April 2023 - Strategy FINAL - Flipbook - Page 15
Nutrition
three to four times per day for
up to 10 days post-placement
depending on pig age at
weaning, with younger pigs mat
fed longer. Despite age, all pigs
should be mat fed. This can be
accomplished by taking one to
two handfuls of feed from the
back of the feeder and applying
it in a straight line directly onto
floor mats when you first get to
the barn, prior to walking pens.
Then repeating this process as
you walk pens and again before
leaving the barn. Mats should
be located close to the feeder
with the goal of driving pigs
toward the feeder as frequently
as possible.
EFFECT OF MAT FEEDING ON THE
MORTALITY AND REMOVAL RATE OF PIGS POST-WEANING
A total of 10,795 mixed sex pigs were used in four experiments to determine the effect
of mat feeding the first 6 to 10d post-weaning on nursery mortality and removal rates.
HOSPITAL
PENS
GRUEL
FEEDING
In addition to mat feeding,
pens of small pigs should
receive gruel three to four
times per day up to 10d postplacement. Gruel feeding is
accomplished by adding a small
amount of water and feed to
either round rotecna bowls or
trough feeders, starting with
a more liquid mixture (think
oatmeal consistency) and
gradually transitioning to a dry
mixture over time. The key with
gruel is to not overfill feeders
so that feed begins to spoil if
not fully consumed. Hence, pigs
should consume all gruel within
30 minutes of mixing. Another
thing to consider is how and
where gruel is being mixed –
take care and prevent excess
water from making the pen wet
and chilling pigs.
Hospital pens should be
equipped with a brooder
to keep pigs warm and dry.
Limiting drafts to these pens
is also important. When
considering the location of
hospital pens in relation to
wall fans and ceiling inlets, it’s
typically recommended to place
pens of at-risk pigs in the center
of the room, away from outside
walls. In some cases, this may
still require a solid partition to
be added to the fence lines
of pens to prevent excessive
drafts. Mat and gruel feeding
this population of pigs for an
extended period is necessary
until full bellies are observed
and pigs can be graduated
to recovery pens. The target
for caretakers should be to
graduate 60% of pigs within
five days of placement into
hospital pens. Each of these
management strategies is only
successful when available to
the pig, thus it’s important to
make sure feed, water, mats,
and brooders are all located in
a central area so that pigs do
not have to travel far to access
what they need. Frequent
observations of hospital pens
throughout the day should also
be top priority, with caretakers
focused on getting pigs up and
moving them toward feed and
water.
To set your pigs up for
future success, it has been well
established that the 3 to 10 days
post-weaning are crucial. Aside
from environment and health,
the most important, and frankly,
most overlooked component
of wean pig care is the act of
caretakers getting into pens.
Executing the strategies above
will create added opportunities
for caretakers to get pigs up and
observe them several times each
day. Consistent observation is
one of the greatest tools we can
utilize to help the weaned pig.
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