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In winter, a pig likes to run out into the snow, frolic, dig snowdrifts with its nose. However, such walks are short-term, not acceptable for all breeds. If the question as a whole concerns the keeping of animals in the cold, then many nuances must be taken into account.
Can pigs be kept outside in winter?
Theoretically, most domestic breeds are adapted to cold climates. Adult pigs tolerate frost, they can even burrow into the snow. On the territory of the Federation, cold keeping of pigs is practiced. However, the technology is applicable to fattening pigs. The sow and the babies need a warm barn.
In almost all regions of Our Country, except for the northern regions, climatic conditions make it possible to keep pigs of cold-resistant breeds in a cold corral. In order for animals to easily survive the winter, it is necessary to create comfort for them. The entrance of the cold pen is hung with a tarpaulin or other dense material. The curtain will close from the draft, reduce the loss of heat generated by the pigs themselves.
It is good to raise the floor of the cold pen for pigs above the ground. The structure is installed on a columnar foundation or supports are created from railway sleepers. The elevated pen for pigs will not be flooded by melt, rain and groundwater. The floor along with the bedding will always remain dry. Thoughtful solutions will help reduce the likelihood of drafts. If the walls of the pig pen are assembled from boards, all joints are sealed to the maximum. The entrance is cut from the side where the wind blows less often. The roof is equipped with a snug fit to the top of the walls. Through the gaps left by the draft, snow will blow, splashes of rain.
The complexity of eliminating negative consequences depends on the location of the paddock, the composition of the soil on the site. For example, clay soils do not absorb moisture well. Water stagnates on the surface. If you put a corral for pigs on such soil, and even choose the bottom of the site, permanent dirt will form all year round.
What temperature can pigs withstand in the winter outside
If animals are characterized in general terms, then it is impossible to accurately answer the question of minimum low temperatures. Each breed is adapted to certain conditions. If pigs are raised for a long time in harsh conditions, then each subsequent generation receives acclimatization. In order for the keeping of pigs in winter to give a positive result, when choosing a breed, they take into account what minimum temperature the animals can withstand.
The following breeds of pigs are considered the most cold-resistant:
- Hungarian mangalica;
- North Caucasian;
- Oxford Sandy;
- Siberian-northern;
- Blacks.
Good results are obtained from the Berkshire, Breit, and Gloucester spotted breed of pigs.
Features of keeping pigs outdoors in winter
If it is decided to keep pigs in the cold in winter, it is not enough to choose the right breed. Animals need to be properly cared for.
- High-quality nutrition increases the body’s resistance to cold. Pigs are given feed rich in minerals and other nutrients.
- For pigs of different ages, the necessary temperature conditions are provided. Separate rooms are assigned to sows with young animals, heaters are installed, for example, a red lamp.
- Regardless of the age of the pigs, they are protected from drafts to the maximum in winter.
Babies born in winter are endowed with weak immunity. They try to vaccinate pigs earlier to protect against diseases.
How to keep pigs in a pigsty in winter
By right, a pigsty is considered the best place to keep piglets at home in winter, since the building 100% protects animals from precipitation and other negative factors. Indoors, it is easier for a person to control the conditions for pigs, and if necessary, change them. If the content takes place in a pigsty, an open range must be provided. Pigs need a place to frolic.
With the onset of cold weather, animals spend more energy on natural heating, and replenish it with enhanced nutrition. However, with the eating of feed in pigs, fat is heavily deposited. This feature is directly related to the purpose of keeping livestock and arranging a pigsty. If pigs are kept on fat, then a small pigsty is needed, which creates minimal mobility for the pigs. Meat breeds should not lay a lot of fat. Pigs in winter need a spacious pigsty with walking. The frolicking animals will burn fat.
The complexity of keeping pigs in winter is additional work with bedding. Animals grow well and do not get sick if they are kept dry and clean. However, pigs are sloppy. The owner in the winter will often have to change the bedding in the pigsty.
Dryness for pigs and clean air inside the pigsty is supported by natural ventilation. Air ducts are taken out to the street, but they must be equipped with control dampers. The mechanism will allow you to control air exchange, reduce heat loss in winter.
On the video, keeping pigs on deep litter:
What temperature should be in a pigsty in winter
The temperature regime in winter is kept different for each age of the pigs. For adult livestock and young animals older than 165 days, it is optimal to maintain from + 8 to + 15 оC. For young pigs, the temperature in the pigsty is favorable in the range from + 14 to + 20 оC. A sow with newborn babies is maintained at a temperature from + 20 to + 23 оC.
What to feed pigs in winter
After 15 days from the moment of birth, complementary foods begin to be introduced into the diet of babies. Young people are given:
- Mashed potatoes. Feed is given slightly warm, in small portions, so that the remains do not turn sour in the feeder. Feed concentrates are mixed into the puree, which increase the calorie content of food.
- To replenish vitamins, babies are given chopped red carrots, dried nettles. For drinking use hay infusion, oat milk.
- The milk of a lactating pig is poor in iron content. Young animals are given injections to replenish it. Bone meal, crushed chalk, fish oil are added to food.
- Feeding of young animals growing without a sow is carried out with whole milk substitutes. However, you need to follow the rules. If young pigs overeat, there will be a threat of gastrointestinal disease.
Adult pigs are fed in winter with feed enriched with minerals, vitamins, and nutrients. Vegetables, hay, cereals are introduced into the diet.
Features of farrowing in winter
If the pig is farrowing, and the temperature in the barn is below zero, the offspring and the sow herself will die. For an adult animal, the cold poses the main threat to the udder. In frost and damp bedding, the sow develops mastitis. A disease in a pig is difficult to treat, it is easier to let the animal go for slaughter.
Before and after farrowing, the sow must not be allowed out for a walk in a cold paddock in winter. Babies who are born are provided with plenty of dry bedding. Drinking is given only warm, they monitor the cleanliness of the drinkers and feeders. The sow is fed only high-quality feed. In addition, they follow the norm of the diet. The development of young animals depends on the correct feeding of the pig, since everything that the mother ate is passed on to the babies with milk.
A pregnant sow is given:
- not rotten waste of vegetables, fruits;
- dry foliage of fruit trees, chalk, wood ash;
- protein-containing feed;
- concentrates.
Pig food should be fresh, not sour.
Constantly monitor the temperature. For heating, they include red lamps, infrared heaters, and other devices.
Now Vietnamese breeds of pigs are popular in many households. Animals are not capricious and unpretentious for winter maintenance. Care for pigs is similar. The pregnant sow is provided with warmth. For the maintenance of small piglets in winter, a lot of bedding is poured in a warm paddock. Young animals are pierced with preparations containing iron. Useful additives to the feed are fish oil, bone meal, chalk. Vietnamese pigs are given to gnaw coal, crushed hay is poured into the feeders. Piglets are fed three times a day in winter.
How to keep piglets in a cold barn in winter
Having a cold barn is better than keeping pigs outside, but the space must be prepared. It is important to adhere to the technology itself. A hangar often acts as a cold barn for pigs. The design consists of a frame, where the simplest shelter is an awning. This technology of keeping pigs has many supporters and opponents. The advantage is the simplicity of the design, the minimum cost of its construction. The downside is the high feed consumption. In a cold barn, pigs spend a lot of energy on their heating, and replenish it through high-calorie food.
No matter how well the awning is stretched, the heat loss will be huge. A thick layer of litter acts as heating for pigs. It is changed 3-4 times a month. However, with increased feeding of pigs, the amount of organic waste increases. The litter is quickly clogged with manure, worms and dangerous microorganisms are bred inside. When animals eat or burrow through the mass, the parasites enter the body. There are infectious and fungal diseases of pigs. Bio bedding in a cold barn cannot be used. Good bacteria will simply die in the cold.
The construction of a cold barn reduces the cost of funds, but increases the labor costs for caring for pigs. Sows and young animals cannot be kept in hangars, they need warmth. However, according to farmers who have tested the technology, pigs grown in a cold barn are more hardened. The body of animals resists dangerous diseases.
How to keep piglets warm in a cold barn
First of all, the comfort of pigs in winter inside a cold barn is ensured by eliminating drafts. Leaving gaps is not allowed. For exhaust, natural ventilation is provided.
From the side of the floor, animals receive heat in winter from a thick layer of bedding. The ongoing process of organic decay is negative for pigs in terms of sanitation, but has its advantages. Putrefactive microorganisms similarly emit heat, which is additional heating.
If it is supposed to keep sows and young animals, special houses are placed inside the cold hangar. Pigs are equipped with electric heating. Removable cages are attached to the houses to help feed the young.
Conclusion
A pig in winter should be kept in comfortable conditions, even if the breed is cold-resistant. Violation of technology will lead to overspending of feed, obtaining a weak increase.