Question: When to wean piglets?

How long do piglets stay with their mother?

In commercial pig production systems, piglets are frequently removed from their mothers when they are less than 4 weeks of age, although in some welfare friendly systems, such as organic farming, they are frequently left with their mothers until they are 8 weeks.

What do 4 week old piglets eat?

You can begin feeding just softened (in goat’s milk) Mazuri Youth at about 4-5 weeks. Gradually reduce the liquid until they are eating just the hard pellets, usually about 7 weeks. The rule of thumb at 8 weeks is 1/2 cup of pellets per 15 lb of piglet, broken into at least two or three meals.

How long does a piglet need milk?

Keep giving milk through week five. At the end of five weeks, your piglets should be healthy, happy, and eating only pig chow. Congratulations! You survived bottle feeding piglets.

What do you feed baby pigs after weaning?

In farms where pigs are fed dry diets on a regular basis, a warm gruel (50:50) of feed and water (or a liquid milk co-product) can be offered to weaned pigs in special bowl-type feeders during the first two to three days post-weaning. This practice prevents starvation and more importantly, dehydration.

Why do we wean piglets?

The transition from sow’s milk to dry feed can cause stress that in turn can lead to performance lags and a less than optimal return on investment. Make a successful transition to dry feed the top goal of weaning. Pigs that become early eaters have a better chance to continue to grow quickly.

When can I sell my piglets?

A responsible breeder will not sell you a baby pig until it has been weaned from it’s mother. This should be done at 6-8 weeks of age at the earliest! Any breeder that tells you that a baby pig has been weaned earlier than this is trying to make a sale at the expense of the baby piglet’s health.

At what age do piglets start eating?

Weaning Your Piglet

You will need to wean your piglet from his mother when he is between 6 and 8 weeks old. Prior to weaning, you need to make sure your piglet is eating the solid pig food that you introduced at 3 weeks of age.

What temperature should piglets be kept at?

How cold is too cold?

Stage of pig growth	Temperature (F)
Wean pig, 15 lbs.	77-85
Nursery pig, 45 lbs.	70-75
Grower, 55 lbs.	68-75
Grower, 100 lbs.	60-65

What age do piglets need water?

It is interesting to note that newborn pigs are able to drink water within the first 2 hours after birth, indicating a need for water in addition to that supplied by sow’s colostrum or milk. It is also essential to provide drinking water to suckling piglets that actively consume solid feed.

How long can piglets go without milk?

It is critical that newborn potbellied piglets receive adequate colostrum and milk from their mother. They should nurse 15 times within their first 24 hours. Failure to nurse adequately can result in death. Potbellied pigs should nurse until they are 6 to 8 weeks old.

What milk is best for piglets?

If you cannot access sow’s milk, you may be able to contact a local goat dairy for goat colostrum. Goat’s milk is known by farmers to be a good milk replacer. We’ve used it in the past with our pigs, and it has worked well. Sow or calf milk replacer can work, but they are less effective than raw goat’s milk.

How long do piglets need heat lamps?

For pigs up to 21 days, heating pads are the preferred choice for many reasons. First, a farrowing stall is rectangular, and the pig heat mat fits logically in the creep area, creating a 6-inch gap between the heat source and sow.

How do you wean baby piglets?

Tips for Better Weaning

1. Introduce food pre-weaning. Introducing dry creep feed to piglets can help them become accustomed to the new feed when it’s time to wean.
2. Keep Similar Feeds. It’s important to continue feeding your piglets a similar starter feed through the weaning transition.
3. Provide Fresh Feed.
4. Comfortable Housing.

What is the average weaning weight for pigs?

For example, in a group of pigs with an average weaning weight of 10 pounds, approximately 34 percent will weigh between 8 and 10 pounds, 14 percent between 6 and 8 pounds, and 2 percent will weigh less than 6 pound.

What is the best food for piglets?

Pigs can eat all kinds of scraps, or leftover food such as mealie-pap, bread, vegetables, fruit and pig pellets. Real pig pellets are, however, the best feed. Do not only feed one vegetable (such as cabbage), because pigs need a varied diet to stay healthy.