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- Prevention Works
The decisive hours
Should a piglet fail to ingest any colostrum, its chance of survival is almost zero!
The concentrations of immunoglobulin (IgG and IgA) decrease rapidly within a few hours of birth. The timing and quantity of colostrum-intake are therefore critical. The more the better, the quicker the better!
- During the first 24 hours after birth IgG-molecules can cross the intestinal wall. This also applies to infectious agents (i.e. E.coli, Clostridia and Streptococi)
- Note that piglets born late in a difficult farrowing process have little chance of ingesting sufficient colostrum
- Documenting the duration of the farrowing process is beneficial in determining the level of post-partum care piglets will require