Reasons for low food intake of lactating sows

When we raise pigs, management is very important. If it is not properly managed, a lot of problems will arise. Low food intake of lactating sows is one of them. Low food intake of lactating sows will not only affect their own growth. And lactation will also be insufficient, resulting in growth hindrance of piglets. So what is the reason for the low food intake of lactating sows? The following editor will give you a brief introduction, let's have a look!

1. Temperature discomfort

The temperature discomfort in the house is one of the main reasons for the insufficient food intake of lactating sows. Especially in the high temperature environment, even if the sows are normal in all aspects, there will be a loss of appetite because of the high temperature. The temperature of the sow house should be kept at about 20 degrees, and in the summer with the highest temperature, even if the sow house has good ventilation and good thermal insulation, it will not be able to reach the appropriate temperature for sow growth if there is no manual temperature control. The higher the temperature, the lower the food intake of sows. If it exceeds 30 degrees, the sow's food intake will be reduced by about 40%.

2. Constipation and lack of exercise

Sows often have a lot of problems after giving birth. Constipation is one of them. If sows are constipated, their digestive function will be affected, which will lead to lack of appetite and various problems in sows. And sows are usually raised on the birth bed during the lactation period. The space for the birth bed is so small that the sow is basically unable to move. If the sow does not exercise enough, then the sow's gastrointestinal peristalsis will slow down, resulting in constipation in the sow.

3. Improper diet and drinking water

When many pig farmers prepare diets for sows, the formula of their premix is very unreasonable. Either the proportion of crude fiber is insufficient or the quality of crude fiber is too low. It leads to the retention of surimi in the gastrointestinal tract for a long time, reduces the intestinal peristaltic speed, and causes the intestinal tract to absorb too many harmful substances, which leads to sow constipation. And the water quality is poor, if the water taste is bitter, it will affect the drinking water of sows and lead to loss of appetite of sows. And if the water pressure is insufficient or the water pipe is blocked, the decrease in the amount of drinking water will also result in a low food intake of sows.

4. Postpartum infection

Sows in pregnancy, if the labor process is too long and dystocia and other phenomena, then it is very easy to lead to postpartum infection. And postpartum nursing work is not in place, it is also the main cause of postpartum infection. Sows have symptoms such as low food intake after postpartum infection. Various pathogens, such as Escherichia coli, classical swine fever virus and streptococcus, affect the digestive function of sows, thus reducing appetite. In addition, the unrestricted use of antibiotics and some noise and other environmental stress factors will affect the feed intake of sows.

The above is a brief introduction to the reasons for the low food intake of lactating sows. That's all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only. I hope it can help you all.