Darlington Pig Club: Nutrition of the small pig Dr Ian Wellock Primary Diets
Nutrition of the small pig 40 pigs/sow/year Rearing all these smaller piglets Fostering Milk systems Creep feeding Getting the little buggers to eat (post-weaning) Average UK performance
40 pigs/sow/year! Is it possible?
Q. How many piglets/litter do we want? vs.
Q. How many piglets/litter do we want? vs.
Danes predict 40 pigs weaned/sow/year!! Pigs finished/sow/year 30.0 25.0 Pigs/finished/sow/year 20.0 15.0 10.0 5.0 Denmark Poland United Kingdom EU-27 0.0 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 Topigs are recording 28.8 weaned piglets/sow in 2011 in the Netherlands with the top 10% at 31.6 BPEX, 2012
Is 40 pigs/sow/year possible?
Is 40 pigs/sow/year possible? How can 40 pigs/sow/year be achieved? 114 (+/- 2 d) gestation; 5 d service; 19 d lactation; = Max 2.64 litters/year = 15.2 pigs/litter 26 d lactation; = Max 2.45 litters/year = 16.3 pigs/litter 30 pigs/sow/year = 12.25 pigs/litter reared From all sows with no empty days and no piglet mortality
Is there a benefit in increasing litter size? Boyd (2012)
Is there a benefit in increasing litter size? Boyd (2012) PWM = pre-weaning mortality W-F DL = Wean to finish mortality Lifetime FVP = lifetime Full Value Pigs
Is there a benefit in increasing litter size? >1.6 kg (3.5lbs) birth weight key... > 11 pigs/litter born means <1.6 kg birth weight Boyd (2012)
Is there a benefit in increasing litter size? 1.50 kg 30 p/s/y (75% FVP) 1.3 kg (70% FVP) 40 p/s/y Boyd (2012)
Lower birth wt means lower wean wt 14.00 12.00 10.00 Wean wt (d 27), kg 8.00 6.00 4.00 y = 2.8619x + 2.7503 R² = 0.5198 2.00 0.00 0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 Body weight day 4, kg Ref: Primary Diets 2011
Lower birth wt means lower wean wt and slower growth to slaughter Weight (kg) at Day 140 Weaning Weight (kg) impact on weight at slaughter 105 103.7 100 99.6 95.1 95 90 89.1 85 82.2 80 4.8 5 5.5 5.9 6.3 Weaning Weight (kg) Ref: Cooper et al. 2001
What about replacement gilts?? Q. When do you start selecting replacement gilts?
What about replacement gilts?? Q. When do you start selecting replacement gilts? Lower birth wt means poorer reproductive performance Gilts with heavier birth weights (>1.4 kg) had increased numbers born and born alive in parities 1 and 2 (Kauffold et al., 2012)
Q. What is normal wean wt variation?
What is normal wean wt variation? (66% pigs - 6.2-9.2 kg)
What is normal wean wt variation? (66% pigs 5.4-8.0 kg)
Increased number of small pigs
Rearing large litters
Rearing large litters (small piglets) Q. Shall we just cull small birth weight piglets?
Q. What strategies do you use for large litters? Split suckling Nurse Sows Milk systems Creep feeding
Fostering
Nurse Sow for small piglets [All small piglets in one place] Suitable Nurse Sow >14 teats 2 nd parity (small teats) Day 1 of lactation Move piglets within room Move >12 hours after birth Move <24 hours after birth Even litter sizes All small piglets in one place
One-Step fostering [Tool for managing large numbers of piglets; in batch farrowing] >14 teats 2 nd parity (small teats) Foster Sow (21d farrow) Wean full (strong) litter 6kg Avoid runts (<1 kg) Add +2 piglets (milk balance) Move sow not piglets Move >12 hours after birth Even litter sizes Need 10% more crates Foster sow milks +3 wks Watch for lactational oestrus in FS Don t get carried away!
Two-Step fostering [Tool for managing large numbers of piglets] >14 teats 2 nd parity (small teats) FS 2 (4-7d farrow) 2.5kg FS 1 (21d farrow) Wean full (strong) litter foster full litter 6kg Avoid runts (<1 kg) Add +2 piglets (milk balance) Move Sow not piglets Move >12 hours after birth Even litter sizes Need 10% more crates FS1/FS2 sows milks +3/+1 wks Watch for lactational oestrus in FS1 Don t get carried away!
Cross fostering reduces weaning weight Ref: Fix and See, 2009
Split suckling
Split suckling
Split suckling
Split suckling Useful as an alternative to fostering Useful for large litters (>13) and where increased variation Split litter into 2 (mark one half) Smalls/bigs or strongest/weakest Close bigs in creep and allow smalls to suckle for 1 hr Swap over Repeat for as long as necessary (1-2 days) Allow pigs to mix between suckling
Artificial Milk Systems
Use of artificial milk systems
Evaluation on Supple-milk system @ Cornforths 2010 Can we improve piglet survival, health and growth through use of milk system? Is it economical (birth to slaughter)? Benefits to piglets and sow? 28 litter trial (milk vs No milk)
Evaluation on Supple-milk system @ Cornforths 2010 +0.5 pigs/litter weaned (11.3 vs 11.8); Pre-wean mortality (16.7 vs 13.0 %) +0.33 kg/pig weaning weight (7.56 vs 7.89 kg @ 26.0 Days of age) + 7.6 kg/litter increased weight gain (85.3 vs 92.9 kg) Quicker return to service (-0.13 days) Same ADG to slaughter (711 vs 723 g/d) Cost = + 17.45/litter; + 1.48/pig (40 l/litter milk usage) ROI:?? Value of 0.5 pig(let)??
Evaluation on Supple-milk system @ Cornforths 2010 Increases weaning weight and number 40 0.25 Frequency 35 30 25 20 15 0.2 WW milk 0.15 WW non-milk 0.1 Didn t wean a load of runts!! Normal dist milk 10 5 0.05 Normal dist non-milk 0 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Weight (kg) 0
Evaluation on Supple-milk system @ Cornforths 2010 Cost effective for large litters (>13 born) with milk turned off/reduced last 4-7 days 50% 50% 45 40 35 litres Milk per weaned pig (used) CUMULATIVE Milk per litter (used) CUMULATIVE 30 25 20 15 10 5 0-26 -24-22 -20-18 -16-14 -12-10 -8-6 -4-2 0 Day Pre-weaning
Evaluation on Supple-milk system @ Cornforths 2010 Now switches milk system off 4 days pre-wean 2 batches (April/May 2012) 13.3 born alive +0.89/kg pig and +0.4 pigs/litter @ wean + 10/litter cost +1.47 kg/pig 35 days post-wean Installed another 32 cups (onto same system) +ve MOF
Rescue Decks
BPEX Innovation fund: Rescue Deck trial FJ Bosworth & Sons 10 deck system installed on 270 farrow-finish unit (2 decks per room of 12 sows)
BPEX Rescue Deck trial Rescue Decks: Increase numbers weaned by +0.56 pigs/litter (11.25 vs 11.81) (01/06/10-01/06/11) vs (07/07/11-03/11/11) +358 pigs weaned/year; So should we recommend them? Capital investment = 21,631 Extra Margin = + 10,231/year ( 28.50/pig) ROI 47% (payback in 2 years) (B/E = 170 pigs/year) BPEX, 2012
BPEX Rescue Deck trial Bosworth, 2012
BPEX Rescue Deck trial Increase in numbers born alive by +0.45 pigs/litter (12.55 vs 13.0)(01/06/10-01/06/11) vs (07/07/11-03/11/11) Rescue Decks delivered +0.11 pigs/litter (not +0.56!) Decrease in mortality by -1.2% (10.34 vs 9.14%) +70 pigs weaned/year (not +358); -ve ROI (B/E = 170 pigs/year) HIGHLIGHTS IMPORTANCE OF SIDE-BY-SIDE TRIALS!
Rescue Deck trial: Customer comments Weaning >11.7/sow (pre wean mortality 1.5%) Av weaning weight 7.5 kg (comparable) Feed cost: 11/pig (Milk 6/pig; feed 5/pig) 4 Deck system 5500 (decks, pumps, clips, transport, hoses) (no account of heat lamps, installation, labour) Segregated early weaning (veterinary direction) Plasma issue cannot be ignored Use product and hope no-one notices (not recommended) Opt out of the assurance scheme Find an alternative milk (Exist but are expensive and may not give same performance)
Rescue Cups in the crate? Table 1. Comparison of litters with or without RescueMilk via RescueCups in the farrowing pen. Source: Praxisversuch Provimi-Bröring Unternehmensgruppe.
Rescue Cups in the crate? Table 1. Comparison of litters with or without RescueMilk via RescueCups in the farrowing pen. Cornforth Supplemilk -0.16 +0.33 +0.5 +9.0-3.7 Source: Praxisversuch Provimi-Bröring Unternehmensgruppe.
Other milk systems
Rattlerow nursery (Countess Wells) Pig World, Sep 2013
Rattlerow nursery 700 sow unit: 2 containers: 3 pens (3 x 2m): 25 piglets/pen: ( 7500/container) Wean 2-3 best litters at 8 days of age into system (creates nurse sows) Wean at normal age with other piglets (>9 kg BW) In conjunction with micro-pig system < 8% pre-weaning mortality (28.9 w/s/y) Early weaning (veterinary direction) Other container used for smalls post-weaning (16 days) Feed regime: Milk powder(supple-milk): 0 to d 7-10 Crumbed feed (Easiflow # 2): 0 to d 15-18 Starter feed (PS 25): 7 days pre-weaning
Creep feeding
Creep feed consumption Q. How much creep do piglets eat?
Creep feed consumption A. Not much! 400 377 Cumulative creep feed intake (g/piglet) 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 73 98 150 254 0 11 to 18 11 to 20 11 to 22 11 to 25 11 to 28 Ref: Bruininx et al 2002
Creep feed consumption 50 48 % of Creep Consumed 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 3 31 21% consumed pre 21 days 79% consumed 21 to 28 days 12 6 0 11 to 14 14 to 18 18 to 21 21 to 24 24 to 28 Ref: Kavanagh et al 1995
More light pigs consume creep (and start earlier) Creep introduced on day 18 % Eating at Weaning 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 83 65 62 Light Middle Heavy Ref: Subalo et al. 2009
Creep feeding improves weaning weight Weaned at 4 weeks 9 8.5 8.49 Weaning Weight (kg) 8 7.5 7 7.48 6.5 6 No Creep Creep
Creep feeding improves post-wean ADG Ref: Bruininx el al 2002 Ref: Sulabo el al 2008
Cost:benefit of creep feeding RETURN OF >10:1 FROM CREEP FEEDING INVESTMENT At Weaning Cost Per Litter ( 1.20) At 42 days post-weaning Cost Return (1.2 kg x 10 x 1.20 = 14.4)
Stimulating intake: Q. Heat matt or feeder??
Stimulating intake: Q. Meal or pellet??
Stimulating intake: Introduce earlier to encourage more to eat! 100 Percent of pigs eating creep 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 80.2 19.8 70 70.6 30 29.4 10 0 Creep - From Day 7 Creep - From Day 14 Creep From Day 18 Ref: Sulabo el al 2008
Stimulating intake: Complex diet encourage more piglets to eat! % of group eating 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 83 65 62 47 25 23 Light Pigs Middle Pigs Heavy Pigs Light Pigs Middle Pigs Heavy Pigs SIMPLE FEED COMPLEX FEED
140 130 120 110 100 90 Nutrition of the small pig: Darlington Pig Club Oct 2013 Creep feed can impact lifetime performance Earlier Start...Earlier Finish.. +4.3 kg at slaughter OR 5 days less to reach market weight!! Weight (kg) 80 70 60 50 40 +1 kg at nursery exit Average 30 20 10 Start of creep feeding Weaning Top 3rd Bottom 3rd I4 Control 0 0 7 14 21 28 35 42 49 56 63 70 77 84 91 98 105 112 119 126 133 140 147 154 I4 or Standard Creep All pigs fed identical diets Age (days) Primary Diets, Harper Adams, 2012
Remember to clean the feeders!
They creep feed in China too..
Liquid Creep feeding
Provimi liquid creep feeding Liquid Milk from d2-14 followed by liquid feed d14-21 Vs dry feed d2-12
Provimi liquid creep feeding Liquid Milk from d2-14 followed by liquid feed d14-21 Vs dry feed d2-12 Cost? Cleanliness etc??
Creep feeding + Milk Systems
Milk + Control vs. Milk + Initiate 4 MS + Choice MS + Supreme 4 Litter size @ day 4 - - Litter (piglet) weight @ start (kg) - - Litter size @ weaning (27d) 13.43 13.71 Day 4 to wean mortality (%) - - Is this the future?? Litter (piglet) weight @ weaning (kg) 98.9 (7.21) 112.3 (8.19) Creep consumed per litter (piglet (kg) 5.00 (0.37) 6.43 (0.47) Still only 35.6 pigs/sow/year!! Milk consumed per litter (piglet) (l) - - Total cost per litter (piglet) (zl) - -
Don t forget the sow!!
Body Condition Score
Is what you see what you get??
Is what you see what you get??
Body Condition Score Visual assessment does not always correlate well with fat depth Fat measurement better than BCS Weight loss during lactation even better! 10 to 13% loss acceptable
Lactation feeding Correct diet Correct amount Extra Water Top dress (e.g. primary Prolific)
22 day old (12.2 kg)
thanks for your attention.