Page 13 of articles about gestation

A new instalment of the test on animal welfare in swine herds. This test evaluates your knowledge on the welfare of gestating sows allotted in groups.

The Danish pig producers’ research organisation has tested a number of different designs. They recommend pen dimensions of 2.7x1.8 m to accommodate modern prolific breeds.

In the first part of management of the breeding chart we basically looked at how it can help us to control returns. In this second part we will look at other applications.

In this chapter we will look at how hormones can be used to influence the time of farrowing according to our needs.

In reproductive disease, submission of several whole affected litters is advisable to provide material for diagnosis of PRRSV and other diseases causing reproductive or neonatal problems.

The gestation unit is basically a parking unit where sows should be kept comfortable to allow the pregnancy to develop

When the sow is pregnant, the corpus luteum remains and continues to produce progesterone. While the levels of progesterone are high the sow does not become in heat and maintains gestation.

Low maternal feed levels cause a reduction in muscle fibre numbers, whereas enhanced maternal nutrition resulted in a higher number of muscle fibres in specific muscles.

Since 1987, Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome virus (PRRS) has become a global drain on pig productivity, profitability, and many a producers’ morale. One thing that remains certain is PRRS virus continually finds ways to circumvent our best bio-management efforts. PRRS marches on in a ceaseless continuum of antigenic change making current vaccines and other control techniques of limited value.

A breeding chart would be like a type of computer without wires, screen or keyboard.

Piglets face a very stressful process at weaning and feed intake becomes one of the most limiting issues.