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Why do some pigs eat a lot but gain little weight?
Some pigs eat well but gain no weight, which farmers call "hardened pigs" or "stunted pigs". The term refers to piglets that experience stunted growth and fail to thrive after weaning. This condition stems from a variety of causes and is collectively known as stunted pig syndrome.
1. Causes
(1) Congenital hypoplasiaOne cause is improper breeding, especially the adverse effects of inbreeding. Another is early mating of boars and sows that have not yet reached sexual maturity. Piglets born under such circumstances have poor disease resistance and vitality; in some cases, stillbirths and deformities may even occur. Additionally, long-term improper feeding and nutritional deficiency of sows – particularly a lack of protein – can lead to low conception rates. Even if a sow conceives, the piglets will suffer from hypoplasia during the embryonic stage.
(2) Malnutrition and low lactation capacity of sowsPiglets may fail to get enough milk due to poor nipple development of sows. Other causes include early weaning with insufficient supplementary feeding, or extremely poor feeding and nutritional deficiency after weaning, all of which can hinder piglet growth and lead to stunting. Even originally robust piglets may experience weight loss and subsequent growth arrest if they lack concentrated feed and balanced nutrition – especially protein, vitamins, macroelements and microelements – and fail to recover for a long time, eventually becoming stunted pigs.
(3) DiseasesPiglets may develop stunted growth and become stunted pigs due to illnesses during growth, such as common diseases like chronic gastroenteritis and gastric ulcer, infectious diseases such as classical swine fever, swine erysipelas and piglet white scours, or infestations with large numbers of parasites including scabies, roundworms and fasciolopsis buski.
2. Symptoms
Affected pigs have a normal and healthy appetite but gain little to no weight. Most stunted piglets are small in size, with rough and messy fur, lethargy and slow movement. Their skin thickens and loses elasticity, and the exposed mucous membranes appear pale or jaundiced. In appearance, they have a thick back, a large head, a hunched back and a sunken belly. They prefer lying down, with an inconsistent appetite, and may suffer from alternating diarrhea and constipation.
3. Treatment
First, identify the underlying cause and adopt appropriate nursing and treatment measures accordingly. Miracle Fattening King, a product manufactured by Shandong Jianji Biotechnology Co., Ltd., is specially developed for pigs with slow growth. Mix one bag of this product with 500-1000 kg of feed for ad libitum feeding, and visible effects can be observed in 5 days.