swine Flashcards
Why is water considered the most essential nutrient for pigs?
Water is the most consumed nutrient by pigs in terms of amounts throughout their lifetime. Its quality and hygiene are crucial for health and productivity.
What are the implications of water biosecurity in pig farms?
Water biosecurity has significant implications for preventing disease transmission through water sources, requiring measures like fencing off surface water reservoirs, disinfecting water, and regular testing.
What is the significance of essential amino acids in pig diets?
Pigs are unable to synthesize nine essential amino acids (including lysine, methionine, and tryptophan), which must be provided in their diet to support growth, development, and overall health.
Why are trace minerals like zinc, copper, and manganese important in swine nutrition?
These minerals are required for various metabolic processes, conception, mammary secretions, growth, maintenance, and are especially important during late gestation and lactation.
What benefits does colostrum provide to piglets?
Colostrum is vital for piglets as it offers nutrition, immunity, maturation of the gastrointestinal tract, growth factors, and helps in thermoregulation and uterine gland development.
What is the importance of teat order in piglet growth and survival?
A stable teat order results in more uniform growth among piglets. Unused teats produce less milk in subsequent lactations, highlighting the importance of teat order for ensuring adequate nutrition and growth.
What are the basic nutritional requirements for gestating sows?
Gestating sows require a diet that meets maintenance needs, supports fetus and placenta growth, and maintains a body condition score (BCS) of 3 to 3.5, with specific needs for crude protein, lysine, calcium, and phosphorus.
What are key considerations in feeding nursery pigs?
Nursery pigs require ad lib feeding with expensive, phase-specific diets to maximize intake and support their underdeveloped digestive tract, emphasizing the use of milk-based products for pigs under 15 kg.
How do amino acids like lysine affect nursery pig growth?
Increasing lysine levels in starter diets can increase average daily gain (ADG) up to a point, indicating the critical role of amino acids as building blocks for protein and growth in young pigs.
What are the nutritional principles for feeding outdoor pigs?
Outdoor pigs cannot rely on pasture alone and require additional feed for proper growth and development, emphasizing the need for a balanced diet rich in essential nutrients, grains, and supplements.
Why is nutrient density important in pig diets?
Nutrient density ensures that pigs receive all necessary nutrients for their breed, age, sex, stage of growth, and condition from the feed they consume daily.
Why is it illegal to feed meat or meat products to pigs?
Feeding meat or meat by-products to pigs is illegal due to the risk of transmitting diseases that can affect pigs, other animals, and potentially humans.
What are the basic components of pig feed?
Basic components include carbohydrates (CHO), fats, proteins, amino acids, minerals, vitamins, and enzymes.
What is the role of phytase in pig diets?
Phytase releases phosphorus from phytate compounds in plant seeds, improving feed conversion (FC) and average daily gain (ADG).
How does the nutritional strategy vary across the sow cycle?
The sow cycle includes mating, gestation, farrowing, lactation, and gilt introduction, each requiring different nutritional strategies to keep the sow and piglets healthy.
What is the target growth and development goal for breeding replacement gilts?
Replacement gilts should aim for an ADG of 600 to 800 grams/day, reaching a breeding weight of 130 – 170 kg between 220 – 270 days of age.
What factors affect the onset of puberty in gilts?
Factors include lighting, feed intake, boar exposure, housing movement, genetics, and feed quality.
What are the feeding goals for a gestating sow?
Goals include meeting maintenance requirements, maintaining BCS 3 to 3.5, and meeting needs for fetus & placenta growth.
How should gestation diets be adjusted over time?
Diets should be adjusted based on body condition scoring throughout gestation to ensure sows enter farrowing in good condition.
What are the risks of overfeeding pregnant sows?
Risks include decreased feed consumption during lactation, poor udder development, reduced milk production, and excessive weight loss in lactation.
What are the nutritional goals for lactating sows?
Goals include meeting maintenance requirements, avoiding negative energy balance (NEB), and optimizing litter performance with high energy and lysine diets.
Why is it crucial not to underfeed nursing sows?
Low feed intake during lactation can lead to extended wean to serve intervals, smaller subsequent litter sizes, and high culling rates of sows.
