Many pig farmers dread cold snaps: piglets seem fine at weaning, but two or three days later they start having diarrhea. Repeated injections and medication lead to poor weight gain and runts, causing significant losses. Many pig farmers rush to give injections and medication as soon as they see diarrhea, overlooking the fact that its root cause often lies in management before weaning. Proper creep feeding, temperature control, and health care around weaning, along with careful attention to supporting management details, can greatly reduce the likelihood of diarrhea at its source.
I. Introduce creep feed early to develop the gut and ensure a smooth nutritional transition
It is recommended to start introducing creep feed at 7 days of age. Feed small amounts frequently, 4–5 times daily, and promptly remove moldy or contaminated feed.
In the early period, piglets eat very little. The main purpose of creep feeding is not to fill their stomachs, but to familiarize piglets with the smell of feed, stimulate intestinal development, induce digestive enzyme secretion, and help them adapt to plant protein. Ideal target: each piglet consumes 1 jin of creep feed before weaning; the minimum should preferably be no less than half a jin.
Piglets that have had sufficient creep feeding adapt to the post-weaning diet more quickly. It can also make up for insufficient sow milk, improve uniformity across the litter, and reduce the number of weak piglets. Give priority to creep feed with a rich milky aroma and added probiotics to protect the intestinal microbiota. Also pay attention to the feed transition method: do not switch directly to nursery feed on the day of weaning. A transition period of 3 days is recommended, gradually mixing and replacing the old feed with the new feed to avoid digestive upset and diarrhea caused by too large a change in protein and nutrient levels. Ensure adequate drinking water as well. Do not deliberately control or restrict water intake for fear of diarrhea. Weaned piglets are highly stressed, so ensure they have free access to clean drinking water. When it is cold, provide warm water if possible.
Two. Strictly control the temperature to avoid cold stress, with particular attention to nighttime temperatures
During the first week after weaning, keep the suitable temperature for piglets at around 26℃, then gradually lower it to 24℃ as they adapt. After weaning, piglets are separated from the sow, their source of warmth, and have poor ability to keep themselves warm. Low nighttime temperatures, damp floors, and drafts blowing directly on them can easily cause chilling and diarrhea.
The simplest way to tell whether the temperature is suitable is to observe the piglets at rest. Huddling together = the temperature is too low; lying apart and spread out without huddling = the temperature is suitable. In autumn and winter, use heat lamps and electric heating pads, keep the pens dry, and reduce day-night temperature fluctuations. Many people focus only on the thermometer reading and overlook damp floors and drafts. Lying against a damp, cold floor can chill the belly and often cause recurring diarrhea more easily than low temperatures alone. Also, where possible, keep piglets in their original pen and location after weaning. Do not immediately mix litters or combine groups in a new pen. The severe stress caused by fighting and fright is also a very common trigger for diarrhea.
Three. Put weaning health management in place early; do not wait until illness develops to treat it
Weaning involves multiple overlapping stressors. Piglets’ immunity temporarily declines, making them highly susceptible to underlying issues such as circovirus and Glässer’s disease. By the time weight loss, coughing, labored breathing, or severe diarrhea appears, many have already become runts, making treatment costly and less effective.
Health management focuses on anti-stress support, gut protection, and prevention of secondary infections. After weaning, add a piglet anti-stress multivitamin, a gut-conditioning preparation, and antibacterial drugs to the feed to help piglets pass through the stress window smoothly. This multivitamin provides comprehensive nutrition and is designed specifically to address the multiple stresses faced by weaned piglets, helping them quickly stabilize their condition and reduce stress-related diarrhea.
Summary
Post-weaning scours are essentially caused by the piglets’ intestines not being ready, excessive environmental stress, and their immune systems not keeping up, compounded by additional stressors such as feed changes, drinking water, pen conditions, and mixing groups. Stress is an unavoidable hurdle. Using Piglet Stress Multivitamins around weaning, together with good management, can help piglets get through this critical period smoothly. Medication is only a remedial measure. Creep feeding, keeping piglets warm, providing preventive care in advance, and implementing all the supporting management details are the core of prevention and control.