Nursery

Question 1

Goals of nursery

Answer 1

1. Provide a low stress environment after weaning
2. Successful transition from milk to solid feed
3. Maintain health and low mortality
4. Provide optimum conditions for efficient growth

Question 2

Weaning procedures

Answer 2

1. Sows relocated to breeding barn after weaning AND piglets move to nursery

2.Day of week determines next breeding and farrowing

3. Weaning age=3-4 weeks; variation within a population (3-5 days, ~7-10 day spread)

Question 3

Day of week determining next breeding and farrowing

Answer 3

Wean: Wed or thurs

Bred: Mon/tues

Farrow: Thurs/Fri

Question 4

Nursery environment

Answer 4

-Clean, warm, dry
-All in and all out
-Flooring is 100% porous
-Ad libitum feed and water
-20-100 per pen

Question 5

How are individuals placed in pens?

Answer 5

-by litter
-random (gate run)
-split sex
-by weight

**also need to have a hospital pen in facility to separate sick or injured pigs

Question 6

Room temperatures

Answer 6

-increased to compensate for low feed consumption

-dropped gradually ~1 degree per week until 22-24 degrees

Question 7

Temperature regulations

Answer 7

4-5 days post weaning= 35 degrees

young pigs in weaned pens should eventually reach 27 degrees

**pigs will tell you whether they are cold or not (huddled together, shivering)

Question 8

Water in nursery

Answer 8

Need to have 0.5-1L/ min of water flowing ad libitum
-bowls of fixed/swinging nipples
-adjusted to shoulder height

Question 9

Lighting

Answer 9

Required light and dark periods
-Min of 50 lux of lighting for min 8hrs a day
-Access to dark 5 lux for at least 6 hrs a day

Question 10

Ventilation

Answer 10

Essential!
-supply fresh air
-eliminated drafts
-exhaust moisture produced by pigs
-exhausts noxious gases from pigs, manure pit and heaters (CO2, H2S)
-provide supplementary heat as needed

Question 11

Space requirements

Answer 11

Increases proportionate to metabolic body weight according to formula:

Floor area/pig (m2) = k x BW^0.667

**Can be reduced short term for emergencies (15% reduction, 20% reduction if proven that high density not compromising)

Question 12

Passive immunity drop off

Answer 12

Nursery pigs are susceptible to many diseases due to the nature of their immune system when it drops off due to weaning

Question 13

Susceptibility to disease variation

Answer 13

Based on:

1. decay and variation in passive immunity level
   2.Lack of previous exposure (priming)
2. Slow active/adaptive immune response
3. Stress of weaning (increased cortisol)

Question 14

Segregated Weaning

Answer 14

Segregate piglets after weaning into an onsite nursery or off site nursery

Helps with disease control, manure disposal and staff specialization

Question 15

Sanitation

Answer 15

Removal of organic matter
1.Rinse
2. Detergent application
3.High pressure wash- hot or cold
4. Biofilm removal
5. Disinfect
6. Dry

Question 16

Bacterial Biofilms

Answer 16

Microbial community that populate environmental surfaces (organic matter surfaces and moisture)
-encased in matrix of bacterial polysaccharides and mineral scale
-protected from disinfectants
-acid and alkali detergents needed to dissolve scale and digest biofilm

Question 17

Application of disinfectants

Answer 17

Use quaternary ammoniums, phenols, halogens, peroxygen compounds, hypochlorites

Question 18

What affects disinfectant effectiveness?

Answer 18

-contact time
-concentration
-method of application
-product type
-presence of organic matter
-temperature
-water quality
-Size of viruses- easier to kill large viruses

Question 19

Physiologic factors affecting weaned piglets

Answer 19

1.GIT development (enzymes, and villi)
2. Weaning age and weaning weight
3. Social stressed
4. Exposure to creep feeding

Question 20

GIT enzymes

Answer 20

Considerable enzymatic changes coincide with weaning
-decreased lactase and increased amylase and protease

**can provide creep feed while still in lactation phase to help increase amylase and protease to prevent high stress levels later

Question 21

Villi health

Answer 21

Blunting of the villi causes diarrhea due to malabsorption

Caused by
-weaning stress
-soybean meal hypersensitivity (allergy)
-starvation/anorexia
-disease (pathogens)
-Environmental stress (chilling)

Question 22

Weaning age and weight

Answer 22

Considerable variation exists in weaning age and weight
-Older and heavier pigs are always at a competitive advantage

Question 23

Principles of nursery feeding

Answer 23

Very important period
-Start with a small appetite (every mouth full counts)
-radical change in ingredients is needed to match changing GIT enzymes
-Appetite increases as pig grows

**poor nutrition can trigger diarrhea or scours

Question 24

Week 1-2 nursery feeding stage

Answer 24

-Feed 3-4x a day
-creep feeders or trays increase exposure to feed (will be dropping and wasting feed often)
-complex and expensive diets
-moist feed or gruel preferred

Question 25

Week 3-8 nursery feeding stage

Answer 25

-Self feeders used
-filled 1-2x per day
-least cost diets used

Question 26

Factors in the early nursery period that affect growth and feed intake

Answer 26

-temperature
-feed presentation (trays, feeders)
-frequency of feeding
-disease

Question 27

Factors in the late nursery period that affect growth and feed intake

Answer 27

-pen density
-feeder space, type, size
-water availability, delivery

Question 28

Nursery performance targets

Answer 28

Exit weight: 28-30kg

Avg daily gain: 450g/day

feed:gain : 1.2-1.3

Feed cost: $12-15

Mortality: <2%