| In
order to use external web links and database resources of this site, you must
become a member. Membership is free, please use the registration form on
the top menu. If you are already a member please
login below:
|
Gilt growth to selection:
Modern hogs have the potential for very fast growth rates enabling them to reach 100kg(220lb) live weight at 140 days of age. This growth rate is excellent for the production of a slaughter pig
but it must be curtailed for the animal that is selected to enter the breeding herd. More Info. The breeding animal must be allowed to develop a strong bone structure and a good body fat reserve to ensure a
long and productive life.
In a commercial herd producing female replacements from within the herd it is advisable to segregate the potential-breeding animals at as early a stage as the system allows. Females for breeding
may be treated the same as the slaughter hogs up to 70kg(140lb) live weight but from this stage they should be treated totally differently. The target growth rate for them should be no more than
.5kg(1lb) per day, they should always maintain a positive growth rate. At no stage should they be allowed to loose weight. Give the maturing female an extra space allocation as this will help to
produce strong-legged animals. More Info. The utilisation of an adequately balanced gilt diet is more advisable than using a restricted intake on a fattening diet.
The accurate identification of the age of the gilts is essential. This can be achieved by pen dating or by tattoo or ear notch on the individual animal. The former method (pen dating) is
preferable on a commercial unit as tattooing and notching take time and must be done right. Reading tattoos can be a stressful experience for animal and man without the proper facilities. If an
animal has to be removed from the pen for any reason during the growing phase then that animal is no longer acceptable for breeding and should join the slaughter hogs.
Top of Page
Tagging, Vaccination and Friends:
After final selection at slaughter weight each animal has to be given an individual identity - an ear tag with a unique number on it. The insertion of the tag in each ear can be a painful and
stressful time for the animal and thus this is not the opportune time to initiate the vaccination programme. The vaccination programme should be well planned in conjunction with your veterinarian and
the practice of combining all the vaccines in the one administration should be closely scrutinised. Some vaccines can be combined but others must never be, therefore the programme should be developed
by your veterinarian and rigidly adhered to. More Info. Vaccines are expensive but they serve a very useful purpose if administered correctly. If administered incorrectly then the farm has to pay the cost of
the vaccine and the cost of the subsequent disease outbreak.
Stress has a depressing affect on the immune system and therefore to get the best response from vaccination it should be done at a stress free time and in a stress free manner. The vaccine should
be administered at the correct site with the correct length of syringe needle. Please seek advice from your veterinarian if you have any queries or better still get him to check your procedures at
his next visit.
With all these painful experiences how do you maintain a friendship with your gilts?
Initially after tagging or injection the animals may shy away from the stockman, afraid of another prod. This situation can be quickly overcome if the stockman spends a little time in the pen
inspecting the animals, feeding or checking. The animals will quickly realise that the stockman is not always there to prod or hurt them. More Info.
Top of Page
Gilt Management to Service:
At service the animal should be a minimum of 8 months (32weeks) old and have reached a live weight in access of 130kgs(280lb). The animals should not be allowed to gain excessive weight as this
precipitates difficulties in getting them in heat and leads to leg problems. More Info.
As animals show signs of heat this should be recorded. At the second heat the insemination of the gilt with dead semen has shown benefit in subsequent litter size. A vasectomised boar run with the
pen of gilts for a short period, at time of heat will also have the same affect.
Prior to third heat it is advisable to flush the animals but when serving starts in the pen then flushing should stop. More Info. So unless the animals in the pen are synchronised in heat the benefit of
flushing may be lost on the majority of animals. The supervised introduction of the boar to the 26 week old gilts will help to get them cycling together. Another alternative, if serving in a number
of pens, is to move the served gilts to separate penning. The use of a large cull boar in this pen will reduce the amount of antagonism between the mixed females.
Immediately post service the feed levels of the gilts' should be restricted to a maximum of 3kgs (40MJDE). The animal in heat shows very little interest in food but as the heat cycle closes then
the over feeding of protein to the gilt has been shown to have a detrimental affect on the establishment of eggs in the uterus i.e. the animals produce less pigs.
Top of Page
Sow Management post weaning:
The sow is transferred from the Farrowing House (Maternity unit) to the mating area of the Gestation house (Honeymoon Suite). She has been removed from her piglets (offspring) and thus is upset.
She has a full udder of milk generating uncomfortable pressure and her accommodation is totally changed. This is a very stressful time for the animal. Care and patience should be employed in the
movement process. The new accommodation should be clean and comfortable and the sow should be fed a small amount of feed.
Sows in the Honeymoon area should be fed ad lib or to appetite, but how many times have you seen their troughs full of feed where stockmen are ensuring that they have surplus to their requirement.
This is a guaranteed way of reducing intake. Feed will pick up smells and go stale quickly in the trough especially if wet and therefore the sow will reduce her intake. Often fungus can be seen
growing on the stale feed, how very appetising!
Sows should be coming on heat 4 to 5 days post weaning and because she has other things on her mind her appetite reduces. Do not overfeed at this time.
Top of Page
Sow service routine:
There are numerous options available to introduce semen into the uterus. More Info. If your system is working well producing good farrowing rates and large litters then leave well enough alone, - "if its not
broken then do not attempt to fix it".
Methods of introduction of semen into the uterus:
Natural service - boar
Artificial Insemination - AI
Combination of both
Timing of insemination whether natural or AI:
The identification of the correct point for semen introduction is dependent on assessing the stage of heat the sow is at. If time is available to closely monitor the sows and the point at which
the sow will respond to back pressure and stand rigid when there is a boar present but will not respond when the boar is removed is identified (lasts for 8-10hours) then the correct time for semen
introduction is at 12 hours and 24 hours later. If this close observation is not practical then the use of 2 or 3 inseminations or matings can be practised. If natural service is used then this
should be the first service and the sow introduced to the boar after the first sign of her standing rigid to pressure with the boar present. The second and third insemination should be AI and given
12 and 24 hours later.
The movement of the sow to the boar and the actual foreplay can be rough on the sow. If she is carrying fertilised eggs from a previous insemination then some of these can be lost. Up to day 13 of
conception there should be no stress whatsoever on the sow, no movement of herself or her neighbours. All stress should be minimised up to day 35 of conception and if required feed levels can
be increased after this date.
If using AI the mixing of semen from two or three different boars (pooled semen) has been shown to increase subsequent litter size by .2 pigs per litter.
Some stockmen are better than others at
using AI, so therefore the person who administered the AI should be recorded at each insemination. Over a period it is then possible to check on which operatives are maintaining the best farrowing
rates and organise that they do the inseminations on the farm.
In on-farm AI production situations boars that are continuously drawn for semen can become quite aggressive. Allowing a natural mating with a sow can relieve his tension. If boars are not drawn
completely at semen collection then this can lead to an increase in aggression.
Top of Page
Feeding for pregnancy:
Feed levels are dependent on a number of factors, weight of animal, environment, group or single penned, bedding, disease status (parasite infestation), quality of feed, genetics, etc., etc.
A feed intake guide:
At the onset of heat the sow will reduce her feed intake.
After service up to day 35, feed levels should be maintained at a level around 25MJ/1046Kcal for normal sows and 28MJ/1170Kcal for gilts
or thin sows (feed level is dependent on numerous factors and these have to be assessed on each individual unit). If extra feed to improve body condition is necessary then this can be fed from day 35 on, however great care should be taken as increased levels of gestation feeding have a direct
relationship with reduced farrowing house intake thus compounding a thin sow problem.
From day 80 to day 110 (move to farrowing house) feed levels can be increased to 34MJ/1420Kcal. In the farrowing house especially if the room is not preheated feed levels should be maintained up
to 2 days prior to farrowing. At this stage the feed level should be reduced to 6MJ/250Kcal for the last two days to farrowing, some bran feeding may be of benefit at this stage. This allows the sow
to clean out her intestine and prepare for the farrowing process. If the sows bag up with milk 24-48 hours before farrowing then feed intake has to be reduced in the latter stages of gestation to
stop this affect. Milk should be available at farrowing not 24 hours earlier. More Info.
Measurement of backfat levels at entry to farrowing room is a very good indicator of a correct feeding regime. A P2 level of 20 to 25mm dependent on genetics etc. is targeted at farrowing.
Gestation feeding pattern
Top of Page
Failure identification:
When checking for repeats or sows that fail to hold in pig it is best to allow the animals to settle say one hour after feeding then with minimum disturbance of the animals do the checking for
sows showing the signs of returning to heat. If your system allows, use the "expert" at heat detection, the boar. Allow him to stroll down the passageway beside the pregnant sows and watch boar and
sow reactions. Do not leave the boar unattended for any reason. If you must make that urgent phone call then re-pen the boar.
If the number of fertilised eggs that get established in the uterus is 4 or less by day 13 then the sow will reabsorb these and return to heat. The sow will reabsorb embryo deaths that occur up to
day 35 of pregnancy. More Info.
Repeats should be analysed on a regular basis (every week on a large unit). Watch for a pattern or a common cause, were they served by the same boar (infertile), are they occurring due to stress
caused by the system (moved or mixed at the wrong time) etc.?
To maintain the health status of the farm great care should be taken that the routine vaccination and parasite control measures for all stock are completed
correctly and in time. The boar population of the herd should not be forgotten in these routines.
Top of Page
Useful links:
Research Articles on Management:
Management Index
Research Articles on Reproduction:
Reproduction Index
Research Articles on Genetics:
Genetics Index
Research Articles on Disease:
Disease Index
Research Articles on Health:
Health Index
Research Articles on Nutrition:
Nutrition Index
General Research Articles:
Feeding the Gestating Sow - once every 3 days
Electronic Sow Feeders (ESF) PDF
Top of Page
|
