Early Weaning Challenges

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- Early Weaning Challenges -

• Dale Ricker
• Swine Extension Associate
• The Ohio State University

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Early Weaning Challenges

• Weaning challenges occur in conventional
  nurseries and wean-to-finish systems.
• Early weaning challenges vary from farm to farm
  as a result of these four variables
• 1. Health / Bio-security
• 2. Environment
• 3. Management
• 4. Nutrition

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Disease and Early Weaning Challenges

• DISEASE
  WEANING AGE
• Pseudorabies 21
  days or less
• APP
  21 days or less
• Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae 10 days or less
• Haemophilus parasuis 14 days or
  less
• PRRS
  10 days or less
• Salmonella cholerasuis 12 days or
  less
• Source Hank Harris, Iowa State University

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Herd Health Program and Early Weaning

• Exact health status of the SEW system should be
  known. Do you have
• Routine serology work performed?
• Postmortem examinations?
• Accurate performance records?

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Bio-Security and Early Weaning

• Develop and use a bio-security plan.
• Develop an island. All-in-all-out pig flow.
• Airflow considerations inside and outside the
  nursery.
• All transportation vehicles moving animals should
  be cleaned and disinfected between groups.
• Total hygiene is as important as room hygiene.
• Foot baths should be used at entry and exit to
  nursery rooms and changed 2X / week.

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Environment and Early Weaning

• Keep early weaning pig stress to a minimum.

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Nursery Temperature and Ventilation

• Pre-warm nursery room to 85 degrees
• Comfort Mats in front of feeders
• Ramp temperature down from 85 on day 1 to 69 on
  day 35.
• Use zone heat for small pigs to keep room
  temperature comfortable for the majority of the
  pigs, not the minority.
• Pigs should not pile
• Minimum ventilation rate of 1.0 -1.2 cfm / 10 lbs
• 6 inches of water in an empty gutter or pit

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Nursery Environment

• 1.0-1.2 cfm / 10 pounds

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Wean - to - Finish
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Wean-to-Finish
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Environmental Effects on performance at various
stages.

• Starts at Birth
• each additional 1/4 lb at birth 1.5 days less
  to market (Stein, 1996)
• Mahan (1993) reported
• .6 lb difference at birth 7.0 lb. Diff. at 23
  days 12.5 lb diff out of the grower 11 days
  faster to 230 lb.
• No difference observed in FE or Carcass lean
• Increasing weaning weight 1 pound increases
  weight out of the nursery by 2.18 pounds. (Akey
  Inc. August, 1997)

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Environmental Effects on Lean Growth Rate in Pigs

• Influenced by Weaning Weight
• Heavier pigs at weaning, regardless of age at
  weaning, result in faster growing more efficient
  lean growth rate from weaning to market weight
• Nursery Performance sets the stage for Finishing
  Performance
• Period of very efficient deposition of lean
  tissue
• Environmental constraints in the nursery severely
  limit the expression of genetic potential for
  lean growth

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Management - Nursery Room Preparation

• Clean Room - operate all-in-all-out
• Disinfect
• Pre-warm room to 85 degrees
• Adjust nipples to 9-10 inches above the floor.
• Allow nipples to run for 24 hours so pigs find
  the water.

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First 3 Days in the Nursery

• Sort pigs by size
• Overfill pens by 5-10
• Provide thin layer of feed in feeder bottom
• Keep feed fresh!
• Feed on mats 3 times per day (1 handful / 7 pigs)
• Gruel Feed lightweight pigs

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Environment and Early Weaning

• Group pigs so weight variation is lt 0.5 lb.
• Water flow rate - 1-2 cups per minute

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Gruel Feeding

• Research has shown (Akey Inc.) that lightweight
  pigs are 1.5 lbs. heavier leaving the nursery
  when gruel fed.
• First day 70 water- 30 feed
• Day 2-7 40 water - 60 feed
• Feed only 0.1 lb of feed / pig / feeding
• 3 times per day - no more than 7 days

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After Day 3 in Nursery

• Watch for fallbacks, remove, place in fallback
  pens, treat, and gruel feed immediately.
• Adjust feeders so that 40-50 of pan is visible.
• Follow proper feed budget for both average and
  lightweight pigs
• Gradually reduce temperature

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Nursery Temperatures

• Day in Room Degrees F
  
• 1
  86 - Winter
• 
  84 - Summer
• 2
  84
• 7
  80
• 14
  77
• 21
  73
• 35
  69
• Source Akey Inc. Nursery Research

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Nursery Management

• Feeder design - trough height and depth
• Keep feed fresh - 24 hour supply in feeder,
  40-50 of feeder trough bottom should be visible.
  
• Mat feeding three 3X / day - 20 pigs / pen - 3
  handfuls.
• Monitor fallback pigs starting on day 3 post
  weaning.
• Gruel Feed fallback pigs results in 33 greater
  feed intake, 36 faster gain and 1.5 pounds
  heavier in 7 days. Gruel - 70 water and 30
  feed by volume.
• Match diet to pig weight!

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Nursery Management

• 2.5 - 3.0 square feet per pig, depending on out
  wt.

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Nursery Design
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Nursery Design
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Management and Early Weaning

• Individual Pig Weights
  ( 17 - 19 days )
• Number
• of Pigs
• 
  
• Pig
  Weight (Pounds)

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Nutrition Strategies for Early Weaning

• 14 -21 day old pigs need a complex diet to match
  their enzyme activity. High milk rations.
• Rapid digestive changes occur after 21 days of
  age.
• To insure proper performance and cost
• Diet selection
• Diet sequencing
• Diet budgeting

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Typical Feed Budget (lb. of feed per pig)

• Weaning
  Weight, lb.
• 8 9 10 11 12
  13 14 15 16
• SEW 3 2 1.5 1 0.5
  0.5 - - -
• Transition 5 5 5 5 4
  3 2 2 2
• Phase II 15 15 15 15 15
  15 15 15 15
• Phase III 50 50 50 50 50
  50 50 50 50
• Source Adapted from the Kansas Swine Nutrition
  Guide.

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Nutrition and Early Weaning

• When using ground rations in the nursery, micron
  size of feed particles becomes important.
• 700-750 microns