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The recent cold snap is a reminder that winter is coming! Already, our practice is seeing upsurges in coughs and respiratory disease in pigs, probably triggered by fluctuations in temperature, says Paul Thompson, veterinary consultant to pig-breeding company ACMC Ltd.
For staff working on the unit during the day only it can be difficult to appreciate how cold the pigs may get at night. Monitoring the maximum-minimum thermometers and making appropriate adjustments to the environment is crucial.
For buildings experiencing regular problems the use of temperature data loggers can be very valuable. Temperatures only need to go low (or high) for a very short period to change a max-min thermometer so the minimum reading may have registered a relatively short period — when a door has been left open, for instance — whereas a temperature logger shows the precise length of time that the temperature has been out of tolerance, he points out.
ACMC Ltd.
