5 – Nursery Flashcards
1
Q
What are the goals of nursery unit?
A
- Provide a LOW STRESS environment after weaning
- Successful transition from MILK TO SOLID FEED
- Maintain HEALTH and low mortality
- Provide optimum conditions for efficient GROWTH
2
Q
Weaning procedures
A
- Sows relocated to breeding barn
- Piglets transferred to the nursery
- Day of week predetermines day of breeding and next farrowing
3
Q
Day of week predetermines day of breeding and next farrowing
A
- Wean: Wednesday or Thursday
- Bred: Monday/Tuesday
- Farrow: Thursday/Friday
4
Q
Weaning age
A
- Generally 3-4 weeks
- *considerable variation around average (7-10 day spread within a weaning batch)
5
Q
Physical environment of nursery
A
- Clean, warm, dry
- All-in all-out flow
- Flooring: 100% porous
- Ad libitum feed & water
- 20-100/pen
6
Q
Pen placement in nursery (‘organization of groups’)
A
- By litter
- Random (gate run)
- Split sex
- By weight
7
Q
Room temperatures
A
- Increased to compensate for low feed consumption
- DROPPED GRADUALLY ~1 degree C/week until 22-24 degree C
8
Q
Water
A
- Ad libitum (0.5-1L/min)
- Bowls or fixed or swing nipples
- Adjusted to SHOULDER HEIGHT
9
Q
Code for sick or injured pigs
A
- Need to have a spot to segregate sick or injured
10
Q
Code for lighting
A
- Minimum of 50 lux of lighting
- Minimum of 8 hours per day
- Have access to a darkened area for at least 6 consecutive hours per day
11
Q
Code for temperature
A
- Temperature that will assist piglets to reach and maintain normal body T
- Need to prevent overheating or cold stress
- 35 degree C
- Later: 27 degree C
- *based on watching the PIGS
12
Q
Ventilation
A
- *Essential for comfort and disease prevention
- Supply fresh air
- Eliminate drafts
- Exhaust moisture produced by pigs
- Exhausts noxious gases from pigs, manure pit and heaters (CO2, H2S)
- Provide supplementary HEAT as required
13
Q
Space requirement
A
- Increases proportionate to metabolic body weight according to a formula
- Floor area/pig = k x BW^0.667)
- *performance negatively affected when k<0.0335
14
Q
Code space allowance
A
- Short term allowance if need to increase stocking density (ex. disease outbreak)
15
Q
Susceptibility varies among pigs based on
A
- Decay and variation passive immunity level
- Lack of previous exposure (priming)
- Slow active/adaptive immune response
o Do NOT vaccinate earlier (decreases active immunity) - Stress of weaning (increased cortisol)
16
Q
Reasons for segregation of weaned pigs from sow facilities
A
- Disease control
- Manure disposal
- Staff specialization
17
Q
Sanitation: removal of organic matter
A
- Multiple-step sanitation program
o Rinse
o Detergent application
o High pressure wash
o Biofilm removal
o Disinfect
o Dry
18
Q
High pressure washing
A
- Hot or cold water machines
- 1200-2000 psi
- Skin injury results from close range
19
Q
Removal of biofilms:
A
- *microbial community that populate environmental surfaces
- Organic matter and moisture=excellent substrate
- Encase in matrix of bacterial polysaccharides and mineral scale
- *protected from disinfectants
- Acid and alkali detergents needed to dissolve scale and digest biofilm
- *easier to kill big viruses
20
Q
Application of disinfectants
A
- Many classes and products available
- Effectiveness varies with
o Contact time
o Concentration
o Method of application
o Product type
o Presence of organic matter
o Temperature
o Water quality
21
Q
Physiologic factors affecting weaned pigs
A
- GIT development (enzymes: lactase, proteases; villi health)
- Weaning age and weight
- Social STRESSES (weaning, relocation, mixing)
- Exposure to creep feeding (provided to some litters)
22
Q
Considerable enzymatic changes coincide with weaning
A
- Decreased lactase
- Increased amylase and protease
- *microbiome shift: complete shift (increased diversity!)
23
Q
How can we minimize the post weaning shift in microbiome?
A
- Let them have access to creep feed pre weaning
24
Q
Villi health: blunting causes
A
- Diarrhea due to MALABSORPTION
- *small intestine
25
Causes of villi blunting
- Weaning STRESS
- Soybean meal HYPERSENSITIVITY (allergy)
- Starvation/ANOREXIA)
- DISEASE (pathogens)
- Environmental stress (CHILLING)
26
Variations exist in weaning age and weight
- OLDER and HEAVIER pigs are always at a COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGEOUS
- 19-20d old (some 26d old)
27
Principles of nursery feeding
- *extremely important period
- Small appetite: EVERY MOUTH FULL COUNTS
- Radical changes in ingredients needed to match changing GIT enzymes
- Appetite increases as pig grows
- Inadequate nutrition can trigger diarrhea or scours
28
Weeks 1-2 feeding stage
- 3-4x/day
- Creep feeders or tray increased exposure to feed
- Complex/expensive diets
- Moist feed or gruel preferred
- *get some waste but it is worth it for the gain (as they don’t eat a lot of it)
29
Weeks 3-8 feeding stage
- SELF FEEDERS used
- Filled 1-2x/day
- Least cost diets used
- Less complex diet
30
Factors affecting growth and feed intake: early nursery period
- Temperature
- Feed presentation (trays, feeders)
- Frequency of feeding
- Disease
31
Factors affecting growth and feed intake: later nursery period
- PEN DENSITY
- Feeder space, type, size
- Water availability, delivery
32
Nursery performance target: exit weight
- 28-30kg
33
Nursery performance target: average daily gain
- 450g/day
34
Nursery performance target: feed:gain ratio (FCR)
- 1.2-1.3
35
Nursery performance target: feed cost
- $12-15
36
Nursery performance target: mortality
- <2%
