Swine 4 Flashcards
In order for pregnancy maintenance, there should be a minimum amount of embryos where? By what day?
Minimum of 4 embryos - 2 in each horn at day 12
_______ at any time will terminate pregnancy.
Luteolysis
Define non-productive days.
Every day a female is not gestating or lactating
When is the first opportunity to confirm pregnancy? How is it done?
18-24 days after mating when they should return to estrus. A boar is used for good estrus detection (it is a necessity)
When can you use rectal palpation to diagnose pregnancy? What will you feel?
In sows only 35+ days after mating
You will feel fremitus in the uterine artery
When can you use doppler ultrasound to detect pregnancy? What will you hear?
> 30 days after mating - you will hear pulsing in the arteries
What does amplitude-depth (a-mode) ultrasound detect? When can it detect pregnancy?
It detects fluid (beware of bladder) >30 days after mating
When can you detect pregnancy via rectal real-time (B-mode) ultrasound? Cutaneous?
Rectal - >16 days
Cutaneous - >22 days
Visualize uterus
When is the ideal timing post-breeding for ultrasound detection?
28-35 days post-breeding
What are the ultimate goals of gestation housing?
Protection from the environment Protection from other sows Feed level control Maintain pregnancy and well-being Safe and enjoyable workplace Robust system to avoid management errors
True or False: There is one design that fits all operations.
False - there is no one design that fits all operations; it is dependent on the facilities, expertise of the staff, and cost
What are the options for group sow housing?
Free-access pens
Electronic sow feeding
Group housing with drop feeding
What are the advantages to the electronic sow feeding configuration?
Individual sow feeding in group housing environment
Track feed consumption to determine overall health
What are the disadvantages to the electronic sow feeding configuration?
Cost, technology, and still can have group hierarchy issues
What are the universal questions to ask when deciding on group sow housing?
How much space do they need?
When should we move them into groups?
How do I feed them to ensure consistent body condition?
What does current literature suggest the space allowance for each show should be?
15 to 50 feet squared feet
What are the EU guidelines for space allowance for gilts?
17 feet squared
What are the EU guidelines for space allowance for sows?
24 feed squared
How long are bred females allowed to be in stalls according to EU regulations?
until 28 days gestation
When should you not move animals post breeding?
10-30 days post-breeding
The shorter/longer you wait to mix sows together post-breeding, the better their conception rate.
longer
How do most producers determine body condition?
palpation of hip bones
What does a heavy sow feel like on hip bone palpation? What is the feeding suggestion?
Can’t feel the hip bones even with hard pressure
Reduce the feed by 1 lb
What does an ideal sow feel like on hip bone palpation? What is the feeding suggestion?
Can feel the hip bones with firm pressure - leave the feed where it is
What does a thin sow feel like on hip bone palpation? What is the feeding suggestion?
Can feel the hip bones without pressure Add feed (1-2 lbs)
What, in regards to feeding, costs more money and reduces pigs born alive?
Adding more feed late in gestation
What are some consequences of a sow being too heavy at farrowing?
Difficulty farrowing (increase in stillborns and more manual assistance needed), poor feed intake in lactation, poor milking and subsequent diarrhea challenges in piglets
Why is induction of farrowing something that producers want to do?
Because bred females have a wide length of gestation days and times that they can farrow and they want to be present at farrowing to reduce stillborns, help dry pigs off, and ensure they get colostrum
Normally, how often are pigs delivered?
every 12-15 minutes
When should you intervene with manual assistance of parturition?
If the interval between pigs reaches 30-40 minutes
What management tasks need to be done to sows during gestation?
Ensure that sow vaccinations are performed
De-worm sows and treat for mange
Wash sows and farrowing crate to decrease infective pressure on pigs
What are most farrowing house diarrhea outbreaks exacerbated by?
poor hygiene
What are signs of an imminent farrowing?
A firm, swollen udder; milk can be expressed
Presence of abdominal contractions
Tail twitching
When do pinhead-sized drops of milk begin to drop before farrowing?
3-5 days before farrowing
When does milk squirt prior to farrowing?
Milk squirts when likely to farrow within 8 hours
When do abdominal contractions occur prior to the first pig being delivered?
15 minutes to 10 hours before the first pig is delivered
When does tail twitching occur prior to delivery of the first pig?
Within 2 hours of delivery
What is the normal duration of farrowing?
1.5 to 4.5 hours
What is a normal presentation of a piglet during farrowing?
Present nose first or hindlegs first
True or False: The umbilical cord should stay intact at birth.
true
If the umbilical cord is broken, how many inches should it be done from the pig?
4-6 inches from the pig to reduce risk of umbilical infection
When should the placenta be expelled?
Partially during parturition and should be complete by 4-8 hours after delivery of the last pig
When may a problem exist if the placenta expulsion is not complete?
by 12 hours
What are some signs of difficult farrowing?
Sow in labor but no pig is delivered in 45 minutes
All piglets are dry but sow not likely to be finished
Sow is obviously distressed
Foul smelling discharge and/or decaying afterbirth
What is the protocol for farrowing intervention?
Wash, glove, and lubricate your hand.
If no obstruction is felt, wait 10 minutes and insert your hand to induce a natural oxytocin release.
If no more pigs are delivered then insert gloved hand and lubricated arm for deep examination
If no pigs are found obstructing the birth canal, inject 10 IU of oxytocin
At the termination of farrowing, you may inject 10 more units to get rid of uterine debris
When is injecting prostaglandin post-farrowing indicated?
If it has been 24 hours and the placenta has not been observed
Early-weaned pigs are presumed to have a ______ health status, but have been found to ____ ______ as well once they are weaned.
higher; not perform
Short lactations are associated with _______ litter size on an individual sow level.
decreased
When individual sow output (efficiency) may be reduced, the output of the facility may be ______ (throughput).
increased
How does length of lactation correlate with farrowing rate?
The longer they lactate, the better their farrowing rate is the next time they are bred
How does length of lactation correlate with the size of their next litter?
The longer they lactate, the better their next litter size is
What is the optimum weaning age of piglets?
3 weeks - 21 days
How does length of lactation correlate with growth performance of the piglets?
The longer they lactate, the heavier the pigs will be when they are weaned and the better they will perform (faster growth) in the growing phase
How does length of lactation correlate with survivability of the piglets?
the longer they lactate, the heavier the pigs will be when they are weaned and they have better survivability
What age of weaning is suggested when the healthy pigs are in smaller facilities with few pigs around them?
20-22 days of age
What age of weaning is suggested when the healthy pigs are going to dense, endemic diseased areas with large continuous flow facilities?
23-26 days of age
What is the goal of lactating sow management?
To maximize feed intake
True or False: You need to ensure that sows are not fat coming into the farrowing rooms.
True - they will not eat well after farrowing if they are fat
If feed intake is below target, what should you consider?
Temperature, parity, feed frequency, and nutrient density
