Weaning is a traumatic event for piglets regardless of their age. The change in nutrition from a largely milk based diet to a pelleted ration affects immune status and gut microflora.  In addition, changing the accommodation and mixing piglets can all have consequences on the piglet physical, nutritional, immunological, and behavioral status.

A crucial stage in the growth and development of pigs, the weaning period, can present challenges that need to be dealt with correctly in order to avoid issues. Providing a smooth transition from liquid to solid food is key in optimizing growth without risking the health or well-being of the piglets. Below we discuss when to wean piglets, and offer some tips on a successful transition. 

Before weaning

Newborn piglets have very limited ability to digest feed. The sow compensates for this by producing milk, a readily digested diet supplying almost all the nutritional requirements of her offspring, and offering this frequently. Also, the immune system is immature at birth so piglets have no inherent resistance to disease and cannot generate any real protection for five or six weeks. Antibodies concentrated in sow colostrum compensate for this initial deficiency but protection is short and usually has disappeared by weaning time (ie. in 3 to 5 weeks). 

• Passive immunity (colostrum) is transient and declining to very low concentrations by 14 days. 
• Piglet does not start building its own active immunity until about 21 days. 
• Acquiring active immunity is a slow process even if exposed to antigens as part of disease control program so piglet has little protection for another 2-3 weeks. 

 Ideally, proper vaccinations are done before weaning to provide the best protection for piglets. Deworming should also be done before weaning. Weaning, particularly at younger ages, involves a sudden change of diet and environment, so is certainly one of the most potentially stressful stages in a piglets life. 

When to Wean Piglets

The big decision on when to wean your piglets should be based on both the piglets and the sow. It should be noted that the time to wean is also dependent on the type of pig you are raising. Kunekunes are a heritage breed and therefore are usually weaned at a minimum of 8 weeks and often longer.  Piglets will give off social indicators that will clue you in as to when to wean. Be on the lookout for the following:

• When piglets are eating & drinking well on their own
• When piglets show independence
• When piglets are not completely dependent on their mother sow

All of the above are tell-tale signs that your piglet is ready to be weaned. If you have a sow that is being severely depleted by a large litter, you can wean the most independent and largest sized piglets quicker than the rest, preferably not before the 6 week mark. The only exception to this if you feel it is crucial for the health/survival of the sow. Natural weaning (weaning done solely by the sow) may take 17-20 weeks, which is not conducive to getting the sow back into condition for rebreeding. Some sows will start to self-wean at six weeks by reducing the times age presents for nursing. Some sows don’t like sharing feed, and as litters start demanding more feed from the mother’s feed bowl, she may become more aggressive with protecting “her” feed. Providing feed in a creep area for the piglets  minimizes issues. 

Tips for Better Weaning

Introduce food pre-weaning

Introducing dry creep feed to piglets can help them become accustomed to the new feed when it’s time to wean. Place 1 ½ – 2 ½ pounds of dry feed in their creep area starting at about 10-12 days of age. You’ll know when it’s time because the piglets start trying to eat with the sow. Select a feed that contains a high level of lysine (over 1%) to maximize growth. Some offer wet feed but make sure it’s eaten quickly or it may spoil in warm conditions. 

There are many ways to do the actual physical weaning. Depending on your farm, adapt what works best for you and your animals to the space you have available. Many breeders farrow a sow separately from other pigs. In this case, you can simply remove the sow from the piglets, and reintroduce her to the herd, leaving the piglets together in a familiar environment with their littermates. Thus,reducing the stress to the piglets. Some breeders have multiple litters born about the same time. It may also work to move multiple litters to a new area together, as long as they are monitored closely for the first week or so to make sure larger piglets aren’t keeping the smaller piglets away from feed. Having more feed pans than piglets helps. 

On our farm, we have had great success in minimizing weaning stress, by having a separate pen to accommodate weaned piglets. We keep a retired sow in with them, who is gentle with piglets.  Her presence seems to calm them, and they continue to learn from her. 

Basic Essentials for Satisfactory Weaning

Minimize Distress

• Weaning provides both a social and physiological stress, a vulnerable stage for all piglets 
• Piglets should be properly ready for weaning

Physical Environment

• Maintain animals within comfort zones. Have adequate shelter and bedding, and protect from extremes of heat, cold, wind, or rain. Reduce exposure to other pigs, especially new pigs for at least 30 days to allow piglets immune systems to mature. 
• Have an adequate group size so animals can huddle to effectively conserve heat if cool or spread out if warm. 
• It may be more expensive to provide smaller pens, or a separate area, but feed intake is higher in smaller groups and any problems should be noticed more quickly. 

Feeding and Watering 

• A palatable ration that meets all nutritional needs is essential.
• The weaning space for all recently weaned piglets should be equipped with suitable feeders that make feed visible and accessible. 
• Place feeders to minimize chance of fouling.
• It is advisable to feed less, and more often for first few weeks.
• Discard all uneaten feed and clean feeders thoroughly, at least once daily. 
• Piglets at 14 days of age have limited ability to digest plant proteins and uncooked starch. Must compensate for this by formulating diet from more readily digestible, and more expensive components (pig feed). Piglets may start consuming grass, hay, and other plant matter but keep in mind, their ability to digest plant material doesn’t mature til they are at least 6 months of age….the crucial growing period. They must be fed a proper pig feed to thrive. Remember…pigs are omnivores, not herbivores and require certain nutrients in their feed to grow properly. 
• A readily accessible water source is essential. Nipples are excellent since these are less likely to become contaminated with excretions. Nipple waterers must have been used in the nursery area though before weaning as the piglets will have learned to drink from them from the sow. It would not be good practice to introduce nipple waterers at weaning, due to adding more stress of learning to find new water sources along with the stress of weaning. 
• If using water containers, these should be cleaned and refilled daily. Do not make them so deep as to risk drowning. And they must be shallow enough for piglets to reach easily. 
• Offer multiple water pans to reduce risk of running dry. Salt toxicity (water deprivation) caused by lack of water is deadly. 

What to watch for after weaning 

The desciption of what the piglet goes through at weaning is a clear indication of the enormous stress involved. The following are changes that the piglet experiences:

• Loss of maternal protection.
• Change of living space and environment.
• Possible mixing with groups of larger sized piglets (normally from different litters)
• Change of diet and nutritional behavior:
  • Change from warm liquid diet to normally solid and dry.
  • There is a substantial change in the nutritive quality and composition (generally sudden contact with vegetable matter).
  • There is no collective communication at feeding.
  • The piglet stops suckling every 40 – 60 minutes.
  • The piglet stops receiving the defenses from the maternal milk.

In short: the piglet must learn to “look after itself”. The stress is an additional factor which makes it difficult for growth continuation and for the absorption of food during the first 3 – 5 days after weaning.

The separation from the sow is accompanied by characteristic and loud cries (grunts/calls) from the piglet that are produced immediately after weaning. The frequency and tone of these “calls” has been used as a method to evaluate the level of stress suffered by the piglet at weaning. The piglets that are colder and that feed more poorly cry more loudly and more frequently

Monitoring Weaned Piglet Performance

Observing Behavior

• if comfortable, piglets should be lying spaced out and breathing easily; 
• if huddled closely together with some piled on top of others, they are too cold; 
• if lying hunched up on sternum and almost all the floor space occupied they are too crowded; 
• if breathing very rapidly (panting) they are too hot; 
• all piglets in the pen should be able to eat at same time if feeding is restricted; increase number of feeding pans if too much fighting occurs at feeding time
• squealing and excessive activity around drinker indicated not enough access or nipple is plugged; 
• pig behaving differently than other pen-mates may indicate illness; 
• Behavioral anomalies like ear, tail or flank biting and naval sucking may be encountered. Victims are evident but it is difficult to catch the instigator(s). Usually only one animal starts this and, if it can be caught early, isolation for a few hours or days stops the problem. Toys may help for short periods. 
• Monitor for any piglet that seems to not be thriving. Some may need extra support. If you see pigs struggling at first, try a gruel feeder, which is a simple feeder that can be set on the floor of the pen. Mix a handful or two of feed with water to make it wet. You can assist the pigs in eating this or let them try it on their own. Sometimes, taking this extra step of wetting the food can help ease this transition of wet to dry food for young pigs that are having a hard time at first.

When should piglets go to thier new homes?

Piglets should be FULLY weaned and thriving for a minimum of 1 week preferably 2 weeks before going to their new homes.

Most kunekune piglets are starting to be weaned by the sow from week 6 on. By 8-10 weeks, a piglet should be completely weaned from the sow, eating and drinking well, and (if using) completed a vaccination and deworming schedule. (Consult your vet for more information). They should be ready for their new homes!