Avoiding the use of prods
Dr. Temple Grandin explains how to avoid the use of prods when handling pigs.
Page 35 of articles about management
Video tour of a pork plant featuring Temple Grandin
A tour of a pork plant guided by Dr. Temple Grandin, Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University and widely considered to be the world's leading expert on humane animal handling at meat packing plants. This video provides an honest look at how pigs are handled at pork packing plants
Sow overmanagement consequences (2/2)
The results reveal that the stress that the sows due to excessive interventions around the moment of the farrowing causes a clear increase in the pre-weaning mortality.
Use of coloured clothes pegs for the daily management in the farrowing quarters
It is very important that all the staff on the farm can know quickly what is going on in the farrowing quarters, because in this way everybody will be able to carry out the daily duties in this area.
Netherlands: significantly fewer pigs castrated over the past five years
Now nearly 75% of all boars in the Netherlands are not castrated.
Sow overmanagement consequences (1/2)
We saw aggressiveness in the sows, and we suspected that it could have been caused by the handling around the moment of the farrowing. We decided to register and analyze the data relative to the handling in order to confirm our suspicions.
Use of materials for avoiding tail biting
In many cases, the use of materials that lessen the piglets' boredom helps to control the problem.
Do we make the most of the space in our farrowing quarters?
It is common to see that there are many farms on which the gestation of the sows entered in the farrowing quarters is not correctly managed. How much space / batch would be losing a farm that enters systematically a 10% of sows / batch one week before than the appropriate date?
Management factors associated with sow reproductive performance after weaning
In conclusion, some management practices, such as feeding strategy of breeding gilts, housing conditions of sows...have an influence on the outcome of reproductive parameters.
Quick identification of the different batches of sows
Each batch of sows is identified with a different colour, so we will only have to look at the colour of the pegs
Providing water to pregnant sows
With a water tank above the pregnant sows cages we ensure their water supply.
Knowing the age of the replacement gilts by ear tagging a gilt in the group
By ear tagging a gilt in the group with its birth date we will always know the age of the replacement gilts.
Systems for split-nursing on the farm
There are many home-made options that allow us to carry out this so important technique on our farms.
Use of special diets during the weaning-to-service interval
The weaning-to-service interval is a short but vital period regarding the productivity of the sow.