Comprehensive prevention and control of pig tail biting disease

Pig tail biting is a kind of pica, which is a kind of stress syndrome caused by nutritional metabolic disorder, abnormal taste and improper feeding management. In particular, the incidence was higher in August-December and January-March, which generally occurred in 18-80 kg pigs and 24-40 kg pigs (12-14 weeks old). More sows than boars are affected. It is estimated that about 4.6% of boars and 3.4% of sows are bitten.

I. the cause of the disease

(1) improper feeding and management: high feeding density, excessive number of pigs in the same column, disorder, narrow feeding trough space, feed restriction and insufficient drinking water, poor sanitary condition or pooling, poor uniformity of pigs, etc., each pig is less than 1 square meter, and the wide disparity between the size of pigs in the same circle and so on can induce tail biting.

(2) Environmental factors: the environmental conditions of the pigsty are poor, such as the temperature in the pigsty is too high or too low, poor ventilation and the accumulation of harmful gases, abnormal changes in the weather, itching of the skin caused by the dampness of the pigsty, causing discomfort or poor rest in the pig, pig house light is too strong, pigs are excited and restless, the living environment of pigs is monotonous, shock, pig clustering and other stress can cause tail biting.

(3) nutritional imbalance: when the nutritional level of feed is lower than the feeding standard and can not meet the nutritional needs of pig growth and development, pig tail biting can be caused, such as lack of protein and low crude fiber in feed can lead to tail biting disease. In addition, various nutrients in the diet are unbalanced, such as deficiency of iron, calcium and phosphorus, deficiency or poor quality of vitamins and protein, deficiency or imbalance of iron, copper, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and other elements. some people speculate that long-term addition of olaquindox and dysentery in feed will also cause this disease. It is reported that lack of sodium salt can lead to a large area of pig tail biting.

(4) breed and individual differences: if pigs of different breeds or pigs of the same breed are raised in the same pen, the phenomenon of biting each other often occurs. Because of the differences in varieties and life characteristics, they contradict each other and compete for supremacy. There are great differences between individuals, and the phenomenon of bullying the small often occurs in occupying sleeping area and grabbing food.

(5) Diseases: when pigs suffer from external parasites such as lice and scabies, they can cause irritation and restlessness of pig skin, and friction in the house leads to exudates behind the ear and ribs, which attract other pigs and induce tail biting; parasitic diseases in pigs, especially Ascaris lumbricoides, stimulate infected pigs to attack other pigs, resulting in tail biting.

(6) the playful nature of piglets: piglets who live and work in a comfortable environment bite the tails of other pigs.

Second, clinical symptoms

Sick pigs at first behave restlessly, are sensitive to external stimuli, have a reduced appetite and have ferocious eyes. At first, only a few heads bitten each other, and gradually many heads were involved, mainly biting their tails, a few also biting their ears, often bitten to depilate their tails and bleeding, biting pigs and then producing a penchant for blood, causing tail biting addiction, and the harm gradually expanded. Bitten pigs often have tail skin and hair loss, affecting body weight gain, serious secondary infection, causing osteomyelitis and abscess, if not treated in time, septicemia can lead to death.

III. Prevention and control measures

(1) strengthen feeding and management: the individual differences of pigs in the same circle of ⑴ should not be too big and should be as close as possible. ⑵ puts tar on the pigtail to prevent it from biting. ⑶ feeding density should not be too large to ensure that the feeding area of each fat pig is 0. 8-1 square meters, medium pigs 0. 6-0. 7 square meters and piglets 0. 3-0. 5 square meters. ⑷ should strengthen the ventilation of pig houses, reasonable grouping, limit light, regular and quantitative feeding, do not feed moldy and deteriorated feed, clean drinking water, adequate feeding trough and sink facilities, pay attention to hygiene, and avoid food fighting and uneven diet. ⑸ tries to create a suitable microclimate for the growth of pigs to avoid stress caused by extreme heat and cold, thieving wind, fecal pollution, air turbidity, humidity and other factors.

(2) tail breaking of piglets: when piglets are born, at about 1 cm from the root of the tail, cut off the tail with tail cutting forceps and apply iodine tincture or when the piglets are born 1-2 days, use steel wire pliers to continuously clamp two forceps at 3 places under the tail, the distance between the two forceps is about 0.4 cm, cut off the tailbone and caudal muscle, the blood vessels and nerves are compressed, and the skin is pressed into a groove. 7-10 days after the clamp, the lower one of the tail can be removed. The method is simple, no bleeding, no inflammation, and the effect is good. Cutting off the tail of piglets is an effective measure to control tail biting disease.

(3) distract pigs: put toys such as chains, leather balls, old tires and green feed in weaning pens, as these toys have become the focus of pigs' attention, thereby reducing the incidence of tail biting disease. According to research, it is more effective to put a 2-meter-long hose into a pigsty, which is required to be bitten by a pig but not broken by it.

(4) to meet the nutritional needs of pigs: pay attention to the full price of compound feed, appropriately increase the amount of salt, increase the level of dietary calcium and lysine, strengthen dietary vitamins, and select high-quality protein feed. Salt bricks can also be used. Salt bricks contain elements such as calcium, sodium, manganese, zinc, iron, magnesium and copper and are placed on one side of the pigsty where the pig's head is as high as the pig's head.

(5) Drug control: 50 mg of chlorpromazine hydrochloride was injected. Or spray pig body and nose with spirits above 50 degrees, 3-5 times a day, usually two days to control tail biting.