DRYING PIGLETS TO REDUCE NEONATAL MORTALITY
NEONATAL
It is common practice in pig farming to dry piglets immediately after birth.
It has been shown that this procedure can significantly reduce neonatal mortality and improve thermoregulation in piglets.
For this reason, drying newborn piglets is one of the most frequently given recommendations by technicians and veterinarians to farmers to reduce neonatal mortality.
Let’s discover together why this practice is so important and what advice Tecnozoo has for you.
PIGLETS AND HYPOTHERMIA
Hypothermia in piglets occurs when their body temperature drops below 38.5°C.
The risk of hypothermia is closely related to the ambient temperature.
The thermal stress of the piglet begins when the ambient temperature falls below 34°C.
Unlike other mammals, piglets are born with limited energy reserves, and to combat thermal stress and maintain a proper body temperature, they must rely on these reserves and the glucose introduced through colostrum.
The use of these resources for heat production represents a significant waste and energy deprivation that can compromise the normal growth or survival of the piglet.
SYMPTOMS OF HEAT STRESS AND RELATED RISKS
The first symptoms of cold stress are a reduced liveliness of the piglet and slower movements, which increase the risk of crushing.
Additionally, poor liveliness contributes to an increased latency between birth and the first suckling, which, along with reduced vigor during suckling, leads to insufficient colostrum intake, resulting in a progressive decline in the animal’s condition.
Piglets that receive little colostrum and experience energy deprivation will stay closer to the sow to beg for milk and will be at a higher risk of being crushed.
It is reported that there is a positive correlation between animals that are unable to maintain a constant body temperature and animals that die from crushing or starvation.
CAN DRYING PIGLETS REDUCE THE RISKS RELATED TO THERMAL STRESS?
While the literature contains many studies correlating neonatal mortality with various managerial factors related to parturition, there are few studies available that correlate thermal stress, drying of piglets, and neonatal mortality.
Of the few available studies, most seem to agree that the practice of drying piglets immediately after birth can reduce neonatal mortality due to risks associated with thermal stress (deprivation and crushing).
In a study conducted by Andersen et al. in 2009, it was reported that a group of piglets that were dried and placed under an infrared lamp immediately after birth had a neonatal mortality rate of about half compared to a control group that was not attended to by the operator but had access to a lamp and bedding (6% versus nearly 12% neonatal mortality).
Regarding the causes of death, nearly 50% of the piglets that died in the control group, that is, the non-dried piglets, died from crushing, whereas just over 10% of the deaths in the dried and infrared lamp group were due to the same cause.
TECHNIQUES ADOPTED TO DRY PIGLETS
We can summarize the various techniques adopted for drying piglets into three categories:
- Rubbing with paper towels, cloth towels, straw, or wood shavings
- Rubbing with adsorbent powders
- Utilizzo di lampade riscaldanti ad infrarossi
While the first two techniques involve direct intervention by rubbing piglets with absorbent materials, the use of lamps is a passive technique that does not require direct human intervention.
It is common to combine both direct and indirect techniques, as reported in the previously mentioned study, where rubbing with absorbent materials is combined with placing the piglets under a heating lamp.
Both direct and indirect techniques are helpful in reducing neonatal mortality rates, however, parturition assistance combined with piglet handling offers significant advantages.
Rubbing piglets with adsorbent materials not only helps to reduce moisture on the skin to minimize heat loss but also allows for stimulating blood circulation through massage.
Reducing heat loss prevents the dissipation of the animal’s energy reserves for maintaining body temperature and reduces the risks associated with thermal stress mentioned earlier.
LT PLUS, to dry your piglets and for a healthier farrowing box!
LT PLUS is a powder product, absorbent, that can be used as an absorbent material to dry newly born piglets.
LT PLUS, sprinkled multiple times in the farrowing box, helps maintain a dry environment and is hostile to the proliferation of potential pathogenic bacteria.
Learn more about the product
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