Present truth
Hyperprolificacy has introduced us many benefits on our farms, nevertheless it has without a doubt additionally introduced us nice demanding situations:
- Extra piglets imply decrease particular person piglet weights
- Decrease particular person weights imply a better chance of mortality
- Extra piglets approach extra calls for at the sow.
Graph 1. Regression curve of general born and particular person delivery weight. Supply: Javier Lorente. Industrial farm, 3483 piglets weighed personally 2021.
Graph 2. Beginning weights through prolificacy. Supply: ThinkinPig 2015
Graph 3. Mortality price in step with delivery weight. Supply: Javier Lorente. Industrial farm, 3483 piglets weighed personally 2021.
Graph 4. Reasonable delivery weight of surviving piglets (“no deaths”) and moderate delivery weight of deaths. Extremely vital variations between the 2 teams ( F=155.713; p<0.001) Supply: Javier Lorente. Industrial farm, 3483 piglets weighed personally 2021.
In a earlier article we talked in regards to the want for the piglet to get correct colostrum and labored on how to do that via cut up suckling.
Prior to beginning pass fostering procedures, you will need to assess the viability of the piglets and come to a decision if all piglets born are viable. As we’ve got noticed within the research introduced above, an excessively prime proportion of piglets born with low delivery weights could have an excessively low survival price, so in every case we will be able to must assess the viability of those piglets sooner than doing a pass fostering that can compromise the well being of the piglets which might be extra viable. If we come to a decision that there are piglets that aren’t going to continue to exist, we will be able to must euthanize them to forestall them from struggling since there’s a prime risk the piglets will die of chilly, starve because of the loss of colostrum, or be beaten on account of its weak spot. After all, correct euthanasia procedures shall be adopted, complying with animal welfare laws.
Key issues to take note when pass fostering piglets.
In any other learn about performed through ThinkinPig, it was once proven that each time we transfer a piglet it could possibly suggest a lack of 300 g of weight at weaning, so once more, and as a first rule, we will have to steer clear of any actions that aren’t strictly vital.
When will we want to do pass fostering? Typically simplest after we fit litters through piglet dimension or quantity and whole litters with piglets from different sows. The basic laws would be the similar as we will be able to talk about now on the subject of nurse sows.
And when will we want to use nurse sows?
- When we’ve got surplus piglets
- When we’ve got piglets which might be falling at the back of
We can center of attention at the first case since in the second one case there are lots of variables that are meant to be mentioned first:
- Will I compromise the well being of my farm if I transfer fall-behind piglets?
- Is it actually price shifting them or are they piglets that can value me extra in relation to manufacturing and make issues extra sophisticated?
The truth is that we will have to now not transfer piglets greater than 36 hours after the sow farrows, so we’re simplest going to discuss matching litters and the usage of nurse sows for surplus piglets at farrowing.
The 2d rule is that to be sure that piglets consumption colostrum, we will have to now not transfer piglets sooner than 24 hours. However what occurs if we paintings on a farm with in depth morning hours running agenda and after we arrive on the farm we’ve got a sow farrowing, which at mid-morning has finishised farrowing a clutter of 20 piglets, will have to now not we do any actions till tomorrow? Would not this be too many hours, lots of them unsupervised, with too many piglets? The solution to this query is sure, it’s too many hours. What will we do in those circumstances?
- Upon arrival on the farm, we commence with the cut up suckling of the piglets that experience already been born and we mark them.
Piglets enclosed within the nest to start out cut up suckling.
- On the finish of the morning, sooner than leaving the farm, we test the piglets. All those who have their umbilical twine already utterly dry we believe are compatible to be moved in step with the protocol we’ve got.
- On this case, we will be able to at all times transfer the piglets which might be the most important and are absolutely dry so long as the well being of the farm permits it. If the farm has any vital pathology, the veterinarian will have to come to a decision whether or not it’s worthwhile to transfer piglets or now not, and will also prohibit pass fostering, because of the danger concerned, regardless of having sows with a lot of piglets.
Massive, dry piglets separated out to be moved.
Video 1. With the assistance of a thermal imaging digital camera, we will see that one of the crucial coldest piglets nonetheless has a rainy umbilical twine.
This remaining level may well be regarded as a 3rd rule that claims each time we transfer piglets and take away them from their dam, we’ve got to take a look at to transfer the large piglets as they’re going to be higher ready to evolve to their new dam and their new “siblings” than the small or low-viability piglets.
In sure circumstances, if it is crucial to transport small piglets, we will have to in finding them a dam that has adequately sized teats and that has a better milk manufacturing, which might permit the piglets to expand appropriately during the lactation duration.
Thus far we’ve got mentioned the fundamental laws for deciding if and when to do pass fostering and use nurse sows.
As soon as the verdict to make those actions has been made, the query is: How do I do it? Within the following article, we will be able to communicate in regards to the other techniques we’ve got, the keys to hold them out, and the associated fee that every one can suggest in step with our revel in.