Cross-Views on Newborn Piglet Management Practices in Pig Farming

1. First Care for Piglets: Different Priorities Across Countries

The first care provided to piglets after birth is fundamental for their survival, especially due to their vulnerability to temperature fluctuations and low energy reserves, which require a quick intake of colostrum for energy. However, the approaches differ between farms in various countries.

Colostrum Intake and Piglet Temperature Management at Birth Today, few farms worldwide lack strategies to keep piglets warm immediately after birth. In Asia, whether in Vietnam or China, newborn piglets are placed in a nest right after birth, usually located in a corner of the sow’s pen, using materials like carpet or rubber mats to insulate them from the cold ground and potential drafts. A heat lamp and a nest cover keep the area warm (>30°C) to ensure thermoneutrality for newborn piglets. In Vietnam, the nest is particularly enclosed, with a side partition completely separating piglets from the sow. A door allows them to enter or leave the nest as they wish. Once warmed up, the piglets will naturally leave the nest to take colostrum.

In Colombia, temperature is also carefully monitored: a lamp and a heat pad welcome piglets at birth. Since most farrowing rooms use natural ventilation, managing the dual climate for sow and piglets is delicate, especially with frequent temperature variations. Farm staff are thus very present to ensure the best care for piglets, with an average of 1 person for 5 to 7 sows during farrowing. In France and Spain, farrowings often occur with more autonomy but under close surveillance to intervene quickly if needed. Staff are also responsible for many more sows: 50 to 70 sows per person during farrowing. Nests are usually designed within the pen, including a heat pad or lamps. When farmers intervene, it’s often to help piglets find the teat initially. Warming in the nest seems secondary in Europe, where colostrum intake is prioritized, while in Asia, warming the piglets is the main focus before colostrum intake.

Various Piglet Care Practices Administering iron injections 2 to 3 days after birth is common across the five countries studied. Administering a coccidiostat is also relatively widespread, although the proportion of farms concerned may vary: in Vietnam and China, nearly all farms use it, while in Spain, France, and Colombia, the use of coccidiostats is based on parasite pressure in the herd to determine its necessity. In France and Spain, early use of antibiotics concerns only a small percentage of farms. In Colombia, tail docking or teeth clipping is not practiced. In Europe, farmers are encouraged to stop these practices, but they remain necessary in about 30% of cases in the absence of alternatives to ensure animal welfare. Tail docking is systematic in Asia, often alongside cauterization in Chinese farms or organized Vietnamese farms (with over 200 sows). Smaller Vietnamese farms use a clamp. Clamps are also often used for teeth clipping, although the use of grinders is developing and becoming more frequent.

Castration practices vary widely across countries: In Spain, about 80% of pigs are raised intact. Slaughter occurs at 110 kg live weight to reduce the risk of carcass odor. In Colombia, hormonal injections during the fattening stage account for more than 85% of male pigs. In France, practices are highly diverse depending on the farmer’s objectives and markets: some farms raise entire males with boar taint detection at the slaughterhouse, others castrate under anesthesia, and still others use chemical castration. In Vietnam and China, the majority of males are castrated within the first week of life.

2. Managing Large Litters: Litter Homogenization and Adoptions

Managing large litters is a common challenge across all countries. Various practices, such as adoptions, litter homogenization, early socialization, or artificial feeding, allow full utilization of hyperprolificacy.

Litter Homogenization: The five countries studied for this newsletter practice litter homogenization to ensure that each piglet is in a litter of average size for the farm. Although there are significant intra-country variations due to genetics or health conditions, on average, the litter size in Colombia, China, and Vietnam is around 14 live piglets, while in France and Spain, it’s closer to 15 live piglets per litter. However, some countries like Spain and Vietnam prefer early adoptions (around 24 hours of age), whereas in Colombia, China, and France, adoptions can occur up to 3 days of age. In all these countries, the criteria for selecting piglets and sows include litter size, the number of functional teats on the sow, her parity, and the piglets’ age. Piglet weight is often the last criterion for litter homogenization.

Nurse Sows The most common practice is often a two-step adoption: one sow is weaned a week earlier to raise a litter of younger piglets separated from their mother. This sow will then raise smaller piglets from other sows that begin to fall behind in weight. By being placed in a new litter, these piglets, who likely had less productive teats, can more easily access milk. In all countries, milk production is often a key criterion for selecting a nurse sow, along with her parity. In Spain and Vietnam, sows in their 3rd to 5th parity are often chosen due to their milk production. In France, China, and Colombia, parity is secondary to milk production, which is evaluated based on the quality of the litter to be moved: litter uniformity and average weight. Most of the time, a drying product or odor-masking agent is applied to the litter to facilitate its acceptance by the sow and reduce fights between piglets. In Vietnam, a sedative is also often given to the sow to ease adoption and promote rapid suckling, reducing the risk of inflammation or agalactia. The use of nurse sows is minimized to reduce health risks. In Spain and Vietnam, nurse sows represent about 7% to 10% of the herd, while in Colombia and China, their use is less common.

Alternate Suckling Alternate suckling is a method often used to ensure that all piglets, including the weaker ones, can access colostrum within a reasonable time frame. In Colombia, this practice is relatively common in the first hours following birth, with an alternation rhythm of 3 to 4 sucklings per hour. However, in countries like China, this practice is less common, with more emphasis placed on litter homogenization a few hours after birth rather than alternating sucklings.

In France, alternate suckling can be implemented in large litters when piglets are particularly heterogeneous in weight. The larger piglets born first are isolated from the rest of the litter for a short period to facilitate access to the teat for the smaller piglets.

Supplementary Milk Feeding In several countries, milk supplements are provided to piglets to meet the high demands of large litters. In Vietnam and Colombia, the use of milk replacers is relatively common in medium to large farms, where piglets may receive liquid milk substitutes distributed to all litters in piglet troughs. This distribution generally begins around 7 days of age. In France, piglets also start receiving milk supplements at 7 days of age, although it is common to introduce prestarter feed mixed with water to accustom piglets. Actual milk or yogurt feeding represents only about half of the practices. In Spain, the use of milk replacers is relatively minor. The warm, dry climate promotes rapid oxidation of products and pathogen growth. More often, piglets receive early-age feed one week before weaning. In China, this learning process usually begins just 1 or 2 days before weaning.

Conclusion

The management of newborn piglets involves a delicate balance of attentive care, rigorous litter organization, and control of health pressures. Around the world, farmers adopt strategies suited to their local conditions, but common trends such as litter homogenization, the use of nurse sows, and a focus on biosecurity are shared by many farming systems.