OPTIMIZATION OF PIGLET REARING TECHNOLOGY FOR EARLY WEANING THROUGH THE APPLICATION OF LIQUID MILK REPLACERS AND PRE-STARTERS

Abstract

Ensuring food security necessitates increasing pig farming productivity through the introduction of innovative technologies. An effective approach is to reduce the suckling period and wean piglets early at 21 days of age, which increases the intensity of sow utilization and optimizes the work of breeding sows. At the same time, early weaning is accompanied by post-weaning stress, digestive disorders, and reduced resistance caused by the immaturity of the enzyme system and the sensitivity of the small intestine mucosa to sudden changes in the type of feeding. The article presents the results of a scientific and economic experiment on optimizing the technology of rearing suckling piglets of the genotype ♀(LW × L) × ♂”PIC 410” during early weaning (21 days). The feasibility of introducing a “echnological bridge” in the form of liquid feeding to level out “weaning stress” is substantiated. The influence of the algorithm for the gradual accustoming of young animals to plant feed, which included manual feeding of the milk substitute “Piglait Blue” (3–12 days) and liquid prestarter (12–22 days), was studied. It was found that the use of liquid feed resulted in a statistically significant (P < 0.001) increase in average daily weight gain by 16.6 % (189.50 g vs. 162.50 g in the control group). The most indicative indicator of effectiveness was the live weight of the litter at weaning, which reached 66.91 kg in the experimental group, which is 15.2 % higher than the control result. The use of liquid feed allowed for a 3.19 % increase in piglet survival and a 3.75-fold reduction in the number of cases of alimentary diarrhea (from 30 to 8 cases) due to the gradual adaptation of the enzyme system. Ethological monitoring using the methodology confirmed the acceleration of piglets’ adaptation to the consumption of additional feed: the first approaches to the feeder were recorded 2.2 days earlier (P < 0.05), and the total feed consumption time increased by 2.5 times (P < 0.01). It has been proven that precision feeding with liquid products is a key factor in realizing the genetic potential of modern hyperprolific pig genotypes in industrial complexes. Prospects for further research lie in monitoring the growth dynamics and feed conversion of experimental animals at the rearing and fattening stages to determine the prolonged effect of liquid start.