How do pigs stay warm and healthy when it´s freezing?

Here at the farm it is the dead of winter and it has turned cold and snowy. I wanted to share how the pigs are holding up through these cold and snowy times. Our pigs are managing this situation but prefer moderate temperatures. We provide our smaller piglets with heat lamps, so they can stay dry and warm. This is important, so they can continue to gain weight and have strong immune systems.

With our middle size pigs, I provide fresh bedding – corn stalks – every few days. This way, they can stay dry and build a nest like structure where they sleep in as a group sharing body neat.

My breeding stock is the most rugged. They handle the elements best as they have plenty body fat that serves as insulation. They also sleep together in a community inside the barns at night to stay out of the wind.

Some of the challenges that happen when we get during a super cold weather are:

• Keeping the sows and boars in proper body condition

• Keeping the growing meat pigs gaining weight

Generally, I add in a fat source to their diet or increase their daily feed allowance. Pigs are resilient animals and work together as a community during times like these.

Warmer days are ahead!