An increase in sow performance and
larger litter sizes in the English industry has highlighted challenges with
weaning and rearing the extra pigs and BPEX is helping producers find solutions
to this.
Knowledge transfer manager Angela
Cliff says: “It is important to ensure all piglets drink adequate colostrum to
get off to a good start and to make sure that sows are milking properly. There
are videos to help demonstrate colostrum management to staff, available on the
BPEX Practical Pig App and the app website (pictured). We’re also working with a producer who
is focusing on recording and analysing the data to ensure he selects the more
milky sows to breed from to help rear the larger litters they produce.”
The farrowing disc, free from BPEX, is
another tool now being used by many producers to help keep tabs on which sows have
farrowed, when they might need assisting and when colostrum is likely to be available
for split suckling.
Other areas to look at include ensuring
optimum temperatures in creep areas and towel drying small piglets to reduce
the chance of chilling.
“Then, a longer-term option to
consider is reducing sow numbers, to leave some empty farrowing pens free for
nurse sows if needed to help rear the extra piglets. Small pig management is
something we’ll be including in our autumn workshops.”
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