猪的信号(母猪）.doc

Many vital pigletsProfessional sow farming requires versatility from the pig producer. Acquiring gilts, caring properly for gilts, inseminating sows, preventing stress and ensuring optimal nutrition are only a few facets.This can happen only if all of the farmers senses are alert to the signals that are conveyed when things are going well, or when they are going poorly, and combining signals from the management programme with observations on the farm.By being more consciously and actively involved with the signals from sows, a great deal can be achieved.Look-think-actSows is part of the Pig Signals concept. A central aspect of this different approach to pigs is the basic principle: look-think-act. The three basic questions that arise in this process are: 1. What do I see? (signal) 2. Why is this happening? (explanation) 3. What should I do? (action)A signal that you receive can focus your attention on a one-time incident. But it can also be an indication of a larger problem on the farm. Make a list of points for improvement, and starting at the top, complete them and cross them out one at a time, and keep going until you are done! This is the best way to make improvements: tackle them one at a time. Sows follows the cycle of the sow. At the back of the book, there is a checklist with tips for advanced farmers. Going from 25 to 30 piglets per sow per year is not easy, but it is possible. This book is written for pig farmers, but also for everyone who is involved professionally with pig farming (advisors, vets) and for educational purposes.Sows is not a book just for reading. Approach it like a pig, sniffing around and exploring. Sows wants to encourage the pig farmer to think more about farm choices, management and methods.Sows is not a handbook and does not claim to be complete. Read it, put it away for a while, and then return to it and read some more.Change and improvement are difficult; it is a question of taking the correct action. On the photograph you can see that an opening has been closed with plastic, but the ivy has found a hole and has grown through again Next time, get bricks and mortar and close the hole once and for all. With a bit more effort, you can solve the problem at a single go.Take a good look: what are these? Here you see four carpalglands with which the piggives off signal scents to itsenvironment. Do you knowthe pig well enough ?The sow and her cycleThe sow farm is coordinated with the biological cycle of the sow. Although in nature a sow has only a single oestrus per year, the pig breeder strives for 2.5 cycles per year. This is a world-class performance for which all conditions must be in order. And all phases are linked together. If something is not optimal during one phase,you will see the consequences during the next phase. For example, consider poor condition at weaning; this begins with nutrition during the preceding lactation or gestation. And it has consequences for the future: you can expect a longer interval between weaning and insemination. It is only when you pay maximum attention to all phases that the sow will thrive and produce large numbers of piglets throughout her life.Insemination: from heat to pigletFour to seven days after woaning, the sow goes into heat and can be inseminated Sows that are fully in oestrus and inseminated at the right time produce large litters. And piglets are what it is all about.Gestation: a full bellyGestation takes a relatively long time and many people think it requires little attention. Nothing could be further from the truth ultimate peace and quiet routine.health nutrition are essentialFarrowing: 3-3-3After a gestation of three months,three weeks and three days (a total of 114 days or 16 weeks and two) days) the sow farrows her piglet.A litter comprises 10 to 13 piglets on averageWeaning: the suckling and sucking stops!Time for weaning;after a lactation phase of at least 21 days,piglet and sow are separated ,The sows teats dry off by themselvesCulling:rejecting sowsSow that no longer perform well,have leg problems or are sick will be culled for slaughter,Or sometimes they may even be euthanisedGilts: certainty for the futureGilts renew the sow herd.preferably they have been bred on the farmitselfHow do you achieve success with your sows? The primary precondition is a wellplanned and structured sow farm. This must be a farm with sufficient space,excellent working conditions and good planning and record-keeping. A successfulpig farmer is critical, strives for improvements and enjoys his work every day.Producing large numbers of healthy piglets is the primary task of a sow on the breeding farm.Good lactating sows do not happen by themselves. Farms with lactation problems present a challenge for the farmer and the feed supplier.The correct coordination of the feed composition,feed provision, sow condition, drinking water provision and climate in the farrowing pen is not a simple task. Having a sow that can easily wean 11 piglets weighing 8 kg each and still be in good condition requires great skill. But when things are going well, the motto is: never change a winning formula! Perfecting the fertility of sows and gilts is perhaps even more difficult. There is an entire range of tasks that must be performed properly.First of all, it is important to get the sows fully into heat, in order to inseminate them correctly and to ensure that the conception rate is high after the first insemination. Only a detailed breeding and housing programme for giltsbears fruit (literally).Looking back and looking forwardDevelopments in pig farming have accelerated tremendously in recent decades. By looking back at history, you understand the present-day situation better. As a result, you can continue forward with the core question: how am I going to develop my farm, beginning right now?1950Besides other livestock and crops, farmers kept a few sows. Pigs were supposed to be fat (30 mm of backfat on a 100 kg pig was normal), as were sows. Standard production was 15 weaned piglets per sow per year (weaned at eight weeks). Farmers organised the breeding themselves and on breeding days, the pigs were judged according to type and exterior appearance.1958 saw the first experiments with artificial insemination, primarily to prevent disease transmission from the boar, who went from farm to farm.1960Due to the understanding that a fat sow wastes feed and is less fertile, sows were reduced to a ration of 2 kg of feed per day; thin sow syndrome and second litter drop syndrome emerged. As a result, the age at weaning went from eight weeks to four weeks. Feed acquired a higher density of minerals, vitamins and protein. Commercial farms began to get involved with breeding. Selection and production research turned the spotlight on quality at slaughter.1970It became common practice to double sows feed the day before insemination (flushing). Providing lots of feed after insemination was intended to ensure a large litter. This was refuted by later research. Individual housing ensured that every sow received her correct ration of feed: she had to gain 15 kg with each litter. Farms began to specialise in one part of the chain: nucleus, rearing, breeding and finishing. It became possible to vaccinate against animal diseases.1980The demand for large quantities of lean meat at low prices did not benefit meat quality. Attention focused especially on PSE meat (pale, soft, exudative) caused by stress. The halothane test separated stress-sensitive pigs from non-stress-sensitivepigs. The stress-sensitive pig tenses its legs after breathing the gas instead of relaxing.DNA research and selection was used to breed the stress-sensitive pigs out of the pig herd.1990Tying sows was banned. Computer software calculated breeding values. Pig farmers began using management systems instead of the paper sow calendar. Attention began to focus on integrating parts of the chain: both sows and finishing pigs were kept on a single farm. Sperm from good boars was frozen.The pig farmerProud breeders understand what they have to do.However, working according to fixed rules and protocols is not in their nature. Nevertheless, farms that take this approach achieve the best results.Know yourselfWhat is your primary motivation for keeping sows? Are you interested in technical innovations or the best technical results? Or are you more a stocksman who cares well for his pigs? Or are you aiming for an economic result, as a calculating entrepreneur?Ne farmer can know everything himself, so bring in others for their knowledge, which may be new to you.An eye for detail. Look and evaluate critically If you have plenty of light in the pen, you will be able to see more.A nose for new things.Enjoying the work results from short walking routes, wellorganised work and few sick animals, Your staff are highly motivated because their work is meaningful and they have responsibility for and knowledge of the results.Always work in the same way by using protocols. This makes the work clear to everyone and recordkeeping becomes easier. This is especially useful far new employees or relief staff. Past the protocols at places where they are sure to be seen in the farrowing house and in the hygienic entry room.Prevent germs from spreading by giving items used in the pens different colours for every animal category. Never clean the carcase room with the broom from the farrowing unit. Extra equipment also shortens the walking routes. This saves labour costs.Vaccination? Which animals, which infections, which vaccines (live/killed),which ages? Get advice from a vet. Ask the right questions!Giving injections? Prevention is always better than cure, but you can cure animals only if you act quickly. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do todayIs the light green, amber or perhaps even red?Red: alarm, you have to respond immediately Amber: weak point, must be changed soon.Green: good point, but could it be even better? By always seeking weak points (or having others look for them) and improving these points, your farm will continue to progress.Using indicators for better breedingUse numerical indicators as a gauge to see if the farm can operate even better. If you record data accurately in the management software, then you can obtain the correct information from the software, The analysis of numerical indicators requires a great deal of experience and a good head for figures.For example, analyses involving short time periodsand few animals can quickly lead to incorrect conclusions. Comparing your own indicators with averages from the country or the region - or integrating your indicators with farms of equal size/production method/product - has an encouraging effect and shows you how your farm compares. Is everything going well, or is there room for improvement?Making the correct adjustments to many factors yields many piglets! For proactive management, the indicators lower down in the diagram are most useful.These sows in a corner of the service unit, while inconspicuous, are causing lost days. Every lost day costs two euros. Limit lost days by scanning for gestation, selecting in the farrowing pen and culling immediately after weaning.This is the wrong way: a filthy sow chart at the back of the pen which is hardly legible. Writing down data is the basis for the information you obtain from the management software:incorrect data IN = incorrect data OUT. For example, you can preprint as much information as possible on the sow chart.Target valuesSlowly but surely, from 27, to 28, to 29, to 30 piglets per sow per year!Establishing target values and making a plan for improvement leads to even more progress. Every year, target values are modifled, evaluated and discussed. For example,a feasible target value for the coming year could be the results from the best three months of the past year.Keeping the farm healthyIt is essential to prevent the introduction and transmission of disease organisms on the farm. Although this seems completely obvious, in practice the measures are often inadequate.When new animals arrive there is a high risk that a new disease will be introduced to the farm, so dont bring in any animals without knowing which diseases are present on the farm of origin, and use a quarantaine building. Rodents, pets and manure are also sources of infection. Break the infection cycle that goes from sows to piglets and back again.You can do this by strictly separating the materials and farm clothing for each building (using different colours), using a multiple week system or keeping only one animal group in each building. If the farm buildings are new, it is advisable to purchase gilts with a high health status.Less animal movement on the farm fewer infected animals fewer infected animals less disease.Trucks not only pick things up, but sometimes deliver them as well: they pick up piglets, but also introduce new diseases. A simple delivery cubicle prevents truck and driver from contaminating the clean part of the farm.Hygienic entry rooms can be inexpensive, like this one. Make sure there is a hot shower and that no detours are available: the temptation to bypass the hygiene procedure is great. As an absolute minimum, wash your hands and put on socks, overalls, a cap and boots that are kept on the farm. Prevent introduction and spread of disease? See page 46.LOOK-THINK-ACTIs this all in-all out?You can clearly see that the all in-all out method is not being consistently applied here. In the all in-all out sys-tem, the age difference between the piglets can never be more than one week. Do not transfer any piglets to other rooms. By using different colo-ured ear tags each week,you can imme-diately see if piglets have been moved back to a younger group.Multiple week systemThe farmer who wants to work in a structured fashion (focusing on a single type of work) and is seeking higher health status on his farm can choose a multiple week system. In this system, the major activities no longer take place every week, but every three, four or five weeks. The farmer is compelled to work in a structured fashion, otherwise the system does not work. In this system, interim groups are forbidden. When choosing a system, consider your preferences forl weaning age,l distance between the age groups,l empty period between groups (sanitation),l size of group (feeding system, housing, labour)Advantages and disadvantagesThe advantages and disadvantages listed below are linked to the farm and to individuals!Advantages of the multiple week system:l deliveries of large groups of uniform pigletsl separated age groups, therefore better hygienel due to the larger groups, more efficient working and better organisationl not having to do the same work every week prevents boredoml better sanitation with empty unitsl reduced AI costs due to less frequent deliveriesl comparing large groups is a stimulus for improving the resultl more attention for critical momentsl due to synchronisation of oestrus, more attention for giltsl time savings by clearing out returns to serviceDisadvantages of the multiple week system:l strict time schedule (also on holidays)l less flexibility due to planned workl a mistake with one group has consequences for multiple weeksl requires a capable manager: decisions based on rationality, not emotionl requires more peak labourDelivering large groups of weaned piglets ensures bonuses and reduced transport costs. With the threeweek system, there are three groups of piglets on the farm. With the four and five week systems, there are only two groups.A sow with piglets two weeks old next to a sow still to farrow does not occur in a multiple week system. As a result, it is easier to maintain good hygiene.Good planning requiredA good overview of the work plan shows a distribution of the periodic and daily activities.Planning ahead is possible and essential.On busy days, specialised personnel can be used. The multiple week system requires precise service planning, so that the sows farrow within two days of each other and the weaning age of the piglets is close together.Group housing is the futureKeeping sows in groups is intended to improve the welfare of the animals. Over the long term, the technical results are usually comparable with those from individual housing. It is especially the farmer who must become accustomed to a different system. This involves finding new routines, bringing the sows into the group, establishing feed quantities, feeding times, climate control, inspection, a different type of administration and selecting individual sows. It is therefore important that the type of group housing system chosen is compatible with the farmer.Evaluate claws in the farrowing pen. Bad claws originate often from the rearing and gestation period: hard/wet/slippery floors,increased production, less movement, fights,steps/thresholds and abnormal leg positions.Dung increases the risk of infection and urine is corrosive. An extra high dosage of biotin (500- 800 ppb) can temporarily strengthen the claws.In this small, stable group, the sows are selected following insemination based on litter number andcondition; they are kept together until they are moved to the farrowing unit.In a more dynamic group, recently inseminated sows are added to the group and the sows that are ready to farrow are moved to the farrowing unit. Changes to the group should take place in the evening because that isth