Using tie wraps to tie navel cords

Goal

Using tie wraps (cable ties or zip ties) to tie quickly and efficiently the navel cords of newborn piglets.

Trick

Tie the zip tie some 5 cm away from the navel.

Explanation

This trick is used in the Bernis farm in Alcarràs, Lleida, Spain. During the monitoring of the farrowings it is something frequent to find ourselves with piglets whose navel cord has ripped, when born, a few centimetres away from the navel. These piglets are at a higher risk of suffering navel haemorrhages or infections that enter through the navel cord. Also, some farms in particular suffer serious and widespread navel haemorrhages problems in newborn piglets.

In all of these cases, it is advisable to tie the navel cord correctly as soon as possible after the birth. With that aim, many "inventions" are used: from the strings that close the compound feed sacks to the navel cord clamp pegs used for babies in human medicine. An option that is not so sophisticated nor expensive as the latter is to use tie wraps like the ones used by electricians. We must use the smallest ones available.

It is a quick, cheap and convenient option. We can always carry a handful of tie wraps in our pocket whilst we keep an eye on the farrowings to tie the navel cords of the problematic piglets.