The reason and practice of supplying iron to piglets

Iron is an essential substance for the transport of oxygen in animals. At birth, piglets store about 30-50 mg of iron and need about 7 mg per day for growth, while piglets can only get about 1 mg supplement from breast milk. If the piglets are not given iron supplements, the iron reserves in the piglets will be exhausted around 1 week old, and the piglets will suffer from anaemia. Piglets are lethargic, anorexia, pale skin and visual membrane, rough and dull coat, dysentery, growth stagnation, and diseased piglets gradually lose weight and become weak, leading to death in severe cases. Therefore, it is necessary to supplement iron to piglets as soon as possible. The specific practices are as follows:

(l) iron-copper mixture supplementary feeding method 2. 5 grams of ferrous sulfate and 1 gram of copper sulfate were dissolved in 1 000 ml of water, packed in bottles and replenished at the age of 3 days. When piglets suck, drop the mixture on the nipple for the piglet to suck, or feed it in a bottle, 1 or 2 times a day, 10 ml per day. After the piglets start eating, mix the mixture in the feed.

(2) at the age of 3 days, the piglets were injected intramuscularly with dextran drunken iron drill mixture injection or iron selenium injection, and then injected with 2 ml at the age of 10 days.

(3) Mineral lick in order to meet the needs of piglets for a variety of minerals and trace elements, when piglets are 5 days old, small grooves filled with bone powder, salt, charcoal powder, laterite or fresh grass root soil can be placed in the supplementary feed pen, mixed with iron drill mixture, and let them eat freely. In addition, the soil contains iron, which can be supplemented by piglets licking red soil or grazing.