Focus in the farrowing stables
Pig advisor
Inga Riber
Who am I?
• Inga Riber, 37 years old
• Pig advisor at LandboNord
• Since October 2008
• Educated farmer
• Studied Animal Science at the University
• I know the practise and the theory
• Works with
• Management in farrowing stables
• Management about wet feeding of pigs
• And all the other stuff..
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Preparation for farrowing
Supervision of farrowings
Colostrum
The environment of the piglets
Iron and castration
Feeding of sows
Cross-fostering
Nursing sows
Foster sow
Erfa meetings
Preparation for farrowing
• 3,3-3,5 FE/sow/day
• 1-2 days before farrowing: 3,0 FE/sow/day
• Supply nest material
• Remove all dirt behind the sows
• The day before farrowing
• Adjust the farrowing crate inwards
• Turn on the heat lamp
• Flush the piglet’s water supply
Supervision of farrowings
• Inspect the sow every hour
• Note the number of piglets born each time
• Max. 2 hours between the first 4 piglets and
max. 1 hour between the next piglets
• Help the sow if all piglets in the litter are dry
and the sow has not finished yet
• Help small or weak newborns
• Examine the health of the sow
• Mammary glands hard?
• High temperature?
• The behaviour of the sow
Colostrum
• Gives the piglets
energy and antibodies
against diseases
• Demands for optimum intake of colostrum
The piglets come to the teats
The piglets get enough time to get milk
The sow is healthy and well immunised
The piglets obtain immunity on the basis of
colostrum from sows in the herd
• If the larger piglets in a litter are isolated for a
while, the smallest piglets are assured of milk
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The environment of the piglets
• Check the environment in the creep area in
the morning
• Are the piglets lying together in one layer and fill
the area from the back?
• Is it dry and draught-free?
• Is there room for all piglets in the creep area?
• Is the temperature okay?
• Day 0-4:
34-36 degrees
• Day 4-14:
32-34 degrees
• From day 14:
30 degrees
• Look at the piglets
• They give you the answer!
Iron and castration
• Iron
• Give iron within the first week
• Orally or by injecting it into the neck or groin
• A piglet turns pale in case of iron deficiency and
can breathe heavily if more serious deficiency
• Castration
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Without anaesthesia within the first 2-7 days
Hygiene is essential!
Use ear cups or ear plugs
Provide pain relief
Cut the spermatic cord, don’t pull!
Always use sharp and clean blades
Feeding of sows
• Feed two or three times a day
• Feed restrictively the first week of lactation
• Day 7: 5,5-6,0 FE/sow/day
• Day 14: Minimum 7,5 FE/sow/day
• Day 21: Minimum 8,0 FE/sow/day
• Check the crib 30 minutes after feeding
• The crib is licked clean
• => More feed
• The crib is full
• => Less feed
• A bit feed back in the crib
• => No adjustment
”A bit feed back in the crib”
Cross-fostering
• When enough colostrum is assured
• Cross-foster to as many piglets as the sow
has functional teats
• 13-15 piglets pr. sow
• Primarily move large piglets in excess
• Move small piglets to second parity sow
with small and accessible teats
• Do not move piglets between litters after
day 2 post-farrowing
• Place piglets older than 2 days with a
foster sow
Nursing sows
• When there are too many piglets
• When these piglets have received
colostrum and are viable
• Is a first or second parity sow
• Has teats that are available to the piglets
• Not too fat, not too skinny
• Healthy sow with a good appetite
• Has taken good care of its own piglets
• Is not given more piglets than it has given
away
• Accept the piglets
Nursing sow
Two-step nurse sow
Two-step nurse sow
after 4-8 days of Pigs are weaned and
lactation
moved to a sectioned
weaner facility
Nursing piglets
Newly farrowed
sows with large litters
4-8-day-old
Interm. sow
Interm.
piglets
Sow with min. 21
days of lactation
Foster sow
• For hungry piglets older than 2 days
• Use well-functioning sow
• Healthy sow with good appetite
• Has taken good care of its own piglets
• Not too skinny
• Is not given more piglets than it has given
away
• Accept the piglets
• Move the piglets in time
• But only those who starve
• Do not move sick piglets to the foster sow
Foster sow
For foreign employees
ERFA MEETINGS
Erfa meetings
• I will start up a group for you
• Anyone of you who are interested can join
• Half-day meetings at LandboNord
• Meeting every three months
• Cases from your stables
• Primary focus will be sows and piglets
• Pictures, videos etc.
• How to read an “E-kontrol”
• How do the numbers influence each other?
• Legislation
• Etc.
Erfa meetings
• Do you want to join these meetings?
• Take a brochure
• Read it, show it to your boss
• Send me an e-mail ([email protected])
• Your name and phone number
• Name of your boss and his phone number
• First meeting
• Tuesday June 23rd at 13.00-16.00