Management

Normally the productivity of the sow is valued for the number of litters/sow/year multiplied by the number of weaned piglets per litter.

How should you decide if your current routines on colostrum are working? How much intake is enough?

To conclude this series of articles, swine reproduction and artificial insemination specialist Javier Gil explains the importance of proper post-service management in terms of when to move sows and how to feed them.

In swine, dystocia is usually caused by oversized piglets (or by a narrow birth canal) instead of foetal positioning problems.

Piglets are born with very limited energy reserves: compared to other newborn mammals, they have much less energy stored per kg liveweight.

We continue our series of articles in which swine reproduction and artificial insemination expert Javier Gil shares key points about proper management to improve fertility and prolificacy. This article addresses the criteria to establish correct insemination methods.

We hold the legs of the piglets together with plastic straps, avoiding that they move apart from each other.

Preventing the entry and spread of diseases should be an objective on any swine farm, so adequately designing biosecurity aspects is key. In this article, we continue to discuss biosecurity measures with two experts: Lara Ruiz and José Casanovas.

We can place the weakest piglets from each litter to dry out and warm up in this incubator while we tend to the next sows.

Understanding the farrowing process and recognizing the signs for the different stages of birth, help us to develop management plans to improve the likelihood for live born piglets.

For the animals to be comfortable it is important to know their needs. The more needs that we can fulfill the more productive the animal will be.

Here are three basic rules for deciding if and when to do cross fostering and use nurse sows.

To ensure that each piglet intakes enough colostrum and to help the smallest piglets get it, split suckling should be used.

The goal is to make the management during the gestation easier using a different colour spray colour each week to mark the tasks carried out with the sows.