Stress will sneak up on you when it’s least expected. Typically, stress is accompanied by some type of sickness that leads to loss of appetite. That is never good when you are a pig breeder or feeder trying to grow your next show pig prospect or raise a finishing floor of young swine, where you know that pounds pay. Every day off feed is a day you can’t afford.
Young pigs go through a lot of stress in a short amount of time. They are usually weaned at three weeks old. Then, if they are show pig prospects, they are eventually moved to a chip barn, photographed and videoed and likely looked at by numerous prospective customers in just a few days’ time. Not only are these transitions added challenges, but stress can also impact the pigs’ immunity leaving them at high risk for sickness.
Enter Vita Charge®, a line of fast-acting, multi-specie livestock products for support before, during and after stressful times. Vita Charge products are powered by the research-proven prebiotic AO-Biotics® Amaferm® to enhance digestibility. Vita Charge® HydraBoost™ is one product found in nurseries and chip barns across the country to offer young pigs rapid resilience during times of transition.
“We rely on Vita Charge HydraBoost at every transition as we wean and move babies to chips. It’s the best product we have found that minimizes a step backward in consumption. HydraBoost is one of the few ‘must haves’ in our feed room,” said Kyle Knauth, Knauth Showpigs, Milford, Illinois.
Knauth and his wife, Ellen, and two young sons, own and manage their show pig operation in eastern Illinois, where they breed elite show prospects year-round. The Knauth family has strived for success and has found that success over the years breeding multiple state fair champions and having phenomenal success at the Texas majors, raising the grand champion barrows at the 2022 Houston and San Antonio Livestock Shows and 2023 Fort Worth Stock Show. Kyle and Ellen also started a boar stud with Ellen’s brother Blane Olson and his family, other Vita Charge users.
In addition to Amaferm, HydraBoost contains MOS, which helps normalize gut microflora and supports the immune system, and electrolytes to help maintain maximum hydration. Most pig producers will administer the green-blue HydraBoost directly through their medicators to ensure that every pig that drinks is getting it into its system, to keep them drinking, eating and help boost their immunity.
Though most often fed at weaning, HydraBoost can be fed to any pigs that are experiencing stress or loss of appetite, including sows and boars in the breeding stages. Vita Charge HydraBoost provides that additional layer of protection for the pig’s digestive and immune systems. When respected breeders like Knauth rely on HydraBoost, you know it is something you should have in your feed room, too.
To learn more about the rapid resilience Vita Charge offers or to find a dealer near you, visit Vita Charge Dealers.
