Swine Flashcards
why house swine
- Provision of comfortable environment and health.
- Provision of desirable working condition for those working on the farm.
- Integration of housing with feeding, watering, and manure handling systems.
what are the benefits to a good housing system
▪ Improved sanitation.
▪ Increased baby pig survival.
▪ Better disease, parasite, and predator control.
▪ Faster rates of gain and Increased carcass quality assurance.
▪ Better environmental temperature regulation.
▪ More use of technology for labor savings.
▪ Targeted nutrition for various stages of growth.
▪ Increased efficiency for reduced costs to consumers.
what are some important factors to consider when choosing a housing location
▪ Proximity to essential amenities like water, electricity, good roads, etc.
▪ Typically, isolated to reduce the potential for disease introduction and “odor issues” with the neighbors.
▪ It must be in a reasonable distance from other swine farms.
▪ Not prone to flooding.
▪ Avoid a site with prolonged exposure to sunlight and direction of prevailing winds
▪ Availability of Land for Manure Management.
how are are confined/intensive houses ventilated
mechanically
what are some advantages to confined/intensive housing systems
▪ Control of the environment
▪ Manure separated from pigs
▪ Relatively easy to clean and disinfect
▪ Multiple penning, allow for phase feeding etc.
▪ Strict biosecurity possible
▪ Good parasite control
Challenges
▪ Very high initial cost
what are some challenges with confinement/intensive systems
high initial cost
what are some features of hoop bars (bio shelter)
-naturally ventilated
-deep bedding
-manure handled as solid
what are some advantages of a hoop barn
- Lower cost investment per pig
- Multiple use building
- Some environmental control
what are some challenges to a hoop barn
- Bedding
- Heat and humidity may be a problem
- Sorting pigs, treating sick pigs
- Difficult to clean and disinfect
how are characteristics to pasture/extensive housing
-seasonal
-low cost
niche market
what are some advantages to pasture/extensive housing
-animals root and forage
-pasture management
what are some challenges to pasture/extensive housing
- Minimal environmental control
- Cleaning and disinfecting problematic
- Predation, disease control
- Weather (heat and cold)
- Individual pig monitoring
why do barns need to be ventilated
▪ Older pigs can generate warm air as they breath.
▪ Dust are generated in the barns.
▪ Ammonia and other noxious gases are generated.
▪ Warm air, moisture, noxious gases and dust must be removed from pig barns
via the ventilation system.
▪ However, the heat must be replaced.
▪ Barns are typically heated with gas heat.
what is required in farrowing and nursing
supplental heat
how do the need for heat in pigs change
-with body weight
-with slatted vs non slatted floors
what requires more heat slatted or unslatted floors
solid floors require less
slatted require more
at what weigth does the amout of heat pigs need plateu and what temp is this
plateus at just above 50kg
at 14(solid floor) 15(slatted floor) kg
how is swine manure handled
as a liquid rather then a solid
how is manure stored and what is done with it
▪ Manure pits are located under the pens and used for short term
storage.
▪ The manure pits are routinely emptied by either gravity flow or pumped
to a lagoon for longer term storage.
▪ Manure can be a valuable source of nutrients to the surrounding
farmland if managed properly
what do manure managements plans ensure
▪ Manure management plans ensure that the soil nutrient
composition remains balanced.
▪ Leaching to groundwater is minimized.
▪ Minimize odour.
▪ Required information:
▪ Nutrient composition of the manure
▪ Soil composition
▪ Nutrient uptake by the crop
what are Weaner pigs
a maximum of 6 weeks old and are fed their mother’s milk as their only food
what are grower pigs
a pig between weaning and sale or transfer to the breeding herd, sold for slaughter or killed for rations
what are finisher pigs
a grower pig over 70 kg (150 lb) liveweight
how are replacement guilts handled
▪ Female pigs to be mated for the first time in
order to enter the reproductive herd.
▪ Purchased from Breeding Company
▪ Or selected from within the herd
▪ Minimal Disease
how are sows and guilts mated
▪ Sows and gilts are mated using either natural
service or artificial insemination.
▪ Almost exclusively fresh semen as boar semen
does not freeze very well.
what are signs of heat in a pig
▪ Swollen vulva
▪ Nervousness
▪ Mucus discharge
▪ Off-Feed
how many days is pig gestation
“114 days” - The period of development in the uterus from
conception until birth, pregnancy
how are sows fed during gestation
Gestation feeding
Objective is to have sows “fit not fat”
To accomplish this,
Sows receive limited feed during gestation
what are the consequences of excessive gestation feed intake
▪ increased embryonic mortality
▪ increased farrowing difficulty (dystocia)
▪ increased incidence of crushed piglets
▪ decreased lactation feed intake (anorexia)
▪ lower milk production (agalactia)
▪ increased susceptibility to heat stress
what are the consequences of low gestation feed intakes
▪ Failure to recycle after weaning
▪ Lower subsequent conception rates and litter size
▪ Increased susceptibility to bone fractures
▪ Premature culling
what are the gestation feed requirements and recommended practices
req–sows must be fed daily
rec– control feed intake; feed measured amounts, feed sows some bulky or high fibre food to satisfy appetite
how have sows typically been housed
in gestation crates
what do gestation crates allow for
they prevent fighting and allow the sows to be fed and cared for individually
what is the new practace for the code of practice for gestation crates
Code of Practice 2014 - “for all holdings newly
built or ….after July 1, 2014, mated gilts and
sows must be housed in groups. Individual stalls
may be used for up to 28 days after breeding”
As of July 1, 2024 mated sows and gilts must be
housed: In groups, or In individual pens, Or in
stalls if provided with exercise
▪ “House gilts and sows in groups and
manage feeding, space allowance, and
enrichments …to minimize aggression
▪ Group gilts and sows by size
▪ Distribute the food
▪ Remove sows …suffering from
…bullying “ (been updated to 2029)
what are group housing feed options
-drop/spin feeding
-non gated short stalls
-gated feeding stalls
how do drop/spin feeding systems work
The widespread feed
pattern promotes a less
aggressive feeding system
how do non gated short stalls work
Sows are protected by
dividers (shoulder barriers),
which theoretically reduce
aggression and feed spillage.
how do gated feeding stalls work
A sow needs only enter the feeding
stall and she is protected from the
remaining sows in the group.
how are sows typically managed right before farrowing
▪ Sows are typically moved from the gestation barn to the farrowing barn
approximately one week before their expected farrowing date.
▪ This allows the sows to get used to the routine in the farrowing barn
and its different environmental conditions.
▪ Farrowing rooms typically contain 6-12 farrowing crates.
▪ The reason for confining the sow in the crate is to prevent crushing of
the piglets.
how many crates is in each farrowing room
rooms typically have 6-12 farrowing crates.
why do sows get confined in farrowing crates
▪ The reason for confining the sow in the crate is to prevent crushing of
the piglets.
what are the requirements for a successful farrowing area
warm
dry
clean
what is a typical pre wean mortality? what is better number to strive for
▪ On some commercial farms, over 25% of live born pigs don’t survive
until weaning.
▪ This mortality has a major impact on the profitability of raising swine.
▪ With good management, it should be possible to reduce preweaning
mortality to less than 10%.
what are the major causes of pre weaning mortality
-starvation
-crushing
-chilling
-born weak
-additional:
genetic defects
dieseases
savaging
how can preweaning mortality be reduced
- Supervised farrowing
- Ensure intake of colostrum
- Increase piglet birth weight
- Increase piglet vigor
- Increase piglet competitiveness
- Reduce crushing loss
- Reduce starvation loss
- Cross foster
- Reduce chilling loss
- Decrease incidence of diseases
- Decrease savaging
- Reduce genetic defects
what is colostrum
➢Colostrum is the first milk produced by the sow.
➢high in immunoglobulins
➢It is essential that every piglet suckle a teat during the first 24 h of life in order to
obtain colostrum
what are code of practice required piglet feeding practices
-all piglets must have access to colostrum asap after birth and within 12 hours
-piglets at the risk of dying from inadequate nurishment must be cross fostered, split suckled, hand-reared or euth
-creep feed must be provided to nursing piglets after 28 days of age to help maintain sow body condition
-suplemental iron must be administered to piglets reared indoors to prevent nutritional anemia
how are lactating sows managed
▪ Ad libitum feeding
▪ Stimulate milk flow
▪ Maintain health of the sow
what is weaning
-the act of separating the litter from the sow
what are the advantages of properly managed lactating sows
▪ Increases sow milk yield
▪ Increases energy content of milk
▪ Decreases piglet mortality
▪ Maintains sow body weight
▪ Decreases weaning to service interval
▪ Increases subsequent ovulation rate
what happens to the sow after weaning
moved back to breeding barn and rebred 4-5 days after weaning
what happens to piglets after weaning
moved from farrowing barn to nursery area
what it the management of weaner pigs like
▪ Weaner pigs are typically housed in the nursery until they reach about
20 kg (6-8 weeks).
▪ Nursery rooms are typically run “All in-All-out”.
▪ Temperature is set about 28 degrees C.
▪ Usually fed commercially prepared starter rations
what are some environmental stresses to weaner pigs
▪ Chilling
▪ Heat
▪ Overcrowding
▪ Poor Sanitation
what are some nutritional stresses to weaner pigs
Rapid change in diet
▪ Overfeeding
▪ Underfeeding
▪ Adaptation to feeding system
▪ Adaptation to watering system
what are some social stresses to weaner pigs
mixing with strange pigs
what is the management of grower-finisher pigs like
▪ Pigs will be moved from the nursery at about 20 kg body weight.
▪ The growing-finishing barn may be on the same site or located some
distance away.
1. Provide a warm welcome (21-24 C)
2. Provide adequate space (4 sq ft/pig)
3. Sort by size
4. May sort by sex
5. Feed and water easily accessible
6. One waterer for every 15-20 pigs
how are grower-finisher pigs fed
▪ Feed is available ad libitum and the feeders are automatically filled by
conveyor system that distributes feed around the barn.
what are floors like in a grower/finisher barn
▪ Floor is typically concrete and may be totally or partially slatted to
facilitate manure management
what are the objectives in the feeder barn
Maximize growth rate
Maximize feed conversion
Minimize death loss
Improve carcass quality
what are some features of watering pigs
▪ Continuous availability and quality important
▪ City or well water - Water lines running into the barn
▪ Automatic nipple waterers - set at proper flow rates.
▪ Bowl-type waterers – calls for regular cleaning
what are new rules that are implemented for antibiotic use in canada
-all medically important antimicrobials have prescription status only available from vet or pharmacy
-inorder to use medically important antimicrobials in the care of animals vets need to have valid vet-client-patient-relationship with animal owners to issue prescription
how does the change in antimicrobials effect medicated feeds
vet prescription is required prior to the sale of medicated feed containing a prescription drug
can medically important antimicrobials be imported into canada by individuals
no
what do canadian producers usually use anibiotics for and what happens when animals get sold
-use to treat sick animals
-sold animals will be indicated if they have been treated
what is antibiotic resistance
▪ Occurs when microbes (e.g. bacteria) evolve in ways that reduce or eliminate the effectiveness of antimicrobial drugs (e.g. antibiotics) to treat infections
a) by killing or slowing microbial growth.
▪ When microbes are exposed to antimicrobials, they adapt and
become more resistant.
▪ There are also many social and environmental factors that contribute to rising rates of AMR
a) poor hygiene, inadequate infection prevention and control practices, lack of awareness and education about AMR, etc.
