NURSERY MANAGEMENT SEGREGATED EARLY WEANING

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NURSERY MANAGEMENT SEGREGATED EARLY WEANING

• Animal Science 225
• Fall 2009

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Stress and the Weaned Pig

• Sources of Stress
• Removal from the mother
• Change in form, consistency, frequency of meals
• Change in environment
• Mixing of litters
• Establishment of new social order
• Complicating Factor
• Weak immune response -- colostral immunity is
  very low at 21 days and the pigs natural
  immunity is not fully functional until 6 8 weeks

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Stress Reduction Checklist

• Clean, dry environment
• Pens sorted by size or wean 2 3 intact litters
• Avoid overcrowding
• Monitor ventilation rates
• Full access to clean, fresh water
• Feed 4 5 times/day
• Identify, treat and remove sick pigs to proper
  area for special care

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Clean Nursery Facilities
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Equipment

• Flooring
• Sanitation
• Cleaning Ability
• Thermal Comfort

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Equipment

• Gating
• Feeders
• Waterers

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Heater Selection

• Space Heater
• Radiant Heaters
• Heat Lamps
• Tube Heaters
• Radiant Brooders
• Heat Mats

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Nursery Management

• More art than science
• Need to look at the pigs!
• First three days is critical
• Hand feed 3-4 times per day
• Strive for uniform pig size
• Sort off lightweight pigs to separate pen to
  reduce competition for feed and space
• Match diet to pig weight

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Early Warning Signs
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Too Late!!
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Feeding Behavior

• Pigs try to eat at the feeder simultaneously
• Place feed on a feeding board several times a day
  to provide ample space
• Use clean polyethylene boards to prevent transfer
  of infectious organisms
• Implement short feeding times on boards
• Feed is expensive
• Higher feed wastage
• ½ to 1 in. high rim to prevent wastage

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Hand Feeding
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Feeder Design
A variety of manufacturers market nursery
feeders that are properly designed.
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Nursery Management Tips

• Temperature 21-day weaning
• 85 first two weeks
• Drop 3 per week to 70-75
• Fresh feed at all times
• 24 hour supply in feeder
• Floor space
• 15-30 lbs. 2-2.5 sq. ft./pig
• 30-60 lbs. 3-4 sq. ft./pig
• Pigs per pen 15-20 or less if possible
• Sort pigs by size facilitates feeding and
  management

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Observation of Comfort
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Early Weaning Technology

• Goal -- to control chronic swine diseases by
  isolating the young pig from its dam at an early
  age
• Pigs are free of many chronic pathogens at birth
• Colostral antibodies are important

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Disease Transmission
Vertical Sow to Litter
Horizontal Pig to Pig
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Disease Transfer

• Pig to pig is primary mode of disease transfer
• Breeding female to piglet
• Weaner pig to piglet
• Growing pig to weaner
• Finisher pig to grower
• Pigs weaned lt 21 days have antibody protection
  from colostrum

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Evolution of SEW

• Specific-Pathogen-Free (SPF)
• C-Section, expensive
• Medicated Early Weaning (MEW)
• Early wean - less than 21 days
• Medicate female and the pig
• Segregated Early Weaning (SEW)
• Early wean - less than 21 days
• Minimal or no medication for sow
• Possible to commingle pigs from several sites

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SEW Theory

• Weaning age - less than 21 days
• Pigs have high levels of antibodies from
  colostrum
• Protected from infectious agents carried by their
  dams
• Weaning age varies for specific diseases
• Weaning age is most critical decision to
  establish health status of the herd

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Multi-Site Production

• Break age chain - stop
• disease transfer
• Phases of production are located in different
  buildings or at different sites
• Three-site, two-site, wean-to-finish barns
• Allows work specialization and management
• All-in, all-out production is the key

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Segregation Principles

• Best case -- no more
• than 7-day age range
• Site
• Building
• Room
• All-in, all-out is key to success
• Many variations are possible and have proven to
  be successful

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Characteristics of a Successful Early Weaning
System

• Complete isolation from older, potentially
  diseased swine
• Control of human traffic
• Minimization of contact with rodents, birds, and
  wildlife that may carry disease
• Physical separation of buildings to minimize
  aerosol transmission of disease

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Determination of Weaning Age

• Age for significant transfer of most bacterial
  and viral infections causing major diseases is
  about 14 days after farrowing
• Each organism may have a different age when
  likely to be transferred
• Affected by preweaning management, facility type,
  and health status of the dam

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First Step -- Stabilize the Breeding Herd

• If active infection in breeding herd -- pigs will
  not receive sufficient colostral antibodies for
  disease protection
• Pigs may be carriers of disease and infect other
  nursery pigs
• Monitor breeding herd health to determine which
  pathogens need to be controlled

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Maximum Weaning Age to Eliminate Pathogens

• Pseudorabies (PRV) lt 21 days
• Porcine reproductive respiratory
• syndrome (PRRS) lt 10 days
• Transmissable gastroenteritis (TGE) lt 21 days
• Actinobacillus pleuropneumonia (APP) lt 21 days
• Haemophilus parasuis lt 14 days
• Mycoplasma hyopneumonia lt 10 days
• Pasteurella multocida lt 10 days
• Streptococcus suis lt ?? days

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Biosecurity

• Thorough power washing between groups
• Use broad spectrum disinfectant to kill major
  pathogens between groups
• No cross-contamination from older pigs (avoid
  common pits)
• Sequence order of caring for pigs so highest
  health (youngest) pigs are cared for first
• Rodent-proof buildings

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Biosecurity, continued

• Workers always wear clean clothes and boots in
  the unit
• Minimize number of visitors
• Nursery unit should be at least 300 yards upwind
  from breeding female herd
• Limit outside vehicles - clean and disinfectant
• Dead animals placed outside the site for pickup
• Perimeter fence to keep out unwanted animals and
  visitors

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Internal Biosecurity Threats

• Personnel working in multiple phases of
  production
• Continuous flow production systems
• Common hallways for pig movement
• Failure to adequately clean between groups

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Internal Biosecurity Measures

• Assign personnel to a specific phase
• Establish a defined work protocol
• Practice strict all-in, all-out production flow
• Avoid common hallways
• Utilize foot baths
• Use care in marketing or transporting pigs
• Establish rodent, bird and fly control measures

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Goals - Nursery Performance
Nutritional Programs for Early Weaned Pigs

• ADG between .80 and .90 lb/day
• F/G between 1.55 and 1.75
• Mortality lt 2
• For each additional lb of gain in nursery, expect
  2.5 additional lb at end of finisher

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Early-Weaned Pigs

• Good nutrition is critical immediately after
  weaning
• 1) Good nutrition increases average daily gain
  through market
• 2) Good nutrition maximizes lean growth potential
• 3) Good nutrition decreases the risk of enteric
  disease

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Protein Sources
Spray-Dried Blood Meal
Spray-Dried Plasma Protein
Whey-Protein
Soybean Meal
Fish Meal
Spray-Dried Egg Protein
Skim Milk
Further Processed Soy Products
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Diet Form

• Meal diets vs. Pelleted or Crumbled diets
• Feed wastage is 20 higher in meal diets
• Decreased feed efficiency
• Limited feed intake
• Does not feed down out of feeders easily
  because of bridging
• Reduce bridging by limiting added fat to 1

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Example Feed Budgets Per Pig
Kansas State Nutrition Guide
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Recommended dietary lysine levels for
high-health-status SEW pigs
Kansas State Nutrition Guide
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Influence of Segregated Early Weaning on Pig
Performance
lb
Days of Age
Dritz et al. 1996
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Influence of Growth During the First Week Post
Weaning on Subsequent Performance
Weight Advantage, lb
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lt 0 lb/d 0 - .33 lb/d .33 - .50 lb/d gt .50 lb/d
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10
5
0
0 7 28 56 156
Day Postweaning
Tokach et al., 1992
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Low feed intake in the first week after weaning
is associated with increased risk of diarrhea and
slow growth
106 Farms
Madec et al., 1998
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Common Nursery Disease Challenges

• Scours
• Respiratory
• Internal and External Parasites
• Other conditions

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Typical Signs of Scours

• Loose, watery stools on flooring and walls
• Rough hair coat
• Pigs that pile to keep warm
• Manure caked on the rear or the forehead of the
  pig
• Gaunt or dehydrated appearance
• Straight and often wet tail
• Foul smell to the room
• Reduced feed and/or water intake

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Impact of Weaning Age on Breeding Herd Performance

• Impact depends on genetics, facilities,
  nutrition, management, etc.
• Greatest impact -- weaning age of 14 days or less
• Little impact at 17-19 days
• If weaned before 17-19 days
• Weaning to first service interval often increases
• Farrowing rate may be reduced
• Subsequent total pigs born may be reduced

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