Gilt Management & Service/Fertility Flashcards
1
Q
Gilts general info?
A
- Needed to maintain herd size
- Planned introduction
- Replacement rate (40-69%) due to dx, depopulation, inc culls, fertility problems
2
Q
Replacement gilts can be obtained in two ways …?
A
Bought in or Home reared
3
Q
Describe bought in gilts?
A
- Dx risk
- Herd stability
- Inc speed of genetic improvement
- Fewer economic constraints on rearing herd
- Already selected
4
Q
Describe Home reared gilts?
A
- Less risk of introducing dx
Genetic lag
Formal breedinfg programme needed
Alternative growing stream
Numbers required
Selection
5
Q
What Health status considerations?
A
- high health vs conventional
Equivalence or higher status needed for incoming animals
Consider vaccination pre and post-delovery - Isolation requirements
- Acclimatation
6
Q
Isolation of replaceme nt gilts?
A
- At least 28 days
- Managed as AIAO
- Allows pre-entry diagnostics, serology, vaccination
- Monitor CLS
7
Q
describe Health Acclimatation phase
A
- Slowly expose incoming gilts to organisms in recipient herd
- Combination - natural exposure and vaccination
- Exposure -> direct or indirect contact
8
Q
What are the two ESSENTIAL Vaccinations ?
A
- Erysipelas
- Parvovirus
9
Q
What other vaccines to consider?
A
- PRRS, EP PCV2, HPS, Ileitis
10
Q
When do we do Erysipelas vacc?
A
2 vacc, 4 weeks apart, second dose at least 2 weeks prior to mating
11
Q
When to do Parvo vacc?
A
Single vac not less than 2 weeks from mating
12
Q
How do we go about CONTROLLED Exposure?
A
- Not earlier than 20-22weeks old
- Not within 3 weeks of breeding
-Be aware feedback is NOT permitted - Controlled exposure = 3x /week for 3 weeks
13
Q
What are the factors in Gilt eligibility?
A
- Maximise feed intake
- BW at first service
- ADG
- Immunity
- Selection
- Age at first service
14
Q
Detail BW at first service?
A
Reflects growth and body maturity
136kg – 145kg; ~200 days
15
Q
ADG ?
A
Optimum 690g-770g /day
16
Q
Immunity?
A
Solid acclimation; do not serve within 3 weeks of
last vaccine or other health procedure
17
Q
Selection?
A
Should be around 90%
18
Q
Age at first service?
A
200-230 days on second heat
19
Q
What do we want when selecting a Gilt?
A
Good feet and legs and at least 14 functional teats.
Mature vulva
Good temperament
Avoid deformity e.g. kyphosis
20
Q
What increases gilt fertility performance and how can we choose them accordingly?
A
BACK FAT ->
◦ Hence take gilts off high lysine finisher food by 70 - 80kg and put onto sow food
◦ Don’t overfeed – can lead to leg problems
21
Q
What to do with our fertile gilts?
A
Move them near to boar and record heats
Serve at second or third heat
Give gilts plenty of human contact, handling etc
22
Q
How do we select for teats ?
A
Minimum 14, preferably 16 teats
Check for damaged teats
◦ Rubbed when piglets
◦ Inverted nipples
Evenly spaced
Close to mid line, ie not too ‘splayed
23
Q
Describe Boar exposure? When/ho
A
- Controlled and acute
- Daily exposure to mature ro vasectomised boar
- Do not expose PREPUBERTAL gilts
- Daily exposure after 24 weeks
- Supervise
24
Q
Boar exposure - How?
A
- 10-15 mins
- Pheromones - saliva/ nose to nose contact
- Dry floors
- Mark in heat ones and record eartag
- Short expression of oestrus
- MUST see cycle before sync
25
What options for boar contact?
26
Describe when we would use oral Progesterone (Regumate)
- Make sure have been cycling
- Move away from boar
- Feed progesterone for 18d
- Mix with board as soon as progesterone stops
- Come on heat 4-5 days after
- IDeal for AI
27
How do we actually feed the progesterone?
- Using dosing gun - train with apple jiuce!
- On food in stalls
- Give small amount of feed with prog, then rest of food later
- On pieces of bred
28
What to do prior to progesterone ?
- Flush feed if have been restricted
- Allow them to become familiar with servic ehousing/AI area
29
What are some reasons we might see Anoestrus?
- Age (immature)
- Poor env
- Stress/bullying
- Dx
- Lameness
- No boar
- Poor loght or nutrition
- Sunburn
- Pregnancy
30
List clinical reprod issueS?
* Parvovirus
* SMEDI
* PRRS
* Notifiables – Aujeszky’s disease, CSF, ASF, Brucellosis
* Leptospirosis
* Listeriosis
* Erysipelas
* Mycotoxins
* Vitamin deficiency (A,E, biotin)
*Cystitis and pyelonephritis
31
what are the two main causes for culling sows?
1. Reprod failure
2. Lameness and leg problems
32
Osteochondrosis is ?
Erosion of articular cartilage
33
Describe the production cycle
Farrowing
Weaned at 28d
Heat 4-6 days after weaning
21d cycle
115 day preganncy (3m 3w 3d)
Sell at 22 weeks = 155 days at 110kg= 700g/d
34
Why is it important the number fo sows you serve each week
- Need to maintain even number fo Weaner lorry/finisher house full
otherwise torughs and peaks of growers/finishers
35
How many more sows should you serve than your target?
10 -15% more
36
WHy do we want a short timeframe for sows to come onto heat ?
So they all farrow at same time -> hence average wean-service interval 5.5days
37
How do we acheieve heat as a batch/quickly?
Mix sows with boar on day one, then give contact with boar on dialy basis
Boar needs to be max 1.0m away from sows
38
weaning to service intervals?
Empty days cost money
Increasing WTS interval will affect production
39
Factors during the weaning to service interval
Excessive weight loss during lactation
Short suckling period
Extended suckling period
Few piglets of small piglets
Large litter of big piglets
Small litter of big piglets
Large litter of small piglets
Discharge / MMA in farrowing house
40
LActation length will depend on?
◦ Sow condition and feeding
◦ Size and weight of weaners
◦ Future farrowing space requirements
◦ Culling policy
◦ Fostering techniques
41
What happens in last few months of pregnancy determines...
- Born alive
- Born dead and mummified
- Farrowing rate
42
Describe fertilisation process?
- Fertilisation in oviduct
- Move to uterus at approx day 4
- Then migrate along uterus at day 7-10
- Placenta elongates at day 12-14 and attaches to uterine wall
- By 28-30days pregnancy is reasonable firmly established
43
% of preganncy losses?
44
HEAT DETECTION?
- Boar stimulation
- Bring boar to sow, then apply back pressure - astride gives best response
45
Signs of heat?
- Ears prick
- Sharp grunt
- Enlarged red & moist vulva
- Mounting activity
46
Describe how to avoid habituation
◦ continual boar exposure can be bad, especially for
prepubertal gilts
◦ Rotate boars, ie expose sows to different boars
◦ Allow boar to have some natural services
47
When should we check for returns?
18-28 days
48
Describe use of AI
* Have all supplies in place
* One boar per 5 sows maximum
* Do not inseminate unless solid heat seen
49
How to do AI
* Keep service area cean
*Wipe the vulva with a dry towel
* Use non-spermicidal gel on catheter tip
* Insert catheter gently at ~45 degree angle
* Push firmly towards cervix (rotating if necessary)
* If in place, resistance to pulling back on catheter
* Connect semen dose to catheter
* Allow semen to run in without squeezing the dose
* Once completed, leave the catheter in place for 5-
7 minutes
* Let sow settle before moving out of the service
area
50
When to AI?
Ovulation occurs 2/3rds through oestrous ie 36-44 hrs after onset of heat
Need to AI before ovulation
+Hence if 2x/day detection, OK to miss first heat
51
Incorrect timing of AI affects?
Litter size
52
What is THE BEST sign of heat?
Back pressure
53
How many times to AI?
AI twice per heat, or 3x if prolonged heat
Longer heat (and more fertile) if short W-S interval
Conversely shorter heat if long W-S interval, so AI at onset of heat
54
Describe Semen Care ?
Gently mix 2x/d
Store at 17C
Make sure that temp does not fluctuate when
you take semen to sow
Clean DRY catheters
55
Puberty of boar?
5 months
56
Fertility improves around .... months
7-8
57
when to make boar start working ?
12 months
58
Working patterns can vary
natural service vs stud
59
Sperm takes .. weeks to produce
6 weeks
60
Each ejaculate is ..... in three fractions
250mls
61
IS sperm sterile?
Yes ; contamiantion from preputial sac
62
Ejaculation takes ..... minutes
15-20
63
Failure in libido due to ?
- Health (febrile, pain, libido)
- Management (overworked, stockmanship)
- Environment (floors, noise)
- Other factors
64
what other factors?
- Frustration
- Mycotoxins
- Presence/absence of other boars
65
What are some reasons for boar bleeding after service
- Torn penile frenulum
- Blood reduces semen fertility
- Rest boar for 6-8 weeks, then 'practice' serves
- Often recurs
66
What different service routines are there?
Daily
Twice daily
Miss first 12 hrs
Mixed boars
Ovulation occurs in late heat, so need a late service
67
Considerations using boars?
Familiar surroundings
Routine / stockman
Patience
Boar grouping / rotation
Supervision with young boars / gilts
Size mis-match
68
How to perform natural service
- Ideally put sow into boar pen
- One sow with boar
- Supervise service to ensure correct intromission
- Record service
69
Increased returns auses?
Regular = conception failure
Irregular = embryo death (or served when not on heat)
70
'autumn infertility'?
common for decreased fertility as decreases fertility as daylight decreases, so check lighting pattern
71
Vaginal discharges?
- Clean and wipe prior to AI
- Medication may be needed if widespread
- Diagnosis essential prior to treating
be aware of zoonosis
72
What Boar Factors in conception?
Over / under work
Age / condition / weight
Mismatched sizes
Mating area
Semen storage
AI technique
73
Sow/gilt factors in conception?
Timing of service
Age / condition / weight
Mating area
Feed levels ‘flushing’
Strong oestrus
74
Between service until 21 days what to do ?
LOW STRESS
Critical time for fertilised ova to adhere to the uterine wall 'implantation'
75
21 days to 90 days prior to farrowing
PD
Moving / mixing / re-grouping
Usually restricted
Depends on condition
76
90 days to exit for farrowing?
Visual check for health
Increase feed for gilts and thin sows
2.5-2.7kg
Maintain feed at a lower level for fat sows and
gilts
77
Pregnancy vaccinations?
3 to 4 weeks prefarrowing
◦ E coli
◦ Clostridia
◦ Salmonella
◦ PRRS
78
Infertility non infectious causes?
Failure to conceive
Management
Stress - timing
Nutrition
Failure to identify NIP
79
Infertility Infectious Causes ?
PRRS
Erysipelas
Parvovirus
Leptospirosis
SIV
PCV 2
80
Infertility due to PRRS?
- Transient pyrexia, laboured breathing, anorexia
- TIming of infection/ seroconversion
- Abortion - RTS, early farrowings
- Inc stillbirths, & mortality
- Agalatia, dec appetite, anoestrus
81
'NIPS'?
Not in pig sows
82
NIPS factors
Failure to check for returns at 18 – 30 days. (Often boar running with or adjacent to sows)
Failure to pregnancy check
Abortions
Simply never served
83
Abortion causes ?
◦ Fever
◦ PRRS
◦ Parvovirus
◦ Circovirus
◦ Mycotoxins
◦ Erysipelas
◦ Leptospirosis
◦ Notifiables
84
How to investigate abortions?
Serology -> PRRS, Lepto, Parvo/ Ery may be less useful
Samples-> Foetus/aborted, Samples of feed, straw, water
85
Sow Replacement rate?
Aim to replace at least 40-60 % of herd per year
Hence 20+% of each farrowing may be gilts
86
Purchase vs home rear
◦ Purchase = disease risk, mitigated as far as possible
◦ Home rear – uneven supply and dam line pigs often do not compete with meat line breeds
87
When do we cull sows
After 6th parity
88
3 week batch farrowing?
Wean week one
serve week two
farrow week three
89
5 week systems?
work well for smaller herds
90
Health problems in the dry sow period?
Anoestrus
Coughing
Diarrhoea
Haemorrhage
Lameness
Mastitis
Inappetance
pyelonephritis
Skin diseases
Loss of condition
Vomiting
Abortion
91
Sow vaccination?
Erysipelas – at weaning
Parvo – at weaning and before service
E.Coli - late pregnancy
Clostridia – late pregnancy
Salmonella – late pregnancy
PRRS – in farrowing house
PMWS – booster prior to service
92
Vaccines Problems?
1. Incorrect diagnosis, eg wrong disease
2. Incorrect timing of administration, eg just 7 d prefarrowing
3. Contamination – needle left in bottle
4. Poor storage – vaccine left out of fridge / storage
5. Poor piglet colostrum intakes – weak, chilling, low birth weights, sow mastitis
6. Sow immunosuppression – cold, hunger, PRRS, flu, other intercurrent diseases,
7. Vaccine site abscesses
8. Incorrect administration, eg given i/m and not s/c
93
MAstitis?
- Reduces milking ability in next litter
- If several glands affected, cull sow
Antibiotics (systemic) eg amoxycillin
NSAID’s
94
Mastitis Post weaning ?
- Sows running milk
- Wet, dirty floors
◦ Best to clean out daily
- Slippery floors
- Failure to clean out daily
- Over crowded
◦ best to give them one pen for lying but two dunging areas when first weaned
- Mouldy straw bedding
95
Vulval biting ?
More common if pregnant & enlarged vulva
Ofer fat/unease
Uncomfortable housing,
Inadequate feeding or drinker space
96
Diagnosis of Sarcoptes scabei var suis?
- Thickening of skin around neck
- White crusts in ear – black discharge is normal
- Red scabs on inside of boar legs
- Skin scrape and microscopy
97
Effect of Sarcoptes?
- Reduced weight gain
- Rubbing/itching sows damages buildings
- Reduced carcase value if skin has to be removed
98
Tx for Mange?
- Ivermectin – inj 2 doses 2 weeks apart, as eggs
persist for 2 weeks in the environment
- Inject immediately pre-farrowing or whole herd
on one occasion
- Boars and older sows may need repeated doses if
badly affected
- Ivermectin in feed for whole herd for 10 – 14
days
99
Lice name?
Haematopinus suis
100
Describe Lice?
- Uncommon in commercial herds
- 5mm - so can be seen moving with naked eye
- Especially viible on neck
- Ivermectin
101
describe Prolapses?
- Cervical most common
Some go back in after farrowing
- Get sow out of crate and walk her around
- Generally leave well alone – poor response to epidural
and replacement with purse string suture
- Care if sow is to be culled – be aware of transport
welfare regulations
102
Uterine & rectal prolapse ?
Euthanase, more likely in older sows, large litters may contribute
103
Sudden deaths in sows?
- Gastric torsion
- Clostridial infections
- Pyelonephritis
- Stomach ulcers
104
GAstric torsion?
- Massively bloated carcase
- Gross dilation of stomach
- Try to find torsion at root
105
Gastric torsion may be combined xith...?
splenic torsion
106
who gets gastric torsion?
◦ Usually lactating sows
◦ Irregular feeding intervals
◦ Excess excitement
107
Describe Clostridium novyi (oedematiens)
Straw bedded systems, dirty straw or soil,
◦ Usually sporadic cases
◦ Can get regular deaths when introduced into risk
area
108
Clostridium PM?
PM – care, older carcases can look like this from
normal decomposition, so MUST be fresh
◦ Typical ‘aero chocolate’ liver
◦ blood throughout carcase
◦ Haemorrhages in heart and muscle
109
Vaccination for clostridium?
◦ Will takes minimum of 5 weeks to get all sows covered
◦ Need to give all at risk sows long acting penicillin during the risk period
110
what will we see with cystitis & pyelonephritis?
Haemorrhage on bladder wall
111
describe cystitis & pyeloN
- Cystitis common, and as the bladder valve becomes eroded, can get ascending infection to kidney
- Water deprivation: ureate crystals on vulva
- Blood in urine is cystitis/pyelonephritis
- Pus is more likely to be vaginitis
112
Stomah ulcers?
Sudden death
Pale carcase
Associated with ‘grist’ of food
Usually only sporadic cases
Can have outbreaks in growers and finishers
