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.
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.
What are the general feeding guidelines for boars?
A baseline of 2.5 kg/day is recommended. Overfeeding can reduce libido, while underfeeding can result in low energy, reduced semen volume, and sperm production.
How does colostrum intake affect piglet survival?
Colostrum intake is crucial; intakes less than 400 grams in 24 hours can lead to a rapid increase in mortality.
What factors affect low colostrum intake in piglets?
Factors include low birth weight, large litter size, infrequent suckling, only sampling a few teats, and chilling.
Why are trace minerals like zinc, copper, and manganese critical in swine diets?
They’re essential for metabolic processes, bone development, reproduction, immunity, and are particularly crucial during late gestation and lactation.
What is the role of zinc in pig health and development?
Zinc supports skin, claw development, enzyme function, and the immune process. Deficiencies can lead to parakeratosis, poor growth, and impaired sexual development.
How does copper benefit swine?
Copper is vital for enzyme function, bone and connective tissue development, hemoglobin formation, immunity, and antioxidant effects. Deficiency leads to growth reduction and nervous disorders.
What is manganese’s significance in pig diets?
Manganese is essential for energy metabolism, bone development, and reproduction. It’s not naturally available from grains and must be supplemented. Deficiency causes impaired growth and reproductive issues.
What is the significance of early colostrum intake for piglets?
Early colostrum intake is crucial for providing nutrition, immunity, and for the maturation of the GIT. Colostrum quality declines naturally, making early intake vital.
How do the nutritional needs of growing pigs change
Nutritional concentrations change with age, with a focus on increasing lysine and energy levels to support lean muscle growth while managing fat deposition.
Why is feed biosecurity a critical concern in pig farming?
Feed can be a potential source of transboundary pathogens like PED and ASF, highlighting the need for strict biosecurity measures in feed handling and storage.
How can risks from feed ingredients be mitigated?
Holding times based on temperature, heat treatment, irradiation, and chemical treatments like organic acids can mitigate risks from infectious agents in feed ingredients.
How does nutrition impact weaning stress in piglets?
Proper nutrition, including the strategic use of milk-based products and gradually transitioning to solid feeds, can alleviate weaning stress and support gut health.
consequences of protein deficiencies in swine
growers/finishers: reduced growth, poor feed conversion, fatter carcasses
sows: low milk, excess weight loss in lactation, failure to have estrus post-lactation
fat deficiency consequences
linoleic acid: hair loss, dermatitis, poor appearance
carb deficiency consequences
reduced growth, poor hair coat, poor body condition, lack of energy
mineral deficiencies: calcium/phosphorus, salt, iodine, zinc
rickets, poor growth, hairless, parakeratosis
iron deficiency anemia?
common in 6-28%, colostrum/milk gets them 15-50% daily intake
iron def consequences?
failure to grow, unthrifty, pallor, thin blood. CARDIOMYOPATHY
treat iron def with?
iron (all baby pigs need iron supplements remember?). Iron dextram
salt water toxicity sign:
finisher pigs, acute ^ in mortality
clinical signs salt toxicity
stilted gait, walking into walls, nose twitching, diarrhea
differentials:
edema disease**, meningitis
questions to ask
salt levels in feed? water deprivation? liquid whey products?
pathology salt tox
gastric congestion, enteritis, cerebral edema
salt tox tx:
introduce water slowly, small amounts frequently
gastric ulcers epi?
non-glandular pars eosophagea gets ulcerated, interrupted feed supply, disease and stress
gastric ulcer signs
vomiting, melena (pale pig), weight loss, esophageal stricutre, subclinical
intestinal accidents occur in what age?
grower and finisher pigs
whats the cause of intestinal accident
interrupted feeding, diet change, running and jumping
signs of intestinal accident
peracute death, bloating, pale carcass, rectal prolapse
pathology of intestinal accident
venous congestion of GIT, blood tinged peritoneal fluid, evidence of twist in mesentary
mulberry heart disease causes and outcome
vitamin E defiency, myocardial hemorrhage, hydropericardium, hydrothorax
signs of mycotoxins in feed
sows not eating, weak litters, mummies and still borns, slowed growth (ADG drop by 20% for 3 months)
differentials of mycotoxin
PRRS, environmental (temp) stress, parvo virus, stray voltage
