Best practice in the gilt unit

Programme manager Gunner Srensen Congress for pig producers, Herning, 2013

Utilisation of the housing unit

Optimum utilisation of the farrowing unit requires an even number of sows ready for farrowing Utilisation of farrowing pens is usually the first limiting factor for how many and how large pigs it is possible to wean Many pigs per sow/year do not necessarily equal optimum utilisation of the housing unit Many sows do not necessarily equal optimum utilisation of the housing unit

An example from practice

Week Number of farrowings Number of nurse sows Farrowing pens 1 53 2 53 3 53 4 53 5 53 6 53 7 53 8 53 9 53 10 53 11 53 12 53 10 63 13 53 10 63 Av. 53 10 63

It is no use that the management is 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 fine if10there is no flow.

63 63 63 63 63 63 63 63 63 63 63

Penned
Nurse sows

Optimum management requires that 72 51 50 68 56 41 46 66 49 45 63 flow 14 10 the 9 13 11is constant. 8 9 12 9 8 12

353 316 310 329 307 294 320

47
9

52
10

54
10

Sows in farrowing unit

321

304

317

Weekly - 63 farrowing pens are available 314 farrowing pens available

Niels Thing, Engholm/Krogsgrd

FLOW / Week
Service unit Matings Farrowing rate
57 93
26

Gilt unit For mating Sows for mating

42 11

15
16 18 (2-4)
20

Altresyn For mating unit Sorted Own/purchased

% 1st parity
Farrowing unit Farrowings Live born Total live born Mortality Weaned sows Wea./wea. Wea./litter Nurse batches Weaned, total

Sl.sows
53
16.5 875 15.0 53 11.8 14.2

Weaner unit

Of these, gilts
Penned Dead, no. Sorted, no. For sale

20 743 15 (2%) 22 (3%)

10

743

686

Niels Thing, Egholm/Krogsgrd

Uniform batches each week

primarily management of gilts
Before Lactation period, days Weaned pigs/week 28.1 716 After 29.6 753

Sow mortality, %
Feed conversion, FUsow/sow/year

10
1,530

7
1,430

Niels Thing, Egholm/Krogsgrd

Goal
A known number of gilts ready for mating for each batch of weaned sows Includes: Feeding Age Longevity Housing Management of oestrus An example from a farm Altresyn

Gilts - rules
Feed: 2.5 FUsow a day fed restrictedly on the floor or in long troughs Coarsely ground, high-fibre meal feed from 65 kg ESF training: Must take place before mating and run for min. 3 weeks Age of all gilts is known: Ear tags

Gilts - rules
Longevity: House gilts of the same age together this will make non-uniform gilts more visible Culling due to leg problems, exterior and inadequate gain at approx.100 kg before vaccination Never mate a gilt that you dont believe can manage in a group of sows Light and friendly accommodation: House gilts in small pens holding 58 pigs Stay in the pen until they are 6 months old and no boar contact Contact to humans

Managing oestrus a good start

Gilts must be acyclic and approx. 6 months old Always on Fridays: Start exposure!!

Focus on: Exposure to Moving Boar contact Mixing Light, feed

REMEMBER
Uniform recording of signs of oestrus pre-oestrus or standing oestrus => new pre-oestrus after 21 days + 4 days => new standing oestrus after 21 2 days Gilts typically exhibit signs of oestrus approx. 5 days after exposure to one of these factors Gilts must checked for oestrus on a daily basis and this requires thorough work

Recording of 1st oestrus

One recording form per pen Start on Mondays with one colour
Gilt no. Born week Vacc. Oestrus

Make a list of oestrus

One list per colour
Gilt no. Born Oestrus Gilt no. Born Oestrus Gilt no. Born Oestrus

Age vs number of times in oestrus

Age vs size

Moving and mating

Move gilts with the same weekly colour to stalls Increase feed dose to 3.5 FUsow a day

Initiate oestrus detection do not forget the boar

Mate the gilt the first time oestrus is detected and again 24 hours later

Example - before
Approx. 28 weeks

Approx. 30 weeks

1st boar contact

Gilt unit

ESF training

Service unit

Cyclic:

0%

10 %

90 %

Example - after
Approx. 30 weeks 1st boar contact Gilt unit cyclic ESF training Service unit

Boar contact in gilt pen + adjoining pen Recording of oestrus using colours Move gilts to the service unit max 7 days before mating and flushing Move gilts that after 3 weeks have not shown clear signs of oestrus to the service unit

besnr=114381 periode=F 310809-280210

30

Pct. polte

20 10 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 07 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 140 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Before

365 50 days
Mneder

Saved feed costs: (365-250) days x 500 gilts/year x 2.5 FUsow/day x DKK 2.00 per FU DKK 287,500 per year Gilt management is now efficient = optimum supervision of ************ afp1075_hovedtabel.sas ************ production, dedicated work Opgrelse overand 1. kuld a happy staff
Plot over alder ved lbning
besnr=114381 periode=S 010910-010311

Alder ved 1. lbning

30

Pct. polte

20 10 0 2 2 2 2 10 3 3 Mneder 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 7 2 2 28 2 2 2 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

After

250 20 days

Alder ved 1. lbning

Altresyn - rules
Progesterone postpones next oestrus as long as treatment is active MUST HAVE BEEN IN OESTRUS MINIMUM ONCE

Administered orally for 18 days in a row (+ apple juice for 3 days)

Must be administered at the same time every day ( +/- 15 minutes) Dose: 5 ml daily. Supplied individually Gilts must not be under stress when Altresyn is administered Gilts ready for mating 6-8 days after treatment ends

Costs approx. DKK 80 per gilt

Aimed at farms with 14-day batch operation or where batch sizes need stabilisation

NO CHEATING

Theoretical effect of Altresyn Poltebrunst uden Altresyn

No Altresyn
P2
P3 P4

P1

P5

Ugefarver

Altresyn
P1
P2 P3 P4

Poltebrunst med Altresyn

P5

Altresynbehandling i 18 dage

Brunsten er

45,0%

Day of mating after treatment ends

41%

40,0%

35,0%

30,0%

29%

90 % mated at the desired time.

25,0%

20,0%

20.0%

15,0%

10,0%

6%
5,0%

1%
0,0% Lbet dg 5 Lbet dg 6 Lbet dg 7 Lbet dg 8 Lbet dg 9

1.5%
Lbet dg 10

1.5%
Lbet dg 11

Effect of Altresyn experience from practice

Farrowing rate:

Gilts: 93.9% 2nd parity: 96.1% (treated with Altresyn as gilts)

Piglets born per litter:

Gilts: 16.4 born in total per litter 2nd parity: 18.7 born in total per litter (treated with Altresyn as gilts)

Conclusion
Know the age of the gilts: Ear tags Affect the desired number of gilts: Moving/mixing Boar contact Oestrus after 5-10 days Check for first oestrus daily: Use the boar Mark with a colour Move the gilts you marked to stalls 7-14 days after 1st oestrus and increase feed dose to 3.5 FUsow a day Cull gilts that have not shown signs of oestrus at 10 months of age

Labour
All tasks related to the gilts are scheduled for fixed times and can be performed systematically All staff members are familiar with the work routines in the gilt unit Gilts ready for mating are selected: The number is known, and a culling strategy can be planned Oestrus detection at mating is easy No old gilts left

Economic potential
Farm with 1,000 sows/year 2,250 farrowings and 500 gilts a year If age at mating increases by av. 1 week, feed costs increase by DKK 20,000 Systematic flushing = 1 more pig per litter max 450 pigs/year Systematic mating in 2nd or 3rd oestrus = 1 more pig per litter max 450 pigs/year Systematic check for oestrus will pinpoint problem gilts and they can be culled max 20 gilts/year DKK 15,000 Altresyn costs DKK 40,000 a year Planned culling strategy for sows reduces the number of non-productive days Uniform weekly batches = uniform stocking density in the farrowing unit

Conclusion
Efficient gilt management = Success in the sow unit Mark gilts with different colours Age of the gilts Tasks are performed systematically and in due time Make the decisions necessary

Gilts will have at least 16 total-born piglets per litter