Pigs Flashcards
What is minimum lactation time?
21 days
How long is gestation of a pig?
16 weeks
How long does it take to grow a pig?
6 months
For which weeks of the year does daylight influence farrowing rate?
Weeks 1 - 16
What is average pig FCE?
3.77
What 5 factors can influence FCE in pigs?
Genetics Post wean mortality Feed wastage Time spent outside thermoneutral zone Immune system activation
What is the maximum desirable number of non-productive days for a sow?
45
What can contribute to non-productive days for a sow?
Entry to first service/heat time
Wean to first service time
Conception failure
Pregnancy loss
How many litters per sow per year do we want?
Over than or equal to 2.3
How many pigs weaned/sow/year do we want?
Over than or equal to 25
How many pigs weaned/litter do we want?
Over than or equal to 10.5
What contributes to reduced pigs weaned per litter?
Preweaning deaths
Mummies and stillbirths
Totalborn per litter
What is the max percent for preweaning deaths?
10%
What is the max percent for mummies or stillbirths?
8%
What is desirable for totalborn per litter?
At least 13
What is desirable for born alive per litter?
At least 12
What two periods constitute the ‘productive days’?
Lactation and Gestation
What can you use to reduce gestation length? is this common practice?
Prostaglandins
No - reduces pre weaning survival of piglets
When do most gilts reach sexual maturity?
24 - 27 weeks
What factors can influence the entry to first service interval?
Boar exposure Nutrition Stocking rate and stress Season if early in year Temperature - too hot, wont cycle
What two pig breeds are terminal-pig-producing gilts?
Large white X landracer
What is a terminal boar breed?
Duroc
How can you encourage gilts to cycle for the first time?
Flush feed with ad Lib nutrition
Do you usually mate at first gilt oestrous
No - second. At ~30 week
How heavy should gilts be at first service?
130 kg at least
What is the ideal wean to first service interval?
5 days
What can you do to achieve a 5 day wean to first service interval?
High plane of nutrition during lactation, provide enough water
Allow 21 day lactation
Keep SR low
Provide some boar contact
Ensure appropriate thermal environment and ventilation
Good heat detection and highly trained staff
What is optimal flow rate and temperature for water supply?
2L/min
22 degrees C
When does ‘signal 1’ occur?
12 - 14d
When does ‘signal 2’ occur?
16 - 20d
When does skeletal calcification occur?
Around 35 d
What is the max desirable repeat service percent?
5%
What are four possible sources of conception failure?
Mating management - unsupervised, poor quality AI, not in heat
Boar - poor fertility especially if < 10 months old
Sow - poor fertility
Housing - housing together post mating = stress, high SR = stress
When do most deaths/culls occur?
Farrowing
What are some possible causes of low total born?
Low ovulation rate (poor BCS, stress, time of year) or implantation rate (poor BCS, time of year)
Poor mating technique (timing with heat, AI method)
Semen quality
Parity of sow (reduces with increasing age)
What is the main reason for stillborns?
Death due to prolonged farrowing
How can you reduce risk of excessive stillborns?
Not overfeeding during gestation
Observe sows farrowing, intervene if necessary (> 35 min delay)
Name three potential infectious causes of reproductive failure.
Parvovirus (most common)
Erysipelas
Leptospirosis
What is an appropriate breeding sow vaccination protocol?
22 - 24 weeks old
- erysipelas
- lepto
- parvo
4 weeks later
- erysipelas
- lepto
- parvo
@ 35 - 37 weeks old
- e.coli
2 - 3 weeks before farrowing
- erysipelas
- lepto
- e.coli
How much milk do sows produce per day?
Around 12L
What percentage of piglet mortality is related to overlays?
40-55%
What is the dressing percent for pigs?
75%
What are some sources of airbourne contaminants?
Manure - ammonia, dust and bacteria
Rice hulls - dust
Mouldy hay - endotoxin, fungal spores, dust
How do you calculate FCE?
Feed distributed in kg / carcass weight in kg
what kind of boar exposure is required to encourage cycling in gilts and sows in summer?
5 days per week, 20 minutes per day
How would you calculate pre weaning death %?
( Pigs born alive - pigs weaned )/ pigs born alive x 100%
How would you calculate stillborn percent?
(Total born - stillborn)/ totalborn x 100%
What is farrowing rate?
Number of sows farrowed / Number of Sows and gilts mated
How to calculate postweaning death %?
(pigs weaned - pigs sold) / pigs weaned x 100%
How to calculate growth rate?
(Birth weight - sale weight) / age in days
What are three possible causes of postweaning deaths?
- Stress due to moving into grower shed, changing social groups and diet
- Loss of maternal antibody source challenging the immune system
- Loss of warmth and shelter of the creep - have to adapt to better thermoregulation
… Poor husbandry e.g poor cleaning and sanitation, poor plane of nutrition, poor thermoregulation
