The size of litters continues to increase in pig production, with 18 or more live-born piglets no longer being a rarity today. Sows giving birth to such large litters must be healthy and strong, since supplying all piglets with sufficient amounts of milk is very strenuous for the mother. Despite best attempts, not every sow will have enough milk for all her offspring, resulting in losses or strongly varying weaning weights. Sows may also experience exhaustion, which has negative effects on their fertility after weaning.
Sow managers know how difficult handling large litters can be. In the past, piglets from such litters were crossfostered, or placed with nurse sows. However, these options are not always the best solution. As successful alternatives, Big Dutchman can now offer two feeding systems for suckling pigs in the farrowing pen:
- CulinaCup
- CulinaFlexpro
Both Culina systems help you to supply piglets in the farrowing pen with milk replacers and liquid prestarters, fully- or semi-automatically and continuously. Especially the smaller and thus weaker piglets will benefit from this additional food source.
