WHJ-Winter2012

Swine Technology Workshop Continued
Paying attention to management basics such as hygiene, feed and
water, health care and the environment delivers excellent results for
Shawn Morton
Feed and water
Pigs are given a creep diet prior to weaning so they have some
experience with solid feed and this helps in the transition
period after weaning, Morton believes. Wet/dry feeders are
used in the nursery and for the first 48 hours extra time is
spent checking the feeder setting. “During the first 48-72
hours we adjust the feeder so that feed covers the whole pan,”
he explains.” We also carry a feed scoop and will add some
30 | Western Hog Journal | Winter 2012
feed to each feeder for the first day or two. After the first 72
hours, feeders are adjusted back so that only about 50% of the
pan is covered in feed.”
“For the first couple of days after weaning
pigs tend to use the mats as a comfort
zone and will often sleep on them”
In the sick pens a feed mat is provided for the first 5 days and
a small scoop of feed is placed on the mat a couple of times
a day. “We have no starve-outs with the wet/dry feeders but
the mat just gives the challenged pigs some extra help,” says
Morton. “It also gives them a place to lie that is not slatted.
For the first couple of days after weaning pigs tend to use the
mats as a comfort zone and will often sleep on them.”
The wet/dry feeders have water nipples in the pan and
immediately after the pigs are sorted the nipples are used to
put an inch or two of water in the pan. This is done three or
four times on the day of weaning and then once the next day.
“It not only gets the pig interested in the feeders and where
the water is but usually allows each pig to get a drink right
away,” points out Morton. “We have no other water nipples
in each room. By running each nipple it ensures they are
functioning correctly and can be fixed if a problem occurs.”
Environment critical
Critically important is a warm, dry environment for the pigs to
enter into at weaning, Morton believes. “Rooms are always
dry before putting pigs in and are set at 22°C while sorting
and then warmed to 28.5°C,” he notes. Over the first seven
days, the set point temperature is held at 28.5°C and the fans
are set at minimum ventilation. Pigs are in the nursery for
about 46 days on average and the ambient temperature is
brought down to 21°C by the time they leave. “In the spring,
summer and fall air quality is excellent. In the winter, when
the temperature is very cold the air quality can be poor but
usually over short periods,” Morton adds.
Production data
Over an average 46 days in the nursery, pigs grow from a
starting weight of 6kg to about 27kg when they move to
finishing, growing at a very respectable 460 grams/day, with
a feed efficiency of 1.57. “We would like to see our feed
conversion improve but with the wet/dry feeders we think we
are fighting an uphill battle,” Morton comments.
The attention to health management results in a death loss
of just 2.6%. “Our death rate is about where we want it,”
comments Morton. “We tend to euthanize pigs with chronic
health issues in the nursery because this reduces problems in
the finisher barns. Rather than let the animals suffer, when
we know they will not make the slaughter plant, they are put
down sooner.”