In order to increase piglet survivability, it is important to consider small changes. When added up, these small things can have a big impact.
Monitoring, Fast and Slow
As an example, within our client farms, we wanted to develop consistent and systematic patterns for our production teams to go through farrowing rooms each day when choring. To start, we designated a team of two or more personnel to go through each room together, ensuring all sows have feed and water. This instills accountability and teamwork both.
In addition to the team doing feedline chores together, implementing a tandem monitoring protocol can have a significant impact. We implemented a fast monitor, slow monitor system in the farrowing house.
The monitoring team would start the newborn farrowing rooms together but each hone in on different tasks that together support the day one piglet care objectives.
The fast monitor focuses on supporting the piglets born overnight. Boxing up the newborns that needed to be warmed up and making sure that the full-bellied pigs were split suckled appropriately.
The slow monitor takes their time with the sows, prioritizing their care. Did she have a difficult time farrowing overnight? Were there any complications? Does she need to be flagged for follow-up treatment?
This primary and secondary monitoring system helps give focus to the farrowing house monitors and allows critical observations from overnight farrowing to be addressed in a timely manner when the team arrives on farm.
Box, or not?
Another initiative to consider is colostrum management. There can be quite a bit of confusion for production teams on when and why piglets need to be boxed. To help the crews understand, we had to narrow into what the intention was with our teams — why are you boxing them?
In the morning, when you have sows that farrow overnight then there are usually wet piglets in the corners that need to help getting warm or finding their way back to the underline. The primary goal is to get them dried off, using towels or a drying agent, and to get them warm. Providing extra warmth in a box under a heat lamp may be necessary, however you need to ensure they still get colostrum in a timely manner.
For split suckling, identify piglets that have had adequate colostrum and get them into a box so that the underline is exposed for the other piglets that haven’t had colostrum. We used a teaching tool of the bicep test as a monitoring sign for colostrum intake that really resonated with our teams.
● If you let your arm hang loose and you feel your bicep, it has some tone but quite a bit of give — that’s a piglet that has an empty belly
● If you flex your bicep, it becomes more toned and ful,l which is similar to a piglet with a full belly
During the assessment of whether or not a piglet has a full belly, they should be standing on all four limbs. This is critical as piglets will tense their abdomen when you pick them up giving a false sense of security that they have had enough colostrum.
Small piglets
Total born continues to increase in the industry, and with that comes more variation in piglet size. Through our colostrum initiative we have been able to see positive results with underline training. We help make sure these smaller pigs can get up and show them where to nurse, even hand milking to get them their first taste of milk. We have found that it isn’t necessarily about initial size — if you can get them up and nursing, they can grow.
Fostering families
Keeping piglets with their mother is always a goal. However, sometimes addressing teat access is necessary to ensure piglet viability. With our team we have emphasized the need to maximize piglets on teats. We utilize a crossfoster map tool for training new team members that helps map out the room: location of the sow, number of born alive, how many teats she has, or if there are any smalls that need to go to a dedicated mom that has smaller teats. It helps them identify how many pigs actually need to be moved and plan out where. This has reduced the number of piglets being moved and helped build the confidence of the teams and they have more understanding of the process.
Our protocol for fostering includes:
1. Litter integrity: We try to keep as many original litters together as we can
2. Sibling: If you have to move any piglets, only move the biggest or smallest out of the litter and always move at least one sibling with them
3. Timing: Foster after lunch to leverage as much of colostrum management as possible during the initial morning hours
4. Full bellies: All piglets must have a full belly before fostering occurs
Final Thoughts
In 2022, and continuing into 2023, we identified key initiatives centered on improving PWM across the 170,000+ sows managed by Professional Swine Management (PSM) service through day one piglet care and gilt management. By taking this thoughtful approach to choring, and really strategizing how to best leverage our staff during working hours, we were able to improve our PWM by 3-4% across our farms. These small changes made big impacts on our piglet survivability.
Carthage Veterinary Service relies on science and experience to provide unique and practical solutions to achieve the best outcomes for producers and their animals.
