China is a diversified country. The temperature in the summer can reach its limit in the south and sows' feeding strategies must be adjusted. The summer climate in southern China differs greatly from that in the north, mainly in the south with high temperature and high humidity, and in the north with high temperature and dryness. Therefore, the sow's feeding strategy should also be adjusted accordingly. Sows' normal physiological responses to high summer temperatures In summer and hot seasons in China and other countries, sows (especially lactating sows) exhibit reduced feed intake, decreased milk production, and reduced reproductive performance. Dietary intake, digestion, and metabolism require energy consumption. This energy is converted into heat energy released into the environment. In extreme cases, the ambient temperature is already high, and this temperature transfer between the animal's thermal energy and the environment is blocked, especially when the humidity in the environment is also quite high. Therefore, the animal will automatically stop all the heat-generating activities. The most important one is eating and physical activity. This is a natural reaction of animals to inappropriate environments. Heat stress causes a decline in production performance Heat stress results in a decrease in sows' feed intake, and nursing sows use more body stores to maintain lactation. This process is very inefficient and ultimately leads to a decrease in milk production and poor sow body condition. As a result, not only do the litters gain weight, the survival rate declines, and the sow's subsequent reproductive performance also declines. Poorly-conditioned sows need more time to conceive, and the number of litters in the next child will generally decline. Therefore, every measure that can increase feed intake and do not cause animal heat stress is effective in both short-term (piglets) and long-term (sows). Of course, the most important of these is to avoid sows from high temperature stress in summer. These include: shading, thermal insulation, ventilation. Under extreme high temperature conditions, water leaching over the shoulder has proven to be very effective. Nutrition interventions When it comes to nutrition, there is plenty of room for us to help alleviate summer heat stress in sows. The nutrition interventions mentioned below may not be applicable to all farms. The farms should select the appropriate measures according to their own conditions. 1, nutrient density Most people think that by properly increasing the nutrient density of the diet, we can compensate for the decrease in nutrient intake caused by the decrease in feed intake under high temperature conditions. For example, if feed intake drops by 10%, then all nutrient densities in the diet should increase by 10%. However, there are processing limitations for some nutrients when using this method. For example, the level of dietary fats and oils cannot exceed 6%-8%. Therefore, some nutrients do not apply when using dietary nutrient density. 2, protein Excess protein needs to be excreted in the form of urea by deamination. This process is also a heat-generating process and it is therefore recommended to reduce dietary protein levels by adding crystalline amino acids to feeds. The degree of protein reduction depends on the current protein level, available raw materials, crystalline amino acid prices, and the like. Under normal circumstances, it is entirely possible to reduce 1-2 points. 3, fiber The heat generated during the digestion and metabolism of fiber is higher than that of carbohydrates and proteins, but the heat generated during the digestion and metabolism of fats and oils is the lowest. One way to combat heat stress is to reduce fiber levels in the diet, but care must be taken to induce constipation in animals. This can be solved by adding appropriate additives and re-establishing the balance between soluble and insoluble fiber in the diet. 4, fats and oils As mentioned above, fats and oils not only increase the energy density of the diet, but also reduce the heat production during digestion and metabolism. Therefore, high-fat, high-oil diets are suitable for summer hot seasons. However, it is worth noting that it is necessary to increase the level of other nutrients in the diet (including all amino acids and other nutrients) to avoid imbalances in the diet. 5, additives Research and practice have shown that adding appropriate additives can increase the feed intake of lactating sows. Some of the additives work by increasing the digestibility of nutrients, partly by increasing the palatability of the diet, and partly by reducing the calorie content in the digestion and metabolism. For monogastric animals, vitamin C and vitamin-like complexes (betaine) have been shown to reduce the animal's heat stress. 6, pellet feed Granulation increases the physical density of dietary nutrients and increases the intake of nutrients. Coupled with measures such as increasing the density of dietary nutrients, both can well maintain the nutrient intake of animals under heat stress. However, granulation increases feed costs. 7, liquid feed One of the greatest benefits of liquid feeding is ensuring that sows maintain high feed intake during the summer hot season. The increased water intake allows animals to better control body heat production. In addition, liquid feeding is more delicious. 8, feeding time Feeding at a cooler time or at night is an effective way to fight heat stress. This may increase the demand for labor, but the difficulties can be overcome compared with the effect brought by this method. 9, feeding frequency Increasing the frequency of feeding and reducing the amount of each feed can prevent the sow from overfeeding each day and avoid excessive body heat in the short term. The specific number of feedings depends on the available labor force, and it is usually sufficient to increase it twice a day to three times a day. 10, drinking water If the sow consumes enough water, she can consume enough rations. We recommend breastfeeding sows to drink a minimum of 25 litres per day, and to increase to 40 liters in summer at high temperatures. Before the onset of high temperatures in summer, the drinking fountains, water velocity, and water quality should be carefully checked to ensure their normal operation. China Medical Glove,Disposable Medical Gloves supplier & manufacturer, offer low price, high quality Medical Examination Gloves,Medical Examination Gloves, etc. Medical Glove,Disposable Medical Gloves,Medical Examination Gloves,Medical Examination Gloves Surgimed Medical Supplies Co.,Ltd , https://www.surgimedcn.com