How to deal with the influence of high temperature on boar performance?

The change of environmental temperature is a stressor for boars, especially adult boars. According to the research, if boars are under intense heat stress for a long time, it will have a very serious adverse impact on their production performance. Therefore, it is of great significance to pay attention to the environmental temperature control of boars and reduce the adverse effects of heat stress on their production performance.

Adverse effects of 1 high temperature on production performance of boar

When the ambient temperature exceeds 37℃ for more than a week, its effects on the performance of boars are mainly manifested in the obvious decline of sexual desire, semen quality, semen collection and sperm survival time in vitro, that is, semen preservation time in vitro. Long-term exposure of boars to heat stress will also lead to sperm dysplasia, sperm damage, testicular spermatogenic dysfunction, further shorten the breeding cycle, reduce breeding value, and even cause permanent loss of testicular spermatogenic function. At the same time, high temperature is also an important factor inducing boar orchitis.

2 protective measures

In pig production, it is of positive significance to take some measures to control the environmental temperature to reduce the influence of heat stress on the performance of boars. Specific measures include conventional control measures and unconventional control measures.

2. 1 Conventional control measures can reduce the influence of heat stress on boars and improve their production performance and breeding quality by changing their activity rules, setting shade sheds and installing drinking water facilities.

2. 1. 1 Build a shade shed to prevent direct sunlight. You can build a shed above the male pigsty, plant some climbing plants around the pigsty, or spread branches on the shed to prevent direct sunlight and reduce the environmental temperature of the pigsty. Especially in open piggery, sunshade measures should be taken to prevent direct sunlight and reduce the ground temperature and environmental temperature of piggery.

2. 1.2 Take shower (drip) water to cool down. Spraying facilities are set in the pigsty. When the ambient temperature is high, especially at noon, the pigsty is sprayed regularly through the water control valve to reduce the ambient temperature and ground temperature of the pigsty. In addition to shading measures, dripping cooling measures are more applicable and simple for open piggery. The concrete method is to erect a plastic pipe with a certain height in the pigsty, install a valve at the inlet end, drill a small hole in the water pipe or install a faucet, and after the water passes through, the water will flow out from the small hole or faucet. Dropping time and dropping speed can be controlled by valves.

2. 1.3 Strengthen ventilation and supply sufficient drinking water. In hot weather, because of the high temperature, boars need a lot of water, and their living environment, especially their pens and smells, changes rapidly. Therefore, it is necessary to install an automatic water dispenser in the boar pen or change the drinking water in the sink frequently to ensure that the boar can drink clean cold water at any time. Installing electric fans and ventilation fans in boars' pens, especially in closed pens, can effectively improve the living environment of boars.

2. 1.4 Adjust some activity rules of boars appropriately. The first is to adjust the exercise time of boars. Generally, boars are arranged to exercise in cooler time periods, such as before 7: 00 in the morning, or the exercise time is extended in cool weather and shortened in hot weather. The second is to adjust the time and frequency of boar mating and sperm collection. Semen collection or breeding of boars should be carried out in the cooling period, preferably before 7 am. The frequency of boar sperm collection should be once every three days. The frequency of this mating species should also be once every three days, and the minimum should be once every two days. The third is to adjust the feeding time and frequency of boars, feeding once at 8 am and 6 pm respectively, and not feeding at noon. Fourth, adjust the nutrition of boars, increase protein feed, especially animal protein feed and green juicy feed, and reduce the content of fat feed. It is best to insist on feeding green and juicy feed once a day at noon.

2.2 Unconventional control measures In some large-scale pig farms, it is necessary to set up special pens for boar's living and breeding, install air conditioners and air purification devices, and manually adjust the ambient temperature and air quality in the pens for boar's living and breeding, so that boar can live and breed in a more suitable environment, thus improving the production performance of boar. Source: