Split suckling

Colostrum intake is vital to survival of pigs. Each piglet needs a minimum of at least 100mls of colostrum.

A system needs to be used to ensure that all the pigs get adequate colostrum.

Ensure that the farrowing house is well prepared for the forthcoming farrowing.

The heat mats or creep lights need to be placed both behind the sow and the creep area already dry and warm at 30°C. Ambient room temperature for the sows around 20°C.

Be there and collect and dry piglets as they are being born	Place them into a basket under a heat lamp with the ambient air in the basket at 30-35°C.
Collect all the pigs born over the first two hours, dry and place in a basket under a heat lamp.	After 2 hours, mark the pigs and release the warm and dried pigs onto the sow to suckle. Group 1. Collect all the newly born piglets, dry and place into the basket under a heat lamp
After 2 hours collect all the pigs which have been suckling. Release the second batch of pigs onto the sow to suckle. Place group 1 pigs into the warming basket.	As new piglets are born continue to dry and place in warming basket – group 3 pigs. Mark with a different colour to group 1 pigs. By 4 hours normally farrowing should have been completed.
Collect group 2 pigs and place in warming basket. Release group 3 pigs (if any) onto the sow to suckle for 30 minutes. Ensure all piglets suckle. If there is no group 3 pigs or only a couple apply commonsense to suckling behaviour.	Release group 1 piglets onto the sow for 30 minutes. Ensure all piglets have drunk colostrum. Collect and place in warming basket. Release group 2 and group 3 piglets onto the sow for 30 minutes. Ensure all piglets have drunk colostrum.
1^st Parity litter: Collect a mature sow’s litter and place into a warming basket. Place the entire gilts litter (group 1, 2 and 3) onto the sow to suckle for 1 hour.	Collect the parity 1 piglets and return to original mother. Release sows litter back onto their original mother.
Sow litter: After the 5 hours of split suckling, allow all piglets free access to the sow.	Fostering and sorting can be completed after 18 to 24 hours.

The gut closure of the antibodies and maternal cells occurs 6-12 hours after the first suckle – not from the moment of birth.

The provision of sow colostrum to gilt piglets reduces their mortality in the finishing unit and increased their growth rates.