Why is the piglet not. Domestic pigs: what to feed piglets if they grow poorly

Victor Kalinin

Pig breeder with 12 years of experience

Articles written

Sometimes buying a pig instead of making a profit is frustrating. The owners do not spare animal feed, and the piglet does not grow. This is a problem that novice pig farmers often face. What mistakes should be avoided when choosing and keeping piglets? What if the piglets do not eat well and grow?

With proper care and competent fattening, pigs increase their weight to 100 kg within six months. Disappointing results are observed with a lack of knowledge about the characteristics of growing piglets. Poor growth reasons:

• helminthic invasion;
• unbalanced diet;
• lack of vitamins and minerals;
• poor conditions of detention;
• pathology.

Not all situations can be corrected, but often the measures taken bring good results. What to do if the piglet is lagging behind in development for one of the listed reasons?

Lack of growth: what to do

Doing the right thing is to call your veterinarian who will determine the cause and explain how to fix it. But good doctors who can cure farm animals are in great shortage today. Most have only practice in serving dogs, cats and other pets.

If you can't find an experienced veterinarian, you will have to act on your own.

The veterinarian examines the pig.

Helminthic invasion

Drugs for the treatment of anthelmintic invasion - Ivermek, Nilverm, Albentabs-360, Biomectin. The dosage of anthelmintic drugs is calculated strictly according to the weight of the animal.

You can use home remedies. Chopped garlic helps well if you periodically add it to food at the rate of 1 g per 1 kg of weight. Another anthelmintic, tansy, is available over the counter. The flowers of the tansy are ground and given to the piglets along with food. Enough 1 tsp. for an animal weighing up to 30 kg, and 1 tbsp. l. for a pig weighing 70 kg or more. Treatment is carried out every other day for 1-2 weeks.

The medicine is given in the morning. During the day, the room is thoroughly cleaned, and the infected manure is disposed of. It is not worth using it to fertilize the garden. Better to pour a flammable mixture over the manure and burn it. After cleaning the room, the cracks in the floors are treated with bleach. If this is not done, there is a risk of re-infection.

Attention! Home remedies help as a prophylaxis and with a low degree of infection. With a large number of worms, it is better to use veterinary medicines. It is desirable in injections - it is more effective.

Treatment of worms in a pig.

Sometimes inexperienced pig breeders notice that piglets do not gain weight well, although they try and care for them correctly. Why does not the piglet grow, what factors influence weight gain, how to fix the situation?

If the piglets do not eat well and do not gain weight, it is urgent to find out the cause of this phenomenon.

One of the main reasons a piglet does not grow is helminths. Where they can get infected:

• often infection occurs even in milk age from the uterus;
• young animals simply swallow eggs of worms, digging in the ground or manure.

Therefore, when purchasing a piglet, the first step is to carry out preventive anthelminthic measures. Medicines can be purchased at the pet pharmacy.

What drugs should I use?

It is important to keep the pigsty clean at all times.

You can also use folk methods of expelling worms, for example, tansy is effective. Dry raw materials are added to the feed at the rate of a small spoon per head up to 30 kg, a table spoon - for larger animals. In order to observe the feces of pigs, it is preferable to include this medicine in the morning feed.

As a preventive measure, it is periodically recommended to give garlic to piglets, 1 g of chopped raw material is enough for one kilogram of weight.

Lack of vitamins

When the piglet does not eat well and does not grow, what to do?

• One of the reasons for the lack of appetite in young animals is a lack of vitamin D... This problem especially arises in the winter and when growing without walking in the summer. Subsequently, changes appear in the bone tissue, rickets develops. In winter, it is necessary to turn on an ultraviolet lamp in the barn, give fish oil or an alcohol solution of a vitamin.
• Growth sharply slows down, food consumption worsens with a lack of vitamin A. Avitaminosis is manifested by dry skin, indigestion, breathing problems. Contain carotenoids pumpkin, carrots, sprouted grains.
• In the absence of B vitamins in sufficient quantities, in addition to slowing growth, cardiovascular diseases and diarrhea develop.

To avoid problems, they diversify the diet, cereals, roots and grass are required, and complex supplements are given. If the symptoms persist, you need to call the veterinarian, the specialist will prescribe injections of drugs that help quickly solve the problem.

Lack of vitamins in the body slows down the development of the piglet.

Anemia

Suckling pigs grow in size surprisingly quickly, almost quadrupling their weight in the first month of existence. Consequently, the processes of exchange and oxidation are rapid. The normal course of all reactions is provided by blood filled with oxygen. Hemoglobin is responsible for its transfer to organ tissues, and the number of iron-containing protein molecules depends on the presence of iron in the body.

The baby grows, the volume of blood also increases, respectively, hemoglobin should increase. Wild relatives receive iron by eating the land; the domestic sow is not able to provide the young animals with sufficient quantities of the element, since she does not have access to the soil. But modern breeds grow very quickly, so they need more iron than wild relatives.

A piglet should receive about 6 mg of iron in the blood, and pig's milk covers only 1/6 of this norm. The reserves in the internal organs are also not enough to fill the need for a microelement, so the babies actively suck the uterus, eat complementary foods well, but are deficient in oxygen, so the piglets grow very poorly. Decreased hemoglobin affects both the appearance of the animal and the state of its health:

• the skin and mucous membranes become pale;
• babies suffer from shortness of breath;
• immunity decreases, susceptibility to diseases increases;
• diarrhea develops;
• it happens that a lack of hemoglobin leads to death.

A lack of hemoglobin in the blood leads to developmental disorders and sometimes death of the piglet.

If measures for the introduction of iron preparations were not carried out, pathological symptoms are not noticeable, this does not mean that everything is going well. This means that the lack of a trace element is expressed in a latent form.

All newborn piglets should be pierced with iron preparations to replenish the lack of an element in the body already on the 5th day after birth. Usually used "Ferroglukin" or "Ferranimal". There are also multicomponent preparations with B vitamins, for example, "Suiferrovit".

Pellagra

It happens that the owners take good care of the pets, they give enough food, but the piglet still grows poorly. The blame is the disease of pellagra, otherwise - rough skin. The disease affects animals with a lack of protein feed, as well as a lack of vitamin B, nicotinamide and tryptophan acids. It often develops when pigs are fed one boiled potato, corn, and are not given fresh grass, vegetables and bran.

Young animals usually suffer from an acute form of the disease, since it is more difficult for a young body to cope with hypoavitaminosis. How to understand that a piglet is sick:

• in places with the thinnest skin, there is swelling and a reddish grainy rash;
• then signs appear around the eyes, spread to the back, pustules are usually arranged symmetrically;
• soon the rash bursts, turning into weeping sores;
• gradually the inflamed areas increase, merge with each other, scabs, covered with a dark crust, form on them;
• in some cases, rashes appear in the mouth, there is increased salivation;
• the skin of the hide thickens, peels off, becomes covered with cracks; piglets lose their appetite.

Pellagra is a dangerous pathology in pigs, one of the symptoms of which is a lack of appetite and a slowdown in development.

The main symptoms that make it possible to differentiate pellagra from infectious dermatoses are stool disorder, accompanied by constipation or debilitating diarrhea with mucus. Over time, swelling in the mouth is noticeable, the skin turns blue, convulsions appear, paralysis sets in, and the animal dies.

In order to prevent the development of vitamin deficiency, piglets must be given compound feed, meat and bone meal, bran, milk and herbs. If the disease still manifests itself, the veterinarian will prescribe vitamin preparations in injections, depending on the weight of the animal.

Improper nutrition

For piglets to grow well, it is important to feed them properly.

• First of all, you need digestible protein and lysine (an essential acid that is part of the protein). With a lack of "building material" for growth, animals gain weight poorly, get fat, as a result, feed consumption increases. Protein is contained in meal and cake, bran, legumes. For example, it is possible to provide pigs with lysine if peas make up 15% of the feed. When a piglet reaches a weight of 60 kg, animal protein is needed, about 5% of the diet. You will need to enter reverse, meat or meat and bone meal.
• It is allowed to feed young animals with fish or food waste, these products increase appetite, other feeds are eaten better.
• Yeast is good during winter. To do this, stir 50 g in water (per liter), each individual takes 100 or 200 ml of solution.

For the harmonious development of the animal, it needs to be given balanced feed.

To support the pig's appetite, it is worth knowing that pigs are reluctant to eat dark-colored feed.

• Some believe that it is possible to fatten animals on bulk feed, since there is enough grass and root crops on the farm. But in reality, such piglets will not grow quickly. Nutritional value of food and good digestibility are important. For pigs, the best choice is compound feed. They have everything that a growing body needs. But not everyone can buy them, so dry feed is replaced with crushed grain, barley, wheat, oats. The main condition is freshness and the absence of mold.

It is important to monitor how the piglets eat the feed. You can judge that all animals are full if the food remains in the feeder for about an hour. When the trough is emptied instantly, juicy feed is added; if it is eaten slowly, the amount of greens is reduced.

Conditions of detention

You should not hope for a quick weight gain if the young are reared in a cold season in a room where there are no proper conditions. The piglet grows and develops quickly at a favorable temperature in the barn not lower than 16 - 18 ° C and humidity around 70%. When the room is cold, all energy is spent on heating the body, metabolic processes are disrupted. The body spends all reserves on warming up, but no longer remains on the growth of strength.

Therefore, those who decide to feed piglets should take care of a good warm shed, ensure the absence of drafts, and make high-quality ventilation. In areas with severe winters, you need to remember about heating for this period.

For animals to gain weight in cold weather, you need to take care of a warm pigsty.

Right choice

A healthy pig is the key to fast growth and successful rearing. To do this, you need to choose the right animal when buying:

• the skin of a healthy baby is smooth, elastic, pink;
• hair is evenly distributed over the body;
• the body is even and long, without hump or sagging, depressions under the shoulder blades;
• slender legs, with well-formed joints, without signs of rickets;
• the abdomen is tucked up, smooth when feeling;
• the tail is fervently twisted, always dry;
• the baby is mobile and cheerful.

Pay attention to the behavior. If the piglet is hiding in the litter, it means that it does not feel very well. A hoarse squeal indicates illness.

When buying, it is important to pay attention to examining the piglet and diagnosing possible pathologies.

Another important point, which is often overlooked by many novice farmers: it is important what kind of bite the pig has. The correct placement of the teeth allows him to grab food and chew it. If the bite is wrong, the animal is not able to chew, therefore, it cannot eat properly. The piglet sucks only liquid feed, which means that it will not receive enough nutrients and will not be able to gain weight. How to check it:

• the animal is pressed to itself, holding its hind legs;
• supporting the hand under the chest, the lips are parted;
• when the teeth are on the same line, this is the norm;
• the upper jaw is laid back, its teeth are set 5 mm or more from the lower incisors, this is a pathology.

If the piglets are purchased for rearing only, it is preferable to take the young from the same litter. So they will fight less near the trough, injure themselves and grow better.

Vietnamese pigs

Hanged-bellied pigs are unpretentious animals, but sometimes this species also has problems with weight gain. What is the reason for this?

• First of all, these are miscalculations in nutrition.... Breeders are used to the fact that ordinary pigs eat roughage. But Vietnamese breeds have a small stomach, and their small intestine volume is small, so they do not digest this type of food well. If you add potatoes, the animals will grow slowly and salted early.
• Although pigs of this species are herbivores, they cannot be fed with grass alone.... Therefore, the main condition for proper feeding and weight gain is a varied diet with a predominance of greens.
• Vietnamese piglets are very thermophilic, if it is cold in the pigsty, they do not grow... Therefore, the room where they are kept is made solid, with a wooden floor, and heating is provided for the winter.

The rest of the reasons for poor growth should be sought in helminthiasis, lack of vitamins and minerals.

Poor weight gain by Vietnamese piglets is often caused by poor nutrition.

What to do

If a problem occurs and the piglets are not gaining weight, what should I do?

• Make a diet so that pigs are not deficient in proteins and carbohydrates.
• Introduce concentrated mineral or vitamin supplements into food: "Tetravit", vitamin D, "Azobakerin", fish oil.
• Conduct anthelmintic activities.
• Provide your pets in the room with warmth, ventilation, cleanliness, high-quality lighting and walking.

It is good to invite a veterinarian to inspect the livestock. Perhaps he will have comments on the correct keeping and feeding of animals.

For the normal development of animals, an integrated approach to their cultivation is required.

Novice farmers should know that high gains cannot be achieved from a purebred pig. As a result of rearing with the same amount of feed, piglets will gain weight slowly. If you want to seriously engage in animal husbandry, it is better to purchase thoroughbred animals from a trusted seller. A real pig breeder will take care of timely vaccination, provide the suckers with iron and vitamins on time.

Summary

Poor piglet growth is associated with:

• with helminth infection;
• improperly composed diet and lack of protein foods;
• lack of vitamins and minerals;
• poor conditions of detention;
• diseases or genetic problems.

Unfortunately, pigs get sick very often. For successful and profitable work, the farmer must have knowledge of the most basic diseases that may arise in his farm in order to identify them in time and quickly make a decision to eliminate the problem.

1) Infectious diseases

The first group of diseases that can affect an animal are infectious. The most dangerous and widespread group, can easily pass from a sick individual, to everyone who surrounds her. The reason for their occurrence lies behind the negative influence of pathogenic microorganisms. Without proper treatment, it is often fatal.

Plague

An extremely contagious, infectious disease. It takes place in the form of fever, with the involvement of the blood vessels and blood-forming organs. In severe cases, the plague can manifest itself as pneumonia or croupous-diphtheritic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract.

Etiology: The cause is the togavirus, which contains ribonucleic acid RNA. When ingested by a pig, it accumulates in lymph, bone marrow, liver and blood vessels. Due to the action of the virus, the vessels become thinner, which subsequently leads to hemorrhages, inflammations, and necrotic changes in tissues.

Epizootology: Only pigs are susceptible, regardless of the season.

Symptoms:The incubation period of the disease is approximately 4-7 days. It all starts with hyperthermia of the body around 42 degrees. Hemorrhages appear on the skin of a sick individual (most often on the ears, abdomen, thighs). The younger the pig, the more severe the disease is. In addition to hemorrhages, the animal refuses to feed, becomes lethargic, depressed, vomiting is often manifested. Death occurs approximately 2-3 days after infection.

Pathological examination:carcasses of opened pigs contain obvious hemorrhagic diathesis.

Diagnostics:plague is recorded on the basis of epizootological, symptomatic, and pathological data. Laboratory research is also considered an excellent diagnostic method; it is based on the use of fluorescent antibodies and CSCs.

Control and prevention measures:The farm where the plague was discovered is being quarantined. All livestock that were in the focus of infection is subject to slaughter. All newborn piglets are subject to vaccination (vaccination against plague in the video below). Farm quarantine lasts 40 days from the last recorded death or slaughter of a sick pig, as well as after the final disinfection.

Flu

An acute infectious disease that causes catarrhal inflammation of the mucous membranes of the respiratory organs and fever. Suckers are mainly affected.

Etiology:The cause of the disease is the flu virus. Swine virus is antigenically very similar to type A virus (one of the causative agents of the disease in humans). In severe cases, the virus can be isolated in blood and urine. It is excreted in large quantities with coughing and sneezing.

Epizootology:At risk of infection, there are monthly piglets. The transmission route is airborne. Sick and recovered individuals are the source of infection. The peak of incidence falls in the autumn-winter period. Unsanitary conditions and unsatisfactory maintenance standards can contribute to an outbreak of influenza on the farm.

Symptoms:From infection to the manifestation of the first clinical signs, 1-2 days pass. The disease is acute. It occurs unexpectedly with a sharp hyperthermia up to 42 degrees. The pig becomes lethargic, constantly lies, does not eat. Over time, a picture of the defeat of the respiratory organs is observed, in the form of increased mucus discharge from the nose, lacrimation, coughing, sneezing, inflammation of the conjunctiva often joins. Sick piglets begin to rub their heads on various objects. The ears, tail and limbs become bluish.

After a few days, symptoms may subside. But soon they come back again, and this time they will be much more difficult, plus signs of pneumonia, arthritis, sinusitis, meningitis are possible. These complications lead to mortality of about 60% of sick individuals.

Diagnosis: influenza is diagnosed on the basis of epizootic and symptomatic data. In a laboratory study of the material of sick individuals, the pathogen is isolated and its identification is carried out using laboratory animals.

Treatment: there is no anti-influenza therapy. Sick pigs are prescribed symptomatic treatment.

Prevention:Sick pigs are isolated from the entire herd, piglets suspicious of influenza (coughing, stunted, weak) are culled. In pigsties, disinfection is carried out with a hot solution of sodium hydroxide in 2-3% concentration. Newly arrived pigs are sent to quarantine.

Vesicular exanthema

An acute infectious disease that causes fever and multiple vesicular eruptions on the body.

Etiology: a virus causes disease, is found in large quantities in the blood and internal organs, as well as in epithelial cells and in the vesicular fluid.

Epizootology:all breeds of pigs of any age are susceptible to the disease, it occurs at any time of the year. Infection occurs in the case of direct contact of healthy pigs with sick individuals, as well as when eating contaminated feed. The duration of the disease can last from several weeks to months.

Symptoms:incubation period from 12 hours to 2 weeks. In the initial stages, sick pigs are feverish, weakened, their salivation increases. The first rashes appear on the mucous membrane of the mouth and patch, they are filled with serous fluid, at the same time, hyperthermia is noted within 41-42 degrees. After the rupture, the places of the rash are covered with a yellow fibrin crust, the temperature decreases. This was the primary bubble phase.

The secondary phase begins with rashes in the area of \u200b\u200bthe interdigital space and on the corolla. The pig begins to limp, refuses food. Pregnant sows give birth to dead fetuses. Most often, this pathology disappears after 1-2 weeks, but if the disease has acquired complications, the pig develops felon and the horn shoe falls off.

Pathological study:mucous membranes are covered with small hemorrhages, parenchymal organs succumb to degenerative processes.

Diagnosis:vesicular exanthema is diagnosed on the basis of the clinical picture. The epizootic situation is also taken into account.

Treatment:Sick piglets are fed with talkers, not limited in drinking water (always fresh), and the bedding layer is increased. To avoid the development of complications, a course of antibacterial drugs is prescribed.

Measures struggle: when an outbreak of the disease occurs, the affected group of pigs is sent for slaughter, the meat is suitable only for sausage and canning production. The territory where the animals lived and where the slaughter was carried out is treated with a 2% alkali solution.

Prevention: strict observance of veterinary and sanitary requirements for the keeping of pigs, control of the diet of animals.

Enzootic viral pneumonia

An infectious disease with a chronic course. Affects the lungs of pigs.

Causes of occurrence:causes disease virus M. suipheumoniae, M. hyopeumoniae, mainly affects pigs up to a month. It is resistant to a number of antibiotics and can persist in the animal's body for more than a year.

Epizootology: any breed of pigs at any age are susceptible to viral pneumonia (but suckling piglets are especially distinguished). It can occur at any time of the year, but in the autumn-winter period, the lesions are more complex. The route of transmission is aerogenic, factors that contribute to infection are close housing, poor diet, colds.

Symptoms: incubation period - 10-16 days, pigs begin to show the presence of the disease at 3-10 weeks of life. A dry cough is considered the main symptom. Hyperthermia reaches 41 degrees and above. The piglets eat satisfactorily, but do not gain weight. More mature individuals suffer from coughing fits, which grows from rare to more frequent. After a few weeks, it weakens a little, and disappears in those who have recovered altogether. In a favorable prognosis, the pig will recover in 1-2 months.

Diagnosis: Enzootic pneumonia is based on symptoms and epizootic data. The most effective diagnosis is a piglet bioassay.

Treatment:there is no specific treatment. Tetracycline and oxytetracycline (daily in large doses) can alleviate the course of the disease.

Prevention: All severely affected pigs should be slaughtered. The farm organizes camp content, the owner must provide them with regular walks.

Viral gastroenteritis

An acute illness, which proceeds with vomiting, profuse diarrhea, dehydration and a high mortality rate among piglets.

Etiology:the pathogen is an RNA-containing coronavirus. It is very sensitive to light and degrades quickly under UV rays. High temperatures also adversely affect the virus, but at minus temperatures, it remains contagious for up to 3 years.

Epizootology:viral gastroenteritis is dangerous only for pigs, regardless of age and season. Sources of infection are sick and recovered individuals, transmission occurs through the gastrointestinal tract. The contingent is more susceptible to the disease, these are piglets up to 2 weeks of age, the mortality rate among them reaches 100%, but piglets that were born earlier from having had viral gastroenteritis have immunity up to 1-2 months of life.

Symptoms:the incubation period in piglets, from several hours to 4 days, in adults can take up to a week.

Piglet symptoms: profuse diarrhea, vomiting, increased thirst. The body temperature may rise, but soon becomes normal. After 3-6 days, many sick piglets die.

Adult pigs: short-term hyperthermia up to 41 degrees, diarrhea and decreased appetite. Most of the mature pigs recover, in the rest it only progresses (vomiting joins, diarrhea increases). Despite complications, mortality among adults can reach 15-20%, the rest recover.

Diagnosis: For a better diagnosis, it is better to call a veterinarian. Viral gastroenteritis is diagnosed based on symptoms and epizootic data.

Treatment:only symptomatic therapy.

Prevention:consists in quarantining newly arrived pigs, keeping the livestock in satisfactory veterinary and sanitary conditions.

Ascariasis

Etiology: The causative agent of the disease is the ascaris worm, which settles in the intestines of the pig. The source of infection is the feces of a sick individual, which can contaminate feeders and drinkers.

Symptoms:the infected pig has inflammation of the respiratory tract with frequent bouts of coughing and shortness of breath, vomiting, and hyperthermia of the body. The individual lags behind in development.

Diagnostics: Given the symptoms, animal feces are sent to the laboratory to detect worms.

Treatment:any anthelmintic drugs are suitable for treatment.

Prevention: compliance with sanitary standards of maintenance, regular deworming, cleaning manure. Separate piglets from adult pigs.

Cysticercosis

Etiology: The disease is caused by tapeworms - cysticercus. The sources are various carnivores that secrete the pathogen with fecal masses. A pig can become infected by eating the remains of sick animals, by eating faecal contaminated feed or water.

Symptoms: Cysticercosis in pigs is often latent, or asymptomatic. With a high intensity of invasion in infected animals, shallow breathing is observed, anemia develops, edema, and seizures appear. In cases of localization in the heart of a large number of cysticercus, a lethal outcome is possible.

Diagnostics: The diagnosis is almost impossible to establish during life.

Treatment and prevention:there is no specific treatment. They try to prevent the disease by performing a number of preventive measures. For this, the owner must comply with all veterinary and sanitary standards, feed the animals with high-quality food, carry out routine disinfection and deratization of the pigsties' premises.

3) Non-communicable diseases of pigs

It is an independent ailment, and also often acts as one of the symptoms of many diseases (in such cases, hyperthermia, weakness join).

Etiology: The main reasons for the occurrence are considered to be problems in the diet, which may consist of stale foods, or was not rationally complex, or the pig overeats a lot. It is also possible intestinal blockage by foreign bodies that the animal swallows during walks.

Treatment: treatment is carried out with the help of wearable drugs, dietary adjustments and providing the animal with clean drinking water. If blockage occurs, surgery is indicated.

If constipation is just a secondary symptom, the underlying condition is treated.

Bloating

It occurs due to the abundant accumulation of gases in the digestive tract.

Etiology: Main causes: overeating or eating fermenting foods.

Symptoms: anxiety, lack of appetite, increased abdominal volume, increased salivation.

Treatment: limiting the use of fermenting foods, a temporary reduction in the diet. The pig is given a belly massage, drugs are used for bloating.

Diarrhea

Another non-communicable disease, which is dysfunction in the gastrointestinal tract, as well as constipation, is a secondary symptom of a number of diseases. Before starting treatment, you should find out what caused the disease.

Treatment:provide pigs with softer bedding that is warmed up. Limit food intake for a short time, with an increasing amount of return to a full-fledged diet. Medication is used.

The path of animal husbandry is far from simple: animals may not grow, suffer from lack of appetite, and get sick. Today we will tell you why piglets do not grow well and how to solve this problem.

A pig is an animal that gains weight quite quickly if provided with the correct diet and diet. Beginners may not immediately understand why the pig does not eat or grow. And there may be several reasons. The main thing is to find out in time which of them worries your ward.

Worms

Almost all animals suffer from helminths, since it is very easy to get infected with them. The piglet can be infected at an early age from the uterus or a little later with some food, soil or manure. The eggs of the worms are practically invisible, therefore, infection can only be prevented with the help of regular preventive measures and carefully monitoring the cleanliness of the room in which the pigs live or walk.

The room needs thorough disinfection. Feces containing eggs or adult helminths must be doused with a combustible mixture and burned. Otherwise, they will penetrate the soil, and the risk of infection will arise again. Worms are one of the main reasons why piglets do not eat well or burp.

Improper nutrition

There are certain norms for how much a piglet should weigh at a certain stage of growth. So, up to 6 months with a balanced diet, the weight of the animal should be about 1 centner. Young animals need protein, if it is not enough in the body, then babies gain weight poorly. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the pig's diet constantly contains proteins, carbohydrates, fats (plant and animal origin), vitamins and minerals.

A common misconception is that the use of bulk feed (greens, root crops) gives good growth results. This is not entirely true. Compound feed works best, and the rest can be included as a supplement. The main thing is that everything is fresh. You also need to ensure that all piglets have access to the feeder and are full.

Lack of vitamins

The consequence of an unbalanced diet and improper maintenance is a lack of essential nutrients. Together, these factors can lead to dire consequences. So, a lack of vitamin D first affects appetite, then the structure of bone tissue changes, and rickets may develop. The lack of this vitamin is a consequence of insufficient lighting in winter and lack of walking in warm weather.

An insufficient amount of vitamin A leads to the manifestation of vitamin deficiency, breathing and skin problems, and indigestion. The pig begins to eat poorly and practically stops growing. Lack of B vitamins can cause stomach upset and cardiovascular disease.

Lack of protein, vitamin B, essential acids can provoke the appearance of pellagra - rough skin. First, the animal develops a rash, then weeping sores and scabs. The pig salivates and a rash appears in the mouth. Then there is a complete loss of appetite. Lack of iron in food can cause anemia. Oxygen deficiency, low hemoglobin affect not only the appearance, but also significantly undermine the health of the pig. If nothing is done, lethal outcome is possible.

Conditions of detention

Another common reason why pigs do not grow is housing conditions. It is dangerous, first of all, because breeders often neglect it and do not consider it necessary to correct it. You can often observe a picture where animals lie in a simple aviary, in their own feces and food debris. In order for the young to eat well, grow quickly and not be at risk of diseases, the pigsty must be warm, above +16 ° C, well ventilated, but without drafts, and clean. If the room is cold, all energy is spent on warming up the body, so the growth process slows down significantly.

Dirt and manure are an ideal environment for the development of pathogenic microbes.

Pathology

There is a reason that is very difficult to notice right away - pathological diseases and flaws. An improperly formed bite significantly complicates the process of chewing food and, as a result, malnutrition. Therefore, when buying, you need to examine the teeth and jaw of babies. There should be no discrepancies. Also, you should not take piglets that appeared as a result of the mating of close "relatives", since there is a high risk of developmental disorders.

What to do

It is easier to prevent than to fix the problem. However, if the consequences have already appeared, you need to decide what to do. First you need to make sure that the living conditions are as comfortable as possible for the piglets. Keep it clean, disinfect with bleach or lime, insulate the pigsty and provide space for walking. To prevent and get rid of worms, you can use medications (sodium silicofluoride, "Nilverm", "Biomectin") or folk remedies (tansy, garlic).

In order for a pig to eat well and receive the necessary nutrients with food, you should take care of a balanced diet. The menu must necessarily include: meal, cake, bran, legumes, meat or meat and bone meal, fish waste, yeast, fresh herbs, dairy products.

It is best to use ready-made compound feed, to which you can add part of the bulk. A complex diet will provide the body with the necessary nutrients. But a complex supplement will also be useful. Special injections will help to cope with advanced cases of vitamin deficiency.

We should not forget that one reason can provoke several problems and they can only be solved in a complex. Therefore, carefully monitor the behavior of the animals and do not take any action without consulting your veterinarian. Self-treatment can cause even more harm to the piglet.

Video "Proper feeding of piglets"

This video will show you how to feed your piglets properly at home.

If the pig doesn't eat and stops growing, any livestock breeder will worry. The reason for the lack of appetite in animals can be anything from illness to bad weather. Sometimes this is a temporary phenomenon that can be easily corrected, and sometimes the cause of malnutrition has to be fought for a long time and thoroughly. In any case, ignoring the problem, hoping that it will disappear by itself, is not worth it. Read about why pigs or piglets stop eating, and what to do about it, below.

Why animals lose their appetite

When a pig refuses to eat, the reasons can be very different. We'll cover the most common ones:

Normally, piglets gain weight very quickly. In six months, pigs can "gain" 100 kg. If you notice that the animal is eating little, you need to contact your veterinarian. Often, only he can correctly diagnose.

However, it is not always possible to invite a good specialist, and you have to act independently. To understand what is wrong with the pigs in your farm, analyze whether they are fully fed, whether they are comfortable living, given their age. Examine the animal - some diseases "give themselves away" by characteristic external signs. Gender also matters, as some ailments manifest themselves differently in males and females.

Signs of helminthic invasion in animals

Worm infestation is the most common reason why piglets do not grow or eat. You can suspect helminthiasis if the animal has characteristic signs.

First, the pig eats poorly and loses weight quickly. In a couple of weeks or less, the animal can lose so much weight that the ribs begin to stand out. Another sign is coughing. Restless behavior, fever may occur. Piglets often vomit. Not always, but usually worms can be seen in the feces.

Adult animals and young animals become infected by digging in manure, soil, and eating dirty feed. Sows can transfer helminth eggs to piglets if they are not vaccinated on time. In this case, the infection occurs during feeding.

Compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards on the farm also plays a role, especially when keeping sows with litters.

Treatment for worms: medicines and folk methods

There are also special tablets: biomectin, brovermectin, albentabs-360, kelamectin. Their use must be agreed with your veterinarian. If the animal belches, or the medicine cannot be given by mouth for another reason, Ivermek can be injected. The dosage of all the drugs named is calculated by the weight of the pig.

Use nilverm powder at 0.007 g per kilogram of pig weight twice a day. The course is two days.

From folk remedies, ordinary garlic has proven itself well. It is added to feed or given forcibly, mixed with other food, at the rate of 1 g of garlic per 1 kg of weight. You can also give tansy flowers to animals. For a pig weighing 30 kg, a teaspoon is enough. More well-fed individuals are given a tablespoon of crushed flowers. This therapy is continued for two weeks.

General cleaning of the premises is also necessary. The floors must be washed with bleach.

Lack of vitamins: signs and solutions

If the pig is not eating, a simple supplement of vitamins in the diet can be a treatment. Lack of certain substances interferes with the functioning of the body and causes loss of appetite.

As a rule, when the piglet is not growing, it lacks vitamin D. This is especially the case in animals that do not get enough sun. In this case, injections of drugs prodevit, eliovit or tetrahydrovit, plus a nucleopeptide, will help. They stimulate growth. Injections are given once a week. If you do not want to inject, add fish oil to the pig's feed, regularly turn on the ultraviolet lamp in the room.

Lack of iron can cause anemia in pigs and impair appetite. The piglet develops more slowly, sometimes it reaches the death of the animal. Anemia occurs in suckling babies because milk contains less iron than it needs. For prophylaxis, 5-8 days after birth, the cubs are injected with iron preparations: ferroglucin, ferranimal, suiferravit.

Lack of vitamins A and group B has the following symptoms: dry and flaky skin, heart and breathing problems, digestive disorders. You can introduce sprouted grains, carrots, pumpkins, grass into the diet of pigs. In severe cases, the veterinarian will prescribe vitamin injections to the pig.

Influence of housing conditions on the development of animals

Pig breeding assumes comfortable conditions for animals, especially for a growing organism. Otherwise, the pigs cannot be fattened. If it is too hot or too cold in a pigsty, this negatively affects their well-being and development. Fortunately, content gaps can be corrected too.

If you are keeping piglets recently weaned from a sow, the temperature there should not fall below +22 degrees Celsius. Fattening animals feel good even at lower temperatures - up to +14 degrees. The sex of the young is also not important here - the temperature regime is the same for everyone.

When the room is colder, the body spends energy to keep warm, all processes slow down. In the heat above +30 degrees, pigs are also uncomfortable. They stop eating and gain weight very slowly.

At the same time, it is extremely important what floors are in the pigsty, the microclimate largely depends on them. They must be dry, clean, with a hygienic bedding and not slippery.

Physical defects that prevent normal growth

Before thinking about why piglets do not eat well, it is worth remembering whether you were careful when buying them or examining them after birth. Sometimes physical or genetic abnormalities are to blame.

So, poor appetite can be the result of an incorrect bite. It is difficult for a piglet to chew food normally, so it eats little, and food is less digestible. It is easy to see this deviation. You need to take the animal, part its lips and carefully examine its jaws.

All teeth should be at the same level. If the jaws are shifted in relation to each other by five, eight mm or more, this is a flaw. Such a pig will not eat and develop normally.

When buying piglets, take brothers and sisters - they will not conflict. Stress and fights with relatives are also bad for the development of animals. However, check to see if the parents of the piglets were close relatives. If there were, the droppings will be weak. Babies will often get sick and gain weight slowly. May not be viable at all.

Wrong balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates

A correct diet for the first 6 months of a piglet's life is extremely important. This is the period of the most intensive development. But in the future, the pig should receive a balanced diet.

If you fed the piglets abundantly, they ate, but gained little weight, they may lack protein; it must be not only vegetable, but also animal.

This is especially important in the first half of the year, when the piglets are building up muscle (fat grows more from about 7 months).

By knowing what to do, you can easily solve the problem. In order for animals to get enough protein, introduce lysine (an acid that is part of proteins) into their food, protein supplements. In winter, it is good to feed pigs with yeast. By the way, gender also practically does not affect the need for proteins.

You can make a mixture of cake, pea flour, cereals and vitamin and mineral supplements. It will ensure the normal balance of most substances in the animal body.

By the way, if the piglet does not eat well, pay attention to the color of the feed. There are studies showing that pigs prefer light colored foods.

The main diseases that interfere with feeding animals

When a piglet does not eat, it is always worth suspecting an illness. Many diseases cause loss of appetite, lead to stunted growth and development. Let's consider the most common ones.

On the background of an unbalanced diet, pellagra can develop in animals. In addition to the fact that piglets do not grow, this disease is terrible with consequences, namely, the death of young animals. Symptoms of pathology: rash turning into sores, peeling and cracks in the skin, sore gums, dull stubble, indigestion.

When transferring suckling piglets to a different diet, they sometimes develop dyspepsia or gastroenteritis. Signs of these ailments are diarrhea and vomiting, low body temperature, refusal to eat.

Respiratory diseases of all kinds can also explain why the pig does not want to eat. For such ailments, the characters are cough, conjunctivitis, nasal discharge, weakness, fever. In this regard, read the article

Other diseases and how to recognize them

If the vaccination is not done in time, the piglet can get sick with erysipelas. This ailment is bacterial in nature, usually occurs in summer or late spring. The reasons are special microorganisms that live in the soil and non-compliance with hygiene standards.

With erysipelas, the piglet not only loses its appetite, but also drinks a lot. The temperature rises, and a rash appears on the skin. The animal weakens, lies a lot.

Piglets from two months to six months can become infected with paratyphoid fever if the sow is poorly fed and the housing conditions are poor. Piglets have diarrhea and constipation alternately, weakness. All this is accompanied by a reluctance to eat and a high body temperature.

We have listed the main causes of poor appetite and growth retardation in piglets. It is worth remembering that some of these diseases can mow down half of the livestock, and poor nutrition first affects weak individuals, but harms everyone, regardless of age, gender or pedigree. Therefore, if at least one pig begins to disturb you, immediately call your veterinarian.

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