How to wean piglets

The process of weaning is very tough for piglets and the farmer needs to take great care at this time. Bad weaning practices can lead to poor performance and financial losses.

Weaning is stressful and risky for piglets; if it's not managed properly, the animals may end up growing slowly, or becoming ill and weak, and even dying. This will obviously result in lower profits.

In contrast, better weaning practices can dramatically reduce post-weaning losses and improve growth rates.

WEANING METHODS

There are several methods of weaning, and the one you opt for will depend on your production goals.

But whatever your choice, you need to manage the process with care, or piglets and profits will both suffer!

• Conventional weaning: three to five weeks of age; 5kg-10kg live weight (LW)

At this age and size, piglets can look after themselves under average farm conditions, say pig experts Graeme Taylor and Greg Roese at The Pig Site (thepigsite.com).

By the time the piglets have reached five weeks of age, the sow's milk production has fallen dramatically. It is therefore uneconomical to feed the piglets via the sow's milk beyond this stage.

To maintain their growth rates, you will therefore have to give the piglets extra feed. Fortunately, by this age and weight, they are becoming used to dry feed and can better adjust to temperature changes and stress.

If you want to lower the weaning age, you'll have to make changes in your mating and farrowing programmes.

• Early weaning: 10 days to three weeks old; 4kg-5kg LW

At this stage, the piglet's digestive system can cope with more complex carbohydrates. Its heat regulatory system is also beginning to work better, so the animal can adjust to the ambient (surrounding) temperature.

Piglets often have scours (diarrhoea) between 21 and 28 days of age due to the changes taking place in their bodies. The severity will depend on the cause, how clean or dirty their surroundings are, the nutrition they are receiving, and your livestock handling skills.