A2 PIGS

Question 1

Weaning time frame

Answer 1

from day 28 to 55

Question 2

stresses applied on piglet at weaning

Answer 2

separtaion from mother
change of environment
medication vaccination
diet change
new pathogens exposure
social hierarchy

Question 3

goal in weaning

Answer 3

reduce the adverse effect of stress

Question 4

Thing to consider when picking the appropriate time to wean the piglets

Answer 4

development of digestive system
immunity
sow milk production and post weaning fertility
feed cost
depends on profitability once all these factors are considered.

Question 5

Immunity at weaning time

Answer 5

at its lowest.

mother’s antibodies are fading out and own antibody production is just starting.

Question 6

sow milk after 2nd week

Answer 6

no longer optimal for growth.

As such
weaning becomes necessary in order to maximize efficiency of piglet growth.
Therefore, prolonging the time between the 2 nd week and weaning results in
economical losses in this regard.

Question 7

3 different types of weaning

Answer 7

traditional (6 weeks old / 70-80% solid feed)
Recent system early weaning (28 days old-4-5 weeks / 20-30% solid feed)
SEW-segregate early weaning (2 weeks old / very little solid feed)

Question 8

SEW advantages and disadvantages

Answer 8

SEW is a system that capitalizes on the fact that the piglets’ immunity is highest
before 3 weeks of age when the mother’s antibodies still constitute a significant
portion of the piglet’s immune system.

seeks to reduce mortality due to disease, reduce medication costs, maximize
potential for lean growth, increase the number of litters per year.

disadvantages :

1. Potentially delayed fertility of the sow.
2. Special facilities and diets.
3. Need for competent and dedicated staff.

Question 9

Recent early weaning system diet

Answer 9

3 phase feeding system :

1. Pre-starter phase (for about 1 week) 
then 1 week mix pre-starter and starter. (week 5)
2. Starter phase (week 6 to 10)
week 11 mix transition
3. Grower phase (week 12)

Question 10

SEW diet

Answer 10

4 phase feeding system :

1. Milk replacer phase
2. Pre-starter phase
3. Starter phase
4. Grower phase

Question 11

Milk replacer

Answer 11

similar to sow milk in composition with CP being
minimum 25-26%
Only hydrothermically pre-treated starch may be given (never untreated).
Fat or oil and sweetening agents can be added to improve taste.

Question 12

If litter sizes are particularly big

Answer 12

some pigs may not have an individual teat to suckle
off of.
These can be fostered by other sows that farrowed 4 days to a week prior.

Question 13

Creep feeding

Answer 13

This is used in weaning systems that are
beyond 21 days.
Since the sow milk does not meet all the requirements some solid feed may be introduced.
This is typically very sweet and contains
around 20-21% CP minimum.
This gets the piglets used to solid feed therefore enhancing the intestinal maturation.

also contains organic acids. These organic acids help with
decreasing the stomach pH and therefore improving enzyme activity and digestion.

Question 14

weaning results in a weight gain reduction. why ?

Answer 14

inappetence associated with the weaning period along with a sudden surge in eating after this period of inappetence.
The GI tract is overwhelmed resulting in bacterial
overgrowth due to stagnation.

This weight-gain reduction has an effect on the end weight at slaughter so minimizing it is of the utmost importance.
In order to minimize the weight-gain reduction, the ration must be palatable and meets the requirements of the piglets.
The piglets must be allowed to be properly hydrated
and they must be fed little and often to avoid overwhelming of the GI tract.

Question 15

Intestinal problems associated with weaning:

Answer 15

Transient feed refusal leads to villus atrophy resulting in maldigestion and malabsorption leading to reduced weight gain.

lower immune state of the piglets in a 28-day weaning system leaves them
vulnerable to infection. The most common cause of post-weaning diarrhoea is E. coli.
Specifically, F4-ETEC E. coli is a very common pathogen in this regard.

Weaning results in an initial increase in E. coli (which further increases the risk of E. coli diarrhoea ) in the microflora. This is coupled with a decrease in the
Lactobacillus population. Overall, this difference will sort itself out in around a week but until then it can cause intestinal problems.

Question 16

To minimize any pre-disposing factors related to Intestinal problems associated with weaning, we aim to:

Answer 16

1. Clean and disinfect nursery rooms and keep them at a temperature of around 28C.
2. Keep the stocking density low, with piglets only coming from 2 different litters to decrease potential aggression.
3. Progression from starter to weaner food done over the course of 3 days to allow the pigs time to adjust.

These optimal conditions and other nutritional strategies such as a higher CF content
in the diet help decrease the incidence of post-weaning E. coli diarrhoea.

Question 17

Practical aspects of weaning diet

Answer 17

Days 28 till 38:
Pre-starter is fed ad lib., 2 to 3 meals per day with 4% of BW being consumed by each pig.

 Days 39 to 42:
Transition from pre-starter to starter.

 Days 43 to 70:
Fed starter with a total of 15kg of starter being eaten per pig by the end of this stage.

 By day 70 the pigs weight around 20-25kg.
They are fed a piglet diet until day 90.
On day 90 (30-35kg) they are selected for fattening or breeding.

 Pre-starter and starter feeds contain 21% CP while piglet diet contains around
18% CP.

 The protein requirement is decreasing throughout the growing period (26% CP at 3-5kg to 18% at 20-50kg).
This decreasing CP requirement is mimicked in the feed.