What are vitamin and mineral supplements for pigs for?

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Vitamin and mineral supplements for pigs are an indispensable element of animal nutrition. The fact is that with their help it is possible to control the weight gain of animals, as well as to do everything so that the pig remains healthy and does not get sick. As for vitamins for pigs, pigs need them like no one else, because they are one of those animals that do not produce them on their own. Let's figure out what kind of vitamin complexes pigs need, what each specific vitamin is needed for, and why the state of vitamin deficiency is dangerous for pigs.

Vitamin and mineral supplements for pigs

What do pigs need vitamins for?

Vitamins by themselves or as part of complexes are metabolism regulators in pigs. The fact is that the food that the animal consumes during the day is better absorbed, the pig is less sick, which makes it possible to build up a much larger mass of the sow or stick.

In addition, females who regularly receive food fortified with vitamins produce more offspring. It is impossible not to say about the meat. It has been noticed that the meat of those individuals that ate properly has better taste and is not so fatty and tight.

How is vitamin deficiency in pigs

At the very beginning, I would like to touch upon such a topic as vitamin deficiency in pigs. This problem occurs quite often and in many cases becomes the reason for contacting a veterinarian. Usually, the presence of vitamin deficiency is suspected when the pig starts to get sick often. It can be both viral and infectious diseases, the pathogens of which cannot be dealt with by the animal's immunity. In addition, the following signs can be attributed to the symptoms of vitamin deficiency:

• the presence of parasites in livestock (skin parasites are especially common);
• slow growth and weight gain;
• deterioration of the growth rates of young animals, that is, the female gives birth to fewer piglets or does not give birth at all;
• pigs lose their appetite.

As you can see, the list is impressive. But all this can be avoided if the pig's diet includes a variety of feed additives to food. It is worth saying that the smallest, that is, piglets, need proper nutrition most of all, and females that bear offspring (pregnant) or are engaged in feeding them (suckling) can also be added to this list. Their nutrition should be monitored as closely as possible.

Vitamin A Requirements

If we rank the vitamins most important for pigs, then vitamin A, or retinol, will definitely be in the first place. The fact is that it directly affects the rate of growth of the mass of pigs.If it became noticeable that young pigs eat poorly, behave too calmly, and besides that they are often exposed to various kinds of diseases, it is worth suspecting that there is not enough retinol in their diet.

However, females react most sharply to vitamin deficiency related to a lack of retinol. The fact is that they cannot normally conceive and bear their offspring, since the body does not have any strength for this. Even if such a pig is able to bear offspring, stillborn or sick babies are likely to be born.

If the animal did not receive vitamin A for a long time, then most likely the pregnancy will be terminated prematurely, that is, a spontaneous abortion will occur. As for males, boars suffer no less from a lack of vitamin A. First of all, this affects the fertilization function: the quality of sperm is sharply reduced.

It is worth saying that animals need vitamin A all year round, no matter what the weather is outside the window or how old the animal is. It is important to try to monitor the normal diet at all times, avoiding mistakes and errors. It is best to feed pigs with foods where vitamin A is natural, and not artificial, since the latter is much less absorbed. Be sure to add foods such as grass flour, carrots, cereals, pumpkin, and corn to your menu with your own hands.

Vitamin D in pig nutrition

Vitamin deficiency is just as dangerous for the health of pigs as the lack of retinol. The development of a painful condition will be facilitated not only by improper nutrition, but also errors in the direct maintenance of livestock:

• the room is poorly cleaned, does not comply with sanitary standards;
• high humidity in the pigsty, which provokes excessive dampness;
• lack of normal ventilation.

How do you know if your mumps isn't getting enough vitamin D? First of all, you should pay attention to how her joints look. In a pig with an improper diet, it will most likely be possible to find inflamed joints, which will indicate that rickets is developing. Just as in the previous case, we can say that such pigs have problems with bearing offspring, as well as childbirth.

What kind of prevention should be carried out? Adequate grazing should be organized first. In summer, pigs should be outdoors for the maximum amount of time. For winter, a regular ultraviolet lamp, which is installed in a pigsty, is suitable. In addition, it is required to diversify the nutrition of pigs with vitamin complexes, which will include vitamin D, a preventive course of fish oil will not be superfluous.

Vitamin E for pigs and its importance

The next multivitamin, which will be discussed, is vitamin E. Its direct function concerns the sexual sphere, that is, the issue of conceiving, bearing and giving birth to piglets. With its lack, the animal experiences enormous problems during pregnancy, producing sick or even dead babies.

In the case when there is enough vitamin E in the diet, one can observe how the females regularly bring offspring, the mortality rate of which is negligible.

It is recommended to introduce vitamin E only with food, so it will be absorbed as much as possible. Consider foods such as wheat, corn, silage, legumes, barley, and oats.

Vitamin B in pig nutrition

Like the previous vitamin, this one is also responsible for the sexual sphere of the pig's life. Females who are in a state of vitamin deficiency experience difficulties in bearing offspring, as well as in the process of childbirth itself. Usually in such offspring there are stillborn babies or very weak ones on the verge of life and death.

If vitamin B deficiency is diagnosed in a piglet, then it becomes weak, sucks poorly when it comes to a sucking animal, and also often has problems in the work of the cardiovascular system, poorly gains weight and has disorders of the musculoskeletal system.

If, by laboratory tests, it was determined that the pig needs vitamins B5 and B3, then in addition to all the above symptoms, the following may appear:

• the presence of uncontrolled seizures;
• the so-called goose step in a pig.

To prevent such serious consequences, you need to monitor the proper nutrition of the animal: adding bran, grass flour, root crops, grain, as well as dairy products to the feed, it will also be beneficial.

The need for minerals in the diet of pigs

A pig cannot live without minerals. The fact is that a lot depends on their presence, including the state of health of the animal. Minerals are extremely important for the normal formation of bone and cartilage tissue, therefore it is necessary to introduce them into the diet of young animals. In addition, mineral components help in the process of hematopoiesis, as well as in the absorption of protein, which is responsible for the pig's weight gain. If you have enough minerals in your diet, you will most likely have to deal with serious disorders in the heart or nervous system.

The female reacts most sharply to the lack of minerals in the diet, as she grows mass faster than males. Particular attention should be paid to the nutrition of the animal and the composition of the menu in the first months after birth. The fact is that at this stage there is a rapid leap in growth and weight gain, which must be supported with the help of complexes of minerals and vitamin supplements.

How to understand that there are not enough minerals in the diet? If a mistake was made in the preparation of the diet, the following signs will appear:

• young animals may have violations in the structure of bones, develop rickets;
• females often have fertility problems.

How to calculate the intake of vitamins and minerals

Pigs should receive the full range of micronutrients, including the main ones: selenium, iodine, magnesium, calcium, and so on. However, it can be difficult to understand how much one or another component should be given, because the number will vary depending on the breed, age and weight of the animal. We will proceed from the averaged norms, which are usually taken as a basis:

• Calcium - per 100 kg there is about 12 g per day, while the figure increases during the period of feeding the pigs and decreases when the animal is bearing offspring. As for the piglets, they are given calcium at the rate of approximately 0.7% of the total food volume.
• Salt. It is added to ready-made feed, while adhering to the following proportion: about 0.7% salt is added to 1 kg of food.
• Iron. Normally, a pig should receive about 75 mg per day.
• Copper. Its consumption rate is about 15 mg per day.
• Manganese - about 45 mg
• Zinc - about 80 mg per day.
• Iodine - no more than 0.5 mg per day. All these components must be included in the premixes.

It is recommended to add to food such simple and cheap products as bone meal, ground shell rock, turf, ordinary eggshell, ground to a state of flour, and so on. They can serve as an excellent premix. Since it is difficult to independently calculate the content of all the above feed components, many are inclined to purchase ready-made complexes, which are called BMVD for pigs. The abbreviation stands for protein-mineral vitamin supplements or feed supplements for pigs, enriched with essential components.

Choosing a BMW

Such complex preparations contain everything that a mumps may need. The plus is that such drugs can be given to both adults and piglets. Currently, the range of BMVD is wide, as feed additives in pig feeding are in demand.The markets sell products of both domestic manufacturers and foreign options, the price of which is much higher.

Today, the most optimal value for money can be noted in such a food supplement as azobacterin or purine hendrix - one of the most successful premixes. The composition contains the entire list of essential vitamin ingredients, including B12. It is recommended to start the course no earlier than the time when the pig is 2 months old. Based on the instructions, you need to give 0.5 grams per 1 kg of the animal's live weight.

Despite the positive feedback from many farmers, veterinarians warn that not all such food additives (feed premixes) are suitable for piglets equally, therefore it is recommended to consult a veterinarian before giving any BMVD.

The feasibility of drugs to stimulate pig growth

It's no secret that pigs are raised and then fed for further slaughter. That is, the farmer is interested in the animal gaining weight as quickly as possible. For these purposes, drugs have been developed that make the pig's body grow faster; they can be either hormonal or not contain hormones in the composition. In some cases, additives for rapid growth of pigs, or, as they are also called, premixes, are used.

Hormonal drugs, anabolic steroids, act quickly, the first results can be seen within a few weeks after the first application. The essence of the method lies in the fact that a woman's sex hormone enters the pig's body; it is usually sewn into a fold near the animal's auricle. Such a capsule is designed for long-term use and is valid for 7-9 months. Also, hormones can be introduced into the pig's body through injections. Usually, veterinarians use the most effective drugs for such purposes: laurobolin or retabolin. If we compare the two methods in terms of cost, the first one is more expensive, but at the same time faster and more efficient.

As mentioned earlier, there is a second way to get a pig to gain weight without using hormones. The method consists in the fact that the pig is fed in accordance with a diet that is maximally enriched with proteins and vitamins. You can also use the old proven method of taking antibiotics. They are usually administered to the animal subcutaneously. In this case, the mass increases due to the fact that the work of the intestinal microflora is suppressed, the metabolism changes. Usually, veterinarians recommend the use of drugs such as biomycin, biovit or bacitracin, their effectiveness has been tested for years. It is worth saying that the greatest success in weight growth can be achieved with a skillful combination of the use of antibiotics and BMVD for pigs, which will include all the necessary components, such a scheme is an excellent stimulator of weight growth.