Hogg Sense

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When Gilts Sales Fell: A drop in culling rates would lead to a short-term gain if the average litter size from a mature sow was bigger than that of a first-farrowing gilt. Nevertheless, it is hard not to sympathize with any producer who decides to reduce costs by cutting down on the number of new gilts purchased. (Pig International, Volume 33, No. 3)

How Much Should Weaners Eat: A high daily feed intake in the first week after weaning promotes better growth and health both during the nursery phase and throughout the grow-finish period. Abnormal feed intake patterns after weaning are always associated with digestive upsets. Anorexic piglets suffer damage to their gastrointestinal tract and allergic reaction to antigens in legumes, such as soybeans. When starving pigs suddenly start eating, it is usually between the second and fifth day post-weaning. (Pig International, Volume 31, Number 11).

Energy Rations for Pregnant Sows: Electronic sow feeding stations can now be equipped with scales to register the pregnant sow’s changes in weight. (Pig International, Volume 32, Number 4).

False Tails Fight Vice: While the search goes on to find the causes of tail-biting, affected units usually try to curb the vice by giving the pigs something else to chew. This tends to be an object suspended over the pen, such as a length of chain or an old car tire hanging on a rope. An inverted synthetic cone is fixed to hang just above the pig, head high. Dangling down from the cone are four sticks of pliable plastic, about the same length and thickness as a pig’s tail. The occupants of the pen can bite and bend these artificial tails without breaking them. A Danish producer was one of the first to try the plastic ‘tails’ and says that they have been far more effective than more conventional distractions, such as tires and pipes. (Pig International, Volume 31).

Vol. 11 Num. 12

- Alex Hogg, DVM, MS

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