past 20 years, thanks to the rapid development of pig farming, we have witnessed significant changes.
Feeding of newborn piglets - efficient solutions from R2Argo
With the proliferation of intensive breeds, the production rates of animals increased explosively: a higher number of pigs from one sow, improved body weight gain and meat quality characterize production at livestock farms. With the body of breeding animals being exposed to more stress, and the rearing ability of sows or the vitality of pigs born with low body weight being increasingly tested, the question arises: how to intervene in the system with sufficient efficiency from the first day of life of the piglets to the end of fattening? Our Danish partner company, R2 Agro A/S offers efficient solutions from the feeding of newborn piglets through tiny “finetuning” to achieve a more satisfactory production level.
Advantages of PiggyLift and YoghurLac
One of the cornerstones of highly productive pig farms is to keep alive low-weight piglets born alive. In the case of large litters, where 16-18 piglets per farrow are not uncommon, the body weight of the piglets born is inversely proportional to the number of piglets. The fat content of newborn piglets is still below 2%. Their use of energy sources is extremely effective, but the main limiting factor is the availability and quantity of colostrum. PiggyLift is designed to provide fast energy supply to piglets with negative energy balance. Thanks to its complex composition (colostrum and dried egg yolk powder, medium-chain fatty acids, selenium, vitamin A, D3, E, lactic acid), it provides a broad spectrum of energy and vitamin supplementation to the newborn piglets. In many cases, however, there are weak, small piglets among the saved animals, and because of the high number of litters, the sow cannot feed all piglets equally. At this point, the nowadays routinely applied fostering and/or breast milk supplementation can be used. In the feed supplement market, there are countless dairy substitutes and yoghurt preparations that serve this purpose. However, their composition and efficiency show great variation. A YoghurLac is a special breast milk supplement that contains a variety of well-absorbing protein sources (milk powder, lactose), milk and citric acid and dextrose as well. It can be used from the age of 2 days to effectively treat diarrhoea (e.g. due to the electrolyte content) and improve the general health of piglets.
FeDEXX iron paste
Providing the most appropriate nutrient supply to our piglets from the very first day of life is not always sufficient for their development. Often stressful effects cause significant loss, or in a worse case, death. Ironing piglets at the age of 2-3 days is a tested method, but its use may involve unwanted side effects in some cases. The spread of infection from one piglet to the other through the needle or the formation of arthritis often cause discomfort for box piglets, and the injection causes stress to the piglet. FeDEXX is an organic iron paste that can be used instead of iron injection, which is recommended for oral (per os) use in piglets at the age of 24-36 hours. The vitamins contained (A, D3, E, B12, biotin) support the development of the young immune system and blood formation, the lactic acid bacteria promote the formation of healthy flora, while organic and inorganic iron is easily absorbed from the small intestine in a readily accessible form. And last but not least, you can avoid any negative side effects caused by iron injection.
At pig farms, we often face challenges that are due, among other things, to the use of super-prolific varieties created by selection. “Saving the life” of piglets born under 1000 g body weight or feeding the yoghurt for supplementing the breast milk is an important tool of today’s breeders. With the help of YoghurLac and PiggyLift, more and healthier piglets can be selected from one sow, while the FeDEXX iron paste helps in the iron supplementation of piglets in a pain and stress free manner.
In our next article, you can get an insight into possible alternatives to reduce zinc oxide (ZnO) and possible alternatives to replace it, and we mention the innovative ways to reduce heat stress in our stock.
Created by:
NeoCons Plus Kft.
Gergely Bakti
Consultan
