CATDOLL : CATDOLL: The correct method and skills of touching the sow's back fat

Why do you touch the sow's back fat?

Feeling the sow's back fat is an important task that farm or farm staff often perform during the growth of pigs. By feeling the sow's back fat, the sow's weight and body fat content can be assessed, thereby judging the sow's health and growth.

How to feel the sow's back fat?

The following are the correct steps and techniques for touching the sow's back fat:

1. Choose the right time: The best time to touch the back fat is after the sow has eaten, because at this time the sow has food in her body and her body is in a relatively relaxed state.
2. Stay safe: Before you begin palpating sow backfat, make sure you are safe. Wear appropriate protective gear, including gloves and shoe covers, to prevent injury and cross infection.
3. Stand in the correct position: Stand at the side of the sow, facing the sow's back.
4. Focus on the backfat area: Place your hand flat on the sow's back and slowly slide your fingers down along the spine to the loin.
5. Determine the back fat condition: Determine the back fat condition of the sow by touching and feeling the hardness and thickness of the back fat. If the back fat feels soft and thin, it means that the fat content in the sow's body is low; if the back fat feels hard and thick, it means that the fat content in the sow's body is high.
6. Record data: Record the back fat status of different sows based on the judgment results to facilitate subsequent management and feeding plans.

Why should we care about sow backfat?

Paying attention to the state of sow backfat is of great significance to the breeding industry:

• Health status: Feeling the sow's back fat can help farmers understand the sow's health status. Too low or too high fat content may lead to sow health problems, such as decreased reproductive ability and susceptibility to disease.
• Feeding management: By regularly checking the sow's back fat and recording the data, farmers can adjust the feeding plan according to the back fat status of different sows to ensure the health and growth of the sows.
• Economic benefits: Proper management of sow backfat can improve production efficiency. Keeping sow backfat within an appropriate range can promote sow growth and reproduction and increase pork production.

Conclusion

Using the correct methods and techniques to feel the sow's back fat can not only help farmers understand the health status of sows and adjust feeding and management plans, but also improve breeding efficiency. If you are a practitioner in the breeding industry or a reader interested in this, I hope this article can help you.

Thank you for reading this article. I hope that through the content of this article, you can better understand the correct methods and techniques of touching the sow's back fat, so as to achieve better results in the breeding process.