Telma Vieira Tucci

Pig333 interviewed Prof. Pulina of the University of Sassari who has been involved in eradicating African swine fever in Sardinia. ASF arrived on the island in 1978 through contaminated pork products. After many years of struggle, the virus has now been eradicated.

We went to visit an Italian farm where the sows are free housed in the farrowing room. We asked some questions to better understand the system.

Since 2017 the number of gilts coming into heat (with standing reflex) has gradually fallen to levels less than 50-60% of the gilts ready to be inseminated...

Leaving tools on top of pen dividers is not always the best option...

A new, not yet tested material could help mitigate tail biting in growing and finishing pigs.

How to have all the information about the weanings available in a simple way.

We explain a simple and easy method for cleaning creep feeders.

This article offers a new alternative to plastic feed scoops, the use of a 5/10-liter can made of strong plastic and with a built-in handle.

A simple, economical and practical trick is to identify the replacement gilts with tags of different colours according to the batch they belong to.

It is easy to see the reaction of the sows (of all of them!) when we supply them with paper. A handful in front of their snout or at the reach of their mouth is enough... oxytocin! It is like giving an injection!

This trick shows how to reduce the cleaning time of the fattening pens with a solid floor.

An easy solution to store these feeders is to hang them in the corridor of their room. In this way, they do not stand in the way and they can dry well before being used again.

The idea is to modify the doors of the pen where sows are housed in groups to increase the contact with the boar.

This trick consists in creating a nest using the crates back corridor.

The goal of this trick is to make a practical, simple and cheap catheter holder.

This trick consists in using a spring for holding the semen bag during the insemination.