Articles - Management

Despite its many limitations, outdoor farming is a different way of approaching pig production and it does have some management routines which should make us reflect when we tackle management and design of indoor farms.

How to increase water consumption in piglets during the 2 to 3 days period after weaning using the piglet’s natural curiosity.

Administer long-acting oxytocin to sows that have started farrowing to milk them more easily.

The idea is to avoid semen backflow when we leave a catheter without its cap inside the sow for some minutes after AI.

The two measures studied would allow to reduce liveweight variability at slaughter by 10-15%.

How to have all the information about the weanings available in a simple way.

The authors share their strategies in the face of tail biting outbreaks as well as on-going preventative measures.

The goal is to be able to make that some individual dispensers do not deliver feed when they are all full

The authors share their experience on tail biting risk factors identification as well as the production of non-docked pigs.

There are casualties in the farrowing unit due to poor colostrum intake but, how many are there really? Are they just being classified as non-viable piglets?

The goal is to improve the piglets’ starter feed consumption in the farrowing pens.

The use of a thermometer or other technologies not so usual such as thermography for diagnosing sensitive situations cheaply, easily and objectively.

The key lies in gilt management ...

Occasionally, breeders end up using semen with a suboptimal fertilizing ability due to inadequate storage conditions.

By writing down the sow’s number directly onto a piece of paper or a card we do not lose information

More attractive for the pigs, more comfortable for farmers.

We talk about weight and age at mating, stall adaptation, flushing, how to perform heat detection and insemination, the convenience or inconvenience of segregating the gilts

30 years ago, the idea of setting up a conveyor belt like the ones that are (or were) used in poultry farming appeared.

The most difficult thing for sows is learning to open doors. Here we show an easy and practical way to achieve it.

Practical implications of a study that analyzes the consequences of litter standardization by weight or number and the supply of creep feeding.

When we must treat many animals (e.g. when blanket vaccinations or antiparasitic treatments must be administered), injections must be fast.

After reviewing some of the main hazards for pork producers in previous articles, this article is devoted to practical measures describing how to reduce risks of illnesses and injuries from those hazards.

Weaning one or several weeks straight into pens, a week worth of space can be gained

Illness and injuries can cost serious economic, physical, and emotional health issues that can deter from an efficient and enjoyable production system and home life. In this article, I will list several categories of health and safety issues for workers.