BANFF, Alta — When it comes to running a profitable hog farm, good herd health translates into improved feed efficiency and fast growth.
If a pig has pneumonia it can go off its feed and delay marketing by 10 to 23 days. Today’s focus is on whole herd health rather than zeroing in on a single disease and its treatment, two swine specialists said at the Banff pork seminar.
One idea is multi-site pig farms. Quebecker Camille Moore favors separate buildings for pigs at different stages of their life to prevent the spread of disease.
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For example, a three-site operation might have a separate barn for gestation and farrowing, a nursery barn and a finishing barn. A two-site operation might have the sow herd in the nursery and a finishing barn. Off-site nurseries are already appearing in Quebec, said Moore.
Travel though air
Distance between buildings in off-site production depends on the disease producers are trying to control. Moore added they may have to be a kilometre apart because some diseases can travel on the wind.
In multi-site operations, pigs are transferred in an “all in, all out” system. Barns are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected between groups. No more than three weeks worth of production are grouped in the same room. Moore also warns against mixing in pigs of unknown health status.
Revolutionary idea
“Three-site production is a revolutionary idea for disease prevention,” said Mike Wilson of the University of Guelph.
Such a system also makes early weaning feasible. Pigs can be weaned at an average of 16 days of age, helping to break disease cycles. For the first two weeks of life, piglets are free of most disease even if the organisms are present in the herd. Newborns receive colostrum from their mothers which carries antibodies to protect them from disease. This immunity starts to wear off by about 10 days of age, said Wilson.
He also suggested immunizing sows before farrowing to boost colostrum immunity.
With early weaning, sows return to heat sooner and can produce more pigs in a year. The digestive systems of the piglets seem good enough to handle feed rations.
The idea of early weaning received mixed reviews among those attending the seminar. Animal welfare activists promote weaning at four weeks of age.
