New life-saving products for young pigs
Two new products – QuickStart and Electro FA (First Aid) – to help pig producers rear more pigs, especially from ultra-large litters, have been introduced to the UK industry by Agritech International Solutions Ltd.
QuickStart, containing medium-chain fatty acids, vitamins and probiotics is given to new-born piglets and poor doers. A 2ml dose, administered orally during the first two days, provides a high-level energy boost and can also inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria to improve the balance of gut microflora and the immune system.
Electro FA, a complementary feed contains electrolytes – potassium and sodium – as well as flavouring compounds, made from sweet chestnut and mint, known to have intestinal binding effects. Given to young pigs to aid recovery from diarrhoea it combats dehydration and encourages the return of appetite. The 2 ml oral dose, delivered via a dosing pump, can be repeated (daily) for up to seven days.
“Over 60 per cent of all losses in pig-rearing occur in the first few days of life. As piglets are born without any fat reserves, they have no stored energy so have to rely on their intake of colostrum from the sow. However, with today’s highly-prolific sows, often producing more piglets than they have teats to feed them, some piglets inevitably miss out,” said Adam Goddard, managing director of Agritech Solutions.
“Scouring and dehydration are frequently a problem, too, and these products aim to overcome such challenges, enabling pig producers to rear more of the pigs born from these large litters.”
Both products, which have proved to be highly successful on continental farms, are produced by a specialist manufacturer in Europe, where they have approval under the GMP+ and FAMI-QS assurance schemes.
Supplied in 250 ml bottles providing 125 doses, QuickStart and Electro FA cost 46p and 32p per dose, respectively.