Piglets management: Weaners and farmers have to interact in one way or another. Any handling of the pigs will also lead to stress.Therefore, piglets should be handled in a way to reduce stress. The first thing to remember is that they should always be handled in a calm and gentle manner. They are only babies after all.Below are tips on how to handle piglets;
Picking the piglets
It’s also important that the young pigs are not picked pig up by their front legs. There’s a good chance that it will damage their shoulder. And when picking them up by one of their back legs, it’s important not to snatch or swing the pig. This is because you will damage its hips or knees. The preferable approach is to pick up the weaner by both of its back legs, or if you do catch it by one leg, quickly supporting it underneath the chest to take any strain off its leg joints.
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Movement and treatment
Most of the pig handling that takes place at weaning will be related to routine health treatments. It’s important to ensure that the trolley being used to either hold or move the animals is clean, disinfected and has some bedding in it.
The choice of treatments used can also have a bearing on the amount of stress the piglets are subjected to. Choosing a one-shot combined vaccination reduces the extent of handling time and the number of injections each pig receives. This not only reduces the risk of injection reactions and abscess formation, but crucially it minimizes the stress associated with vaccination at weaning. The weaning process can also be a stressful event for a stock person. It’s also worth noting that using a one-shot vaccine reduces the number of injections that need to be given, saving physical handling, reducing the time required and reducing the risk of self-injection.
Weaning is commonly thought to be the most stressful event in the life of a pig. With these tips, you can minimize piglet stress at weaning hence reducing the chances of a costly events during their growth. Piglets management.
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