Hello Sir
Pig Housing should be simple and durable. The flooring should have a rough finish and made up of water proof cement mortar. Proper drains.should be provided so that the effluents are disposed off. Generally under village conditions the housing can be made up of pens measuring 3 m X 2.4 m with an open yard of nearly the same dimension or in some cases slightly longer. Walls should be 1.2-1.5 m high from the floor. For the purposes of farrowing some of the pens could be converted into farrowing pens by providing guard rails made up of G.I pipes of 5 cm diameter, along the walls, 20-25 cm from the ground and the wall. In addition to guard rails, creep space can be provided for the piglets along the wall by making a partition or in one of the corners with separate entrances for the piglets. This space usually of 0.75 m X 2.4 m area.
Breeds of pigs
Breed of the pig plays major role in the profitability of pig rearing. Breed of the Pig selected should adjust to the prevailing local agro-climatic conditions, should have resistance to diseases and should have faster growth rate.
Care and management of pregnant sows
Average gestation period in pig is 114-120 days.
pregnant animals maintained in group should be protected from fighting each other to avoid abortion.
Pregnant sows should be provided with rations containing sufficient nutrients to support the growth of foetus and the need of mother.
Pregnant sows should be kept clean. The sows should be separated and brought to the farrowing shed two weeks before the farrowing so that the sow get familiar with place.
The farrowing room should be disinfected before bringing the sow and should be kept clean always.
The farrowing sow should be fed with laxative ration to avoid constipation by including the rice or wheat bran in diet. Guard rails and creep space provisions should be made available in the farrowing rooms.
The room temperature in farrowing pen should be maintained at around 30 °C and during winter and rainy days heat lamps can be used for maintaining room temperature to protect the new born young piglets.
Weaning
Separation of piglets from her mother is to be carried out at 6 to 8 weeks of age. The sow should be separated from the piglets for a few hours each day to prevent stress of weaning and feed is reduced gradually. The piglets should be dewormed after 2 weeks of weaning. The piglets should be gradually shifted from 18 % protein creep feed to 16 % grower ration over a period of two weeks. Group of 20 piglets of more or less the same age should be housed in each pen.
Health management
Like other livestock pigs also get sicknesses due to bacterial infections, viral infection and parasitic infestations.
Many times stresses due to climate change or sudden change of feed or faulty food material causes illness in pigs.
Vaccination All the newly born piglets should be vaccinated at least against Swine fever at the age of 2 months. Vaccine against Pasturellosis (Haemorrhagic septicaemia HS) and Foot and Mouth Disease vaccine like cattle is also preferred in pigs.
Deworming In young pigs, infection with roundworms can cause diarrhoea, weight loss, lung problems and death. Hence, the piglets
should be dewormed regularly once in every three months.
Piglet anaemia
Sow is unable to supply the needed iron through the milk to the fast growing piglets. Piglets maintained in concrete floored rooms are commonly suffering with anaemia. Piglet anaemia can be prevented by injecting the piglets with iron dextron preparations or by smearing the pigs’ mammary gland with ferrous sulphate solutions.
Skin diseases:Skin infection is commonly occurring ailment which may be caused by several organisms like bacteria, lice, ticks, mites and fungi this results in thickening and crusting of the skin.
for more information pls contact
N. P. Singh
Director ICAR Research Complex for Goa
Old Goa, Goa- 403 402
Ph.: (0832) 2284678 / 79
Email:
director@icargoa.res.in /
ICARGOA