2 – Production Systems Flashcards
1
Q
Pig flow systems (2)
A
- Continuous flow (CF)
- All-in-all-out (AIAO)
2
Q
Continuous flow
A
- Large airspace: comingled ages (dynamic population)
- Multiple weeks of production within one room
- Pigs enter and exit airspace on weekly basis
3
Q
All-in-all-out (AIAO)
A
- Compartmentalized
- Usually 1 room per week of production (static population)
- Emptied and sanitized between batches
- *fundamental principle of health control
4
Q
AIAO by room
A
- Within each nursery or finisher building, pigs should be SEGREGATED BY AGE (each production week in a separate room)
5
Q
AIAO by site
A
- If pigs from multiple barns are MIXED OR COMINGLED at entry, AIAO by site provides superior disease control
6
Q
Farrow to Finish Operation: ‘flow’
A
- Breed-gestation
- Farrow and nursery
- Finisher
- Market hogs and breeding stock
- *all same building but different rooms within each section
- *still same airspace and always walking inside
- Feed mill providing feed
7
Q
Two-site multiple source system
A
- Specialize: breeding, gestation, farrowing and nursery
- Go to assembly yard (auction mart)
- Someone buys them and finish them
- *WORST FOR BIOSECURITY
8
Q
Two-site single source system
A
- Specialized barn: breeding gestation, farrowing +/- nursery)
- Finishing +/- nursery site
o *grow to finish OR wean to finish
9
Q
Three-site single source system (segregated weaning)
A
- Breeding gestation, farrow site
- Nursery site with many rooms
- Finisher site with many rooms
- *highly secure with high biosecurity
10
Q
Three-site multi-source system (Isowean)
A
- Stage 1: Breeding, gestation, farrow sites (multiple sites of various sizes)
- Stage 2: nurseries: filled in 1 week
- Stage 3: shipped to US finisher sites, filled in 1-2 weeks
- *weekly production batch (still mixing piglets pre-weaning, but after weaning=not mixed again)
- *minimize POST-weaning diseases)
11
Q
Parity segregated system
A
- Separation of parity 1 progeny from parity 2+ progeny
- Improves health status and performance of nursery and finisher pigs
o Young sows=shed higher pathogens levels
o Older sow=produce higher quality colostrum following natural exposure and vaccination - Must maintain separate NGF (nursery, growth, finishers) for slaughter progeny of P1 and P2+ sows
- Feasible in large systems only
12
Q
Pig ‘hotels’ in China
A
- African swine fever pandemic (lost 30% of herd)
- *multi-story: saves space
- Hard to know what would happen if a disease broke out
13
Q
Gestation stalls: ‘regulations’
A
- Can be in stalls for up to 28 days post breeding: to PREVENT early pregnancy lost
o Minimize stress
o Eating properly
14
Q
Gestation housing
A
- Stalls
- Grouping pens
- *how do you determine if provides adequate welfare?
- *FREE FARROWING
15
Q
Free- farrowing
A
- Stalls so could isolate sows if needed
o But can go in and out if wants to protect herself and can still get enough food - *protected sows but can also interact with each other
- Piglets will feel safer to feed within the stalls and with their own moms
- Already with their mates and will stay together (GREAT BIOSECURITY)
- Less stressful for weaning
16
Q
Stalled housing
A
- Adopted to REDUCE AGRESSION and improve FEEDING CONSISTENCY compared to group pens
- Best system to PREVENT AGRESSION
- Proposed ban in Canada after 35d gestation by 2029 (unless adequate and regular EXERCISE can be provided)
17
Q
Group housing
A
- More difficult to assess welfare than stalls
- NUMEROUS and VARIABLE
o May have access to outside pasture, shed, or bedding
o ‘dynamic’ vs. ‘static’ groups
o Aggression at mixing and feeding
o Time of mixing varies - *AD LIB FEEDING via self feeders is NOT possible for gestation sows
18
Q
Unbiased assessment of housing systems: based on welfare requirements
A
- Freedom of movement
- Freedom form aggression
- Control over individual feed intake
- Provision of environmental enrichment
- Provision & layout of static space
19
Q
Freedom of movement:
A
- Control to SELECT an appropriate micro-environment
- Provides opportunity for EXERCISE
- Superior performance
20
Q
Advantages of increased movement
A
- Increased muscle size and tone in group sows
- Shorter farrowing’s
- Lower culling rate
21
Q
Freedom from aggression
A
- Virtually eliminated in STALLED HOUSING
- Major reason for adopting stalled housing
22
Q
Aggression in GROUP housed systems
A
- Follows re-grouping and feeding
- Considered short-term stress (similar to that following REGROUPING of weaned or grower pigs)
- Eased by providing sufficient space for ESCAPE
- REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE: more likely to be adversely affected if mixed during pre-implantation or if pens are dynamic
23
Q
Control over individual feed intake
A
- Can control amount fed and diet composition
- Nutrient intake is based on INDIVIDUAL NEEDS
24
Q
Individual nutritional needs of sow/gilt dependent on
A
- Maintenance: based on metabolic BW)
- Growth of dam
- Production: fetal growth, lactation
25
Stalls: control over individual feed intake
- Safe and separate feeding space but systems need oversite
- Drops are volumetric
- Amout varies depending on density of feed
- Must calibrate feed drops
- Generally one diet per barn or production site
- Feeding more than one diet type=not usually feasible
26
Group housing: control over individual feed intake
- Floor drops: 1-8 feedings/day
o Aggression drops as feeding frequency increases
- Electronic sow feeders
o Aggression focused at beginning of 24 hour feed period
27
Feeding systems in groups systems
- Floor feeding (drop feeding)
- Walk-in feed stalls
- Electronic sow feeders (ESF)
28
Floor feeding
- Feed usually dropped 1-2 times per day
- Increased frequency per day may decrease aggression
- Fighting level higher in smaller group sizes
- DOMINANT sows always monopolize feed
o Submissive sows wait
29
Walk-in feed stalls
- Full sized feeding stalls in pens
- Large loafing area behind sows
- May be equipped with ‘lock in’ stall
- STANDARD VOLUME of fed to each sow in group (top-up feed can be given manually)
- Sows SORTED BY WEEK OF BREEDING
- Sows may rest in stalls or in loafing area=choice
30
Electronic sow feeders (ESF)
- GREATEST CONTROL over individual feed intake
- Computer controls WEIGHT of diet fed daily
- Daily allowances can be ADJUSTED based on gestation state and body condition
- Technically complex
- ELECTRONIC ID (tags) can be lost/eaten
- NO REDUCTION IN LABOUR to operate system
31
Provision of environmental enrichment
- Straw or shavings for bedding
- Novel manipulatable objects
32
Straw or shavings for bedding
- Thermoregulation
- Reducing hunger
- Protection from floor
- Increased activity level: manipulation occupies time
- *can be a problem for manure systems
33
Provision of static space requirements: stalls
- 60% of time spent lying laterally during last 2 weeks of pregnancy
- Minimum sizes outlined
- Most traditional stalls=too small
- *sows need to exercise everyday (controversial)
34
Provision of static space requirements: group housed
- Floor plan and SPACE allowance per sow=critical
- Distinct areas need for FEEDING, SLEEPING, DUNGING and EXERCISE
