The fundamentals of managing gilts for maximum pig manufacturing and longevity are widely known. However effectively making use of them calls for meticulous consideration to main points, in keeping with Jake Schwartz, DVM, Swine Vet Middle.
“The most efficient farms actually include the main points and ensure they’re finished 7 days per week,” Schwartz mentioned. “That’s the variation between moderate farms and nice farms.”
There are some elementary regulations he recommends for making sure gilts notice their complete genetic attainable and develop into prolific contributors of the sow herd.
Illness control
The primary is managing illness threats like porcine reproductive and respiration syndrome (PRRS), which is able to derail gilt efficiency. Schwartz suggests both conserving PRRS out of the herd or discovering an acceptable strategy to deal with it in a herd.
“[If] PRRS control technique comes to vaccine or serum publicity, the timing of the ones two occasions is vital,” he mentioned. “Do publicity early within the gilt’s lifestyles so when she farrows the primary time, she’s no longer giving start to PRRS-positive pigs.”
He additionally recommends keeping off PRRS publicity round time of breeding or proper after breeding to stop reproductive problems like mummies and abortions.
Parvovirus sort 1 additionally reasons reproductive problems with gilts, together with larger fee of mummies, particularly after they’re uncovered for the primary time post-breeding. All gilts must be vaccinated pre-breeding. If there’s an increased fee of mummies, there are some ingenious tactics to get parvo publicity pre-breeding and reduce its have an effect on.
No breeding on first warmth
One breeding rule tops the checklist of manufacturing ways for maximum gilt control. “It’s been neatly documented that after we breed an animal on her first estrus, we surrender general born and farrowing fee,” Schwartz mentioned. “Right kind gilt control contains heat-no-servicing and breeding on a 2nd or 3rd warmth.”
This rule is in position as a result of a gilt’s uterus remains to be creating right through first estrus and no longer moderately ready to deal with a big clutter, he defined.
Additionally keep in mind to not equate gilt age with sexual adulthood. “Some animals will cycle for the primary time when they’re 24 or 25 weeks of age. Others will cycle for the primary time when they’re 30 or 31 weeks of age,” he mentioned. “It’s more or less a bell curve.”
Acclimate gilts early
Some other methodology for excellent gilt construction is ensuring not anything happens to throw a gilt off feed within the 14 days previous to breeding. This implies vaccinations must be finished and the gilts moved to their stalls no less than 14 days earlier than they’re bred, Schwartz defined.
“Either one of the ones issues will, in some animals, throw them off feed across the time of breeding,” he mentioned. “Then in next farrowings, the ones gilts can have much less pigs.”
Early estrus equals longevity
Time of puberty generally is a trait used for gilt variety as a result of gilts getting into warmth early most often are probably the most prolific within the herd.
“When an animal comes into warmth early or is among the first 3rd or part…we all know the ones gilts have a tendency to be extra long-term, prolific contributors of the herd as opposed to a gilt that first comes into warmth at 30+ weeks for the primary time,” Schwartz mentioned. “The ones gilts have a tendency to be extra momentary contributors of the herd and feature lagging general born and farrow fee.”
The perfect gilt control program would make a selection women that cycle through 30 or 31 weeks of age and more youthful. “In an excellent global, that’s what you could possibly do,” he defined. “However sadly, given the restrictions of one of the vital gadget’s farms, that’s steadily no longer the case.”