Reasons why sows do not breastfeed

When many pigs are fed, their sows refuse to breast-feed their piglets, which often results in the death of piglets and gives pig farmers a deep headache. So why are sows breast-feeding? What caused it? Come and have a look with the editor.

1. Sows are inexperienced

Some sows are born for the first time, and their intense pain during childbirth will cause a high degree of tension on their nerves, so they have an inexplicable fear of breastfeeding, or the presence of piglets makes them feel irritated, so they refuse to breast-feed. For this situation, nurses should be arranged to help the sow learn to breast-feed. First of all, when the sow lies down, gently scratch its belly with your hand, and the piglets prevent them from scrambling for milk and keep the lactation environment quiet, so that the sow can breast-feed normally after a few times.

2. Environmental discomfort

When newly born sows are moved to other pens, sudden changes in the environment can cause discomfort, emotional tension, and refusal to breastfeed. For this situation, the sow can be moved to a new enclosure before delivery, so that it will not be nervous after delivery, and when its mood calms down, it will naturally breast-feed the piglets.

3. Insufficient lactation

When the sows have plenty of milk, their breasts will bulge after drinking for a few hours, the breasts of the piglets will shrivel after feeding, and the sows will feel comfortable to some extent. However, when there is no milk in the sow, the piglet still goes to milk, which will only make the sow feel irritated and refuse to breast-feed, sometimes directly covering the ground and pointing the nipple to the ground, so that the piglet can no longer drink milk. This situation generally occurs in thin and malnourished sows, for which it is necessary to strengthen the supply of feed, especially the supply of fine feeding and trace elements.

4. Breast pain

When the sow has enough milk, the breast is very painful, and then it will take the initiative to breast-feed. If the sow bites its nipple, the sow will feel pain and may attack on its own. Or when sows suffer from mastitis, they will feel pain when they touch it, and they will refuse to breast-feed. If they suffer from mastitis, they should be treated with penicillin or other drugs in time.

The above is the introduction of the reasons why sows are not breastfeeding. I hope I can help you. If you want to know more about it, please follow us.