看国外：水对猪健康的重要性

猪需要水来满足它们的生理需要。这包括大多数新陈代谢功能，营养物质通过身体组织和器官的运动，关节的润滑，体温的调节，废物的清除，乳汁的产生，以及生长和繁殖--包括精液的产生。一头猪可以减掉大部分的脂肪和一半的蛋白质而不会死亡，最多减掉10%的蛋白质而不会影响性能，但如果只减掉10%的水分，死亡很快就接踵而至。水平衡在猪体内是恒定的，最重要的水来源是通过饮水获得的，尽管一些额外的水是通过食物中碳水化合物，脂肪和蛋白质的分解在体内制造的。猪通过尿液，粪便，呼吸和皮肤流失水分。

Pigs require water to meet their physiological needs. These include most metabolic functions, the movement of nutrients through to the body tissues and organs, lubrication of the joints, adjustments in body temperature, removal of waste, milk production, and for growth and reproduction – including semen production. A pig can lose most of its fat and half its body protein without dying and up to 10 percent without affecting performance, but if it loses as little as 10 percent of its water content, death quickly follows. Water balance is constant within the pig, with the most important source being available via drinking, although some additional water is manufactured in the body via the breakdown of dietary carbohydrate, fat and protein. The pig loses water via urine, faeces, respiration, and from the skin.

生理的这种摄入-产出平衡直接受到多种因素的影响，包括年龄、饲料和粗蛋白含量；天气状况/气候；健康状况；提供的运动场和饲养类型（室内/室外）-因此所需饮水量不能以绝对升为单位进行衡量。最近出版的《猪福利实施规程》（英格兰）提供了在温和气候下最低需水量指南（表1），但目的是持续供应饮用水。这里的关键词是“可饮用”--不受粪便或尿液污染，包括依赖溪流作为饮用水来源，因为溪流可能受到上游的污染。

This intake-output balance is directly affected by a multitude of factors including age; what they’re fed and crude protein content of their feed; weather conditions/ climate; health status; provided wallows and type of husbandry (indoor/ outdoor) – so the quantity required cannot be quoted in absolute litres. The recently published Code of Practice for the Welfare of Pigs (England) provides a guide on the minimum quantities consumed in a temperate climate (Table 1) but a continuous supply of potable water is the aim. Potable being the key word here – not contaminated with faeces or urine, including relying on streams as a source of drinking water as these may be contaminated from further upstream.

粗蛋白水平 Crude protein levels

日粮中的粗蛋白量与水的消耗量成正比地增加，因此饲喂13%粗蛋白的猪会比饲喂16%以上粗蛋白的猪喝得水少。此外，饲喂颗粒饲料的猪比饲喂湿饲料的猪需要更多的水，也许令人惊讶的是，饲喂干饲料的猪也需要更多的水。据报道，喂食不足的猪会增加水的消耗，特别是怀孕阶段的母猪，因为它们可能会试图“感到饱腹”。饲喂了允许添加水果和蔬菜的饲料的猪只饮水量自然下降。

The amount of water consumed increases proportionally with the amount of crude protein in the diet, so pigs fed on 13 percent crude protein will drink less than those on 16 percent plus. Also pigs fed a pelleted feed require more water than those fed a wet meal and also, perhaps surprisingly, a dry meal. It is reported that underfed pigs increase water consumption, particularly in gestating sows as they presumably attempt to "feel full". Pigs fed with a diet supplemented with permitted fruit and vegetable waste will naturally drink less.

疾病的影响   Effects of disease

受疾病影响的猪比同龄和体重的健康猪需要更多的水，特别是当疾病伴有腹泻或动物发烧引起的高温时。这是完全合理的，因为更多的水正在流失。在躺卧区多放一个水槽，鼓励猪只多饮水。

Pigs affected with diseases require more water than healthy pigs of the same age and body weight, especially if the illness is accompanied by diarrhoea or the animal has a high temperature caused by a fever. This makes perfect sense as more water is being lost. Encourage drinking by sitting extra troughs near the sleeping quarters.

工作中的公猪  Working boars

当“工作”公猪表现出相当大的体力消耗和生产450毫升精液（15毫升盎司）的过程中，所有导致水分不足的精液都需要更换。

When 'working’ boars perform with considerable physical exertion and produce up to 450 ml (15 fl.oz.) of semen at each service, all leading to a water deficit will needs replacing.

泥坑  Wallows

泥坑是户外饲养的猪在炎热的天气里通过身体热量的传递保持凉爽的必要工具，如果你不提供泥坑，猪会用它们仅有的水——从它们的水槽里——制造一个泥坑！猪很聪明，但它们没有先见之明，看不到这会减少可供饮用的水。

Muddy wallows are an essential tool for the outdoor-reared pig to keep cool in the hot weather via transfer of their body heat and if you don’t provide one, the pig will make one using the only water they have available – from their trough! Pigs are clever, but they don’t have the foresight to see that this reduces the water available for drinking.

气候条件 Climate

炎热的天气给猪带来了额外的压力来保持凉爽，由于功能性汗腺的缺乏，通过排尿排出热量是它们降温的一种方式。 然而，这反倒要求它们吸收更多的水。猪天生聪明，在炎热的天气里限制采食量，以减少消化产生的代谢热量，在一天中较冷的时候采食，确实可以帮助猪维持水分平衡。

Hot weather puts additional pressures on the pig to keep cool and, due to a deficiency of functional sweat glands, expulsion of heat via urination is one way they can cool down. However, this does conversely require them to take in more water. Pigs are instinctively clever enough to limit feed intake in hot weather to reduce the metabolic heat generated by digestion and it can really assist the pig to maintain their water balance by feeding at the cooler ends of the day.

水槽尺寸  Trough sizing

应该根据不同的年龄使用不同大小的水槽，并且要时刻注意，需要从两周龄开始提供水的小猪可能能够进出，所以要小心选择水槽的深度。你会发现，猪在可能的情况下，会出于各种原因故意把水槽翻过来，比如为了好玩、无聊，或者能够躺在冰冷的水里。

You should use water troughs of different sizes for different ages, and always be mindful that piglets, which need water provided from two weeks of age, may be able to get in but not out, so choose trough depths carefully. What you will find is that pigs, when they can, will purposely tip troughs over for various reasons e.g. for fun, through boredom or to be able to lie in the cooling spilt water.

如果您安装了自动饮水系统，那么除了在冰冻条件下，您可以避免这个问题。这包括奶嘴饮水器，它是通过管道连接到总水管上的，不需要清洗，并且有连续的淡水。需要仔细维护，因为它们可能堵塞或水流失控，而且众所周知，流速会影响有效消化饲料的能力，如果设置不正确，它们是有害的。

If you have fitted automatic water dispensers then, apart from in freezing conditions, you can avoid this issue. This includes nipple drinkers, which are teats attached to the mains water supply via pipes, which do not require cleaning out and have continuous fresh water. Careful maintenance is required as they can get stuck and flood everything and as the flow rates are known to affect the ability to digest feed efficiently they can be detrimental if set incorrectly.

总结  Final thought

在正确的饲养条件下，加上充足的新鲜可口的水，猪很会照顾自己。 你在满足他们的需求方面的熟练程度通常不会在日常生活中受到挑战，然而，好的和优秀的水管理之间的区别在于你的系统如何满足那些变得不适或在其他方面易受伤害的猪的需求。

Given the correct husbandry conditions, and with plenty of fresh palatable water, pigs are pretty good at looking after themselves. How proficient you are at providing their needs isn’t usually challenged on a day to day basis, however the difference between okay and excellent water management lies in how your system provides for the needs of any that become unwell or are vulnerable in other ways.

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2、作者： Dr Michaela Giles