Water is the most basic but often neglected nutrient. If you give a pig a hunger strike and don't drink water for dozens of days, it won't lead to the death of the pig. However, if you don't give the pig a drop of water or feed it with water, the pig will die in a few days. It can be seen that water shortage is more important than material shortage. Therefore, there has long been a saying in agricultural proverbs in China that "grass is better than water".

Why does water play such an important role in the life of pigs?

We know that a pig is about 1/3 ~ 1/2 water. The water content of young pigs is large and decreases with age. With the increase of body fat, the water content of finishing pigs decreased rapidly. The animal body is composed of countless cells, and the normal metabolism of cells and various biochemical reactions can only be carried out normally when there is water. Once water is lost, all decomposition and synthesis will stop, thus affecting the life activities of the whole body.

Water is not only the best solvent and transportation tool for various nutrients in the body, but also the discharge of wastes in the body.

The movement of various organs in pigs also needs water for lubrication. For example, there is a lot of lubricating fluid in the joint capsule of bone joints, which can reduce the friction during activities, and saliva can help the swallowing of food.

Water also plays an important role in regulating body temperature. In the hot summer, the pig gasped with its mouth open. Through strenuous breathing, the water vapor in the lungs and respiratory tract is quickly discharged from the body, thus taking away a lot of heat.

In addition, insufficient drinking water and dry feed will also affect the appetite of pigs.

Because water is so important, all kinds of pigs should ensure adequate and clean drinking water every day. We can't think that water mixed in feed preparation can replace drinking water. The weather is hot and the feed has high salt content. For example, feeding swill, sauce residue and other feeds, it is more necessary to provide pigs with enough drinking water.

A lactating sow secretes more than 4 kilograms of milk every day. It takes a lot of water to secrete so much milk, and insufficient drinking water will obviously reduce the amount of milk. Therefore, it is very important to meet the water demand of lactating sows.

The suckling piglets grow rapidly, their metabolism is vigorous, their water content is high, their milk is thick and their fat content is high (7% ~ 1 1%). If it is only the moisture in milk, it can't meet the needs of piglets. Drinking water should be provided from 1 ~ 2 days after birth, otherwise pigs will get sick easily if they drink dirty water or urine.