4
The goal of this trick is to provide colostrum to the piglets with a low weight. It is used on the Siscart farm, in Spain. To do it they use the probe of an intrauterine AI catheter.
In every farm there is always a certain percentage of piglets that are born with a very low weight. This percentage normally increases as more piglets per sow are born.
A great part of the success in the farrowing quarters is based on being able to translate this increase in the number of total born piglets as an increase in the number of weaned piglets. The survival of these piglets with a low weight is very low if we don't help them. To this end, the colostrum intake during their first hours of life is crucial.
Although we gather all the small piglets in a litter, they will have difficulties when it comes to consuming colostrum. They are weaker and sensitive to cold, and it's difficult for them to suck the milk from the dam's nipples.
The administering of colostrum obtained from the sows on the farm will help these piglets to have a higher survival rate.
For a good and quick administering of this colostrum we can use the internal probe of an inauterine AI catheter as an esophageal probe. There are different kinds available, with their tip more or less rounded. The more rounded the tip the less the risk to injure the piglet's oesophagus, which usually causes its death. The best probes are the ones with the red tip.
