Why are sows unwilling to breast-feed their piglets

After working hard to help the sows give birth smoothly, many pig farmers will find that the sows have always been unwilling to breast-feed the piglets, and when the piglets go to drink milk, they will refuse to suck or even bite the piglets. Eventually, the piglets had no food to eat and starved to death. What is the reason why sows don't want to breast-feed their piglets? How should we solve the problem? The following editor will discuss it with you.

1. Sows are inexperienced

Generally speaking, the sows who are unwilling to breast-feed their piglets are the sows who give birth for the first time. After experiencing the pain caused by childbirth, they will have nervous tension, have a sense of fear of breastfeeding piglets, or do not adapt to the annoyance of piglets around them. Rejection will occur. If you encounter this kind of sow who is a "mother" for the first time, there should be a caregiver next to the sow, train the sow to breast-feed, gently scratch the belly with the hand when the sow lies down, and control the piglet not to let the piglet compete for the nipple. Give the sow a quiet lactation environment, and the sow will gradually adapt after 3-4 times. And often massage the sow's breasts during pregnancy, so that when the piglets eat later, the sows are not excited about quiet lactation.

2. The environment does not adapt.

When sows give birth, it is generally necessary to transfer sows and piglets to a new pigsty, but because sows do not adapt to the new environment, emotional tension, do not allow piglets to drink milk, refuse to breast-feed piglets. For this kind of sows with poor ability to adapt to the environment, they should be transferred to a new pigsty before delivery begins, so that the sows will be familiar with the new environment in advance, and their mood will stabilize after a process of adaptation. will take the initiative to breast-feed the piglets.

3. Sows have no milk

When sows have enough milk, their breasts swell almost every 1-2 hours, and the piglets begin to drink milk. After drinking, the breasts go down gradually, and the sows will feel very comfortable. However, when the sow has no milk, the piglet will still suck the nipple all the time, which will cause the sow to be upset when it is sucked. At first, it will stop the piglet from taking it, and then lie on the ground directly, cover the nipple, and prevent the piglet from continuing to arch its head. This phenomenon is mainly caused by malnutrition and emaciation of sows. In view of this situation, it is necessary to strengthen the nutrition of sows, slowly increase the feed amount of sows after delivery, supplement the trace elements and minerals needed by sows, and improve the content and quality of milk.

4. Nipple pain

Sometimes sows have plenty of milk and large breasts, and the piglets are exchanged for milk, but when the piglets hold their nipples, the sows will stand up with a cry and even attack the piglets. It's not for environmental reasons, nor is it a newborn pig. This is because the nipples of sows suffer from mastitis, and the piglets are very painful when they touch them, so they are not allowed to drink milk. It may also be because the piglets' teeth are uneven and not too sharp, biting the sows and causing the sows to have an aversion to breastfeeding. It is found that when sows suffer from mastitis, penicillin and other drugs should be used in time for prevention and treatment, and the teeth of piglets should be smoothed and cut.

These are the reasons why sows are reluctant to breast-feed their piglets, or it may be that sows are infected with disease after delivery, causing inflammation and disgust of breastfeeding piglets. Sows and piglets are important factors in the development of the whole pig farm, so we must pay close attention to the situation of sows. If there is a case of refusing feeding, it is necessary to understand the reasons for refusing to feed, and then prescribe the right medicine to the case.