COLOSTRUM:
Is a yellowish liquid containing
proteins and antibodies essential for increasing the immune response of the newborn
animals against diseases.
 |
| Newborn pigs suckling shortly after birth |
The amount of colostrum consumed by each piglet is
directly proportional to its survivability.
Newborn pigs lack enough antibodies
to fight against disease-causing agents hence the need to suckle their mother’s
first milk called colostrum within two hours after birth. The nutrients and antibodies
are absorbed into the bloodstream and help to boost the piglet’s immune
system.
To increase the efficacy of
colostrum, piglets should suckle at least 150ml within 6 hours after birth
because immunoglobulin (antibodies) in colostrum reduce to 70% after 8 hours of
breastfeeding.
Other
management practices for the newborn pig:
Change in the environment is one
of the causes of stress in animals. Piglet’s immunity function and growth rate
are compromised by environmental stress and so, it is important to provide a
conducive environment to minimize stress:
- Ensure a dry, warm, and clean nursery pen. Dry and clean pens reduce incidences of infection.
- Place the brooder lamps inside the nursery pens to provide heat temperature range of at least 26-28OC to avoid chilling of piglets.
- Provide proper ventilation and enough clean water.
· Other
practices may include: teeth trimming to reduce injury to the sow’s teats and
tail docking to avoid cannibalism. This might be done within 12 hours from
birth.
Author: Kabuggo Emmanuel
BSc.
AGR (MUK); MSc. Animal Science (CBNU).
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