Although the occurrence of scrotal and umbilical hernias is often a frustrating concern for commercial farms, there are several areas where the producer can try to reduce the incidence of hernias:
Good sanitation and hygiene may be more likely to reduce the incidence of umbilical hernias than eliminating certain boars or dams. Disinfecting umbilical cords has been reported to decrease the incidence of infection.
Improving farrowing-crate sanitation by removing accumulated sow manure before farrowing and using a desiccant powder to keep the crate floor dry may reduce bacterial levels in the piglets' environment, thus reducing the risk of umbilical infection and umbilical hernias.
Environmental factors such as abnormal stretching of the umbilical cord during farrowing, incorrect placing of navel clips or infection of the umbilical "stump" on the piglet could contribute to the failure of the umbilical cord opening to close correctly.
In scrotal/inguinal hernias, careful pig handling can make a significant difference to herd incidence.
As in all pig production, good stockmanship yields positive results