WHJ-Winter2012

Swine Technology Workshop Continued
Managing nursery pigs in the first seven days
after weaning
Managing pigs in the critical week after weaning requires the basics to be done well and attention to detail so
that pigs get a good start in the nursery, says Shawn Morton, who operates a 7000-head specialist nursery barn
located just east of Red Deer, Alberta. He focuses strongly on what he calls “The Three Basics” – feed, water and
environment. Combined with careful attention to hygiene and health management, his approach results in
excellent pig performance.
FEEDER
MAXI+
Strong feeder, ideal for
Nursery/WTF/Finisher
The nursery
2389 Route 202 | Dunham, Quebec, J0E 1M0 | Phone +1 450 263 0001 | Fax +1 450 263 0003 | Cell +1 450 770 2600 | www.echberg.ca
28 | Western Hog Journal | Winter 2012
Brookfield Pork is a 7000-place
nursery located 20 minutes east of
Red Deer, which was built in 2002.
Weaned piglets come from Eclipse
Pork, a 2500 sow unit about 15
minutes from the nursery. The
barn is split into 14 rooms and
pigs are weaned twice a week into
the nursery.
The nursery is fully slatted with
Matrix flooring and white plastic
dividing walls. “The ceiling height
is 10 feet so the rooms are bright
and comfortable to work in,” notes Morton. “The nursery
is heated by fin pipes along the ceiling in each room. The
rooms are heated by air being drawn into the rooms by air
inlets where it tumbles over the heated fin pipes. Rooms are
ventilated in three stages by three chimney fans spaced evenly
in the centre of each room.”
Preparing the nursery room
Good hygiene is essential to minimize the spread of disease,
Morton stresses. “As our vet constantly tells us, the three
most important points to pig health in the nursery are
sanitation, sanitation, sanitation,” he says. “We try to do a
good job in this area.”
Because pigs are weaned twice each week, on Mondays and
Thursdays, there is always a room being prepared for the
next batch of pigs. “Historically we have washed the rooms
one day, left them to dry overnight and then disinfected
the following day and left to dry again,” Morton explains.
“Earlier this summer we started a cycle of letting the rooms
soak with a chemical detergent. We completed a cycle with
an acid product and right now are in the process of using the
base product. These products break down some of the film
and deposits built up on the slats and penning.”
“The three most important points to
pig health in the nursery are sanitation,
sanitation, sanitation”
“We go into the room with our injector and wand, spray the
room down and then let it soak for a half hour before we start
washing,” he continues. “We wash with hot water set at about
190°F and the pens and walls clean quite easily. We wash our
rooms completely including ceiling, fin pipes, feeders, etc. The
room is then left to dry overnight at 20°C.”
“The next day the room is disinfected with Synergize which
we are using as our disinfectant at the moment,” Morton
notes. “We do not use a foamer. We just use the chemical
injector and cover all areas that pigs have contact with. The
room is then left to dry overnight at 20°C and is ready for pigs
the following morning.”
DRINKING CUP
for water savings
and high
hygiene
FREE
ACCESS
STALL
for group housed
sows
FARROWING CRATE
European crate with
long molded fingers to
allow maximum
access to the udder
FEED WIRE
Fully automated Chain Feeding system