Two new products from Agritech Solutions ,called Quickstart and Electro FA, have been introduced to the UK market to help pig producers rear more pigs, particularly from ultra-large litters.
QuickStart, which contains medium-chain fatty acids, vitamins and probiotics can be given to new-born piglets and poor doers to provide a high-level energy boost and inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria to improve the balance of gut microflora and the immune system.
Electro FA, a complementary feed containing electrolytes – potassium and sodium – as well as flavouring compounds, can be given to young pigs to aid recovery from diarrhoea by combating dehydration and encouraging the return of appetite.
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, and are supplied in 250ml bottles.
Adam Goddard, managing director of Agritech Solutions said: “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.
“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.”