Stress isn’t good for any stage of the pig’s life, but weaning is certainly a time where lowering stress on the pig is not just a good idea – it’s critical. From the right diet to the right environment, it’s essential that employees are ready to help pigs get off to the best start possible.
“Those piglets are used to having full bellies coming off of their mom at weaning, and so as they transition into the nursery, being able to fill those stomachs and digestive systems with food is very critical,” said Joel DeRouchey, professor at Kansas State University, at the Annual Swine Conference hosted by Carthage Veterinary Service. “Once pigs eat more, they’re going to have a better average daily gain the rest of their lives, and we know that their digestive health is going to be better.”
How Clean is Clean?
When it comes to getting pigs started right in the barn, one area that needs talked about more is sanitation, DeRouchey says.
Although it’s clearly not overlooked, he says studies show opportunities for improvement.
“There are many ways that we clean barns after a group leaves and before the next set comes in,” he says. “I think we need to get back to the basics, making sure not only the pens are clean, but particularly focusing on any rubber or plastic mats that are used group to group, and especially the watering devices, are also clean.”
Data has shown that the watering device, before sanitation, has some of the highest counts of E coli, he points out.
“We want to make sure, as pigs leave and before the next group comes in, we’re using a hot water treatment as well as a degreaser to get rid of the film and extra biosolids that are present in those pens,” he explains. “If we go through that process, do a good disinfection, and then allow that room to dry, we have a greater opportunity to prevent different enteric bacteria from passing from group to group.”
Ideally barns should dry for over 24 hours, he says. This can be a challenge for many producers as they turn barns, but DeRouchey points out that this drying cycle is needed to kill bacteria.
“Bacteria live on and need a wet condition with a food source like fecal matter,” he says. “Any time we have a dry, hot condition, they die on the surface, resulting in a significant reduction in the enteric bacteria that can be present and survive during that period of time.”
Set the Stage for Profitability this Fall
Preparing your barn to be a great environment for your new pigs is essential to capture the most profitability possible.
“If we rush that process – if we’re too tight in terms of the pigs getting out and the next pigs coming in and don’t allow for proper drying time, if we don’t allow ourselves to make sure that the bins are adequately stocked with the phase one diet, or if we have a lot of residual feed from the previous group of pigs that may get blended in and hurt their performance – we will add stress that the pig doesn’t need,” he says.
He also reminds producers to check their ventilation heading into a new season. Fall can be one of the most challenging times to get ventilation right.
“The nights are cooling off and the days can still get warm, but maybe not as warm as we’re accustomed to,” DeRouchey says. “Make sure your ventilation curves are reset for fall ventilation, that any natural ventilation of our curtains are in the right condition and that they’re functional going up and down. Make sure fans are in the right operating condition. We want to provide the right environment going into fall and set the pigs up for success when they’re first put into the barn.”
