Video Nasty
At the practice we have purchased 2 emergency slaughter videos produced by the Humane Slaughter Association.
Any clients wishing to loan a copy of the video for use with their staff please contact Christine Watts at the practice to arrange a loan period.
British Pig & Poultry Fair
Once again we will be exhibiting at Stoneleigh and invite you to join us on our stand (No. 336) in the pig exhibition hall. All clients past and present, or non Garth clients, are welcome to come and meet our team of vets and support staff for a general or a pig health focussed chat (non-chargeable of course!). Every one is very welcome.
The great smell of Pig (A true story).
When Johnny turned up to start serving his weaned sows on a Monday morning, as he started getting the second batch in he was alarmed to notice there was a black sow in the group that he had never seen before. He was 100% sure they had no black sows on the unit and never had. As a matter of concern for his neighbours he started ringing round all his nearby pig farms only to discover no takers.
Meanwhile a young lady had lost her pet sow the previous night. She had adopted this sow when it was due to be culled for poor performance, and with agreement from her employer had brought it to her small holding as a pet. Blackie was kept in a pig netting enclosure with a shed structure as shelter, and was happy. It had been noted she was restless on the Sunday and by Monday morning she had broken out and gone.
The remarkable thing is Johnny's service paddocks is well over 1km away across dykes, hedges and open fields but Blackie had found her way to the boars.
It goes to show the extent to which pig pheromones actually travel and how important they are in providing a source of stimulation for a sow on heat.
Moving Pigs
The extract below is to clarify the exact DEFRA requirements for movements between premises and should clarify any confusion that exist:
Pig Movements
- Movements of pigs out of a market require an Individual Movement Licence (IML) to be issued. This will be issued by the local authority, who will register the proposed movement on AMLS. No further reporting of such movement is necessary.
- A pig keeper moving pigs out of England must complete the AML 2 document and send it to his local authority for entry onto AMLS.
- Movements of pet pigs walking under a licence issued by the DVM do not need to be reported.
- All other movements of pigs (including movements within a pig pyramid, movements within a SOA and movements to slaughter) must be reported to the local authority within three days of the movement taking place using form AML 2, (or the Scottish Schedule 2) which forms part of the General Licence for the Movement of Pigs.
- Document AML 2 must be completed as set out in Annex D to the General Licence for the Movement of Pigs, attached to this Guidance at Annex 2. All, except section D and unloading time, should be completed prior to movement. For Scottish pigs, the recipient must complete the Schedule 2 declaration. The top (white) copy of document AML 2 must be completed signed and sent to the local authority within three days of the movement (including those accompanying movements to slaughter, within a pig pyramid, and within a SOA) taking place by the recipient of the pigs. The local authority enters details of the movement onto AMLS. However, a pilot of an electronic data transfer system, in which movement data could be entered directly onto AMLS was held with Porcofram. That company is exempt from the requirement to send form AML 2 to the local authority.
- Document AML 2 must accompany the pigs whilst moving.
Movement Record Books
Can be obtained from the practice by contacting Jan or Elaine on 01262 488724 for further details.
Trace Minerals
January 2004 saw new EU legislation introduced with particular reference to trace mineral inputs. There is concern about the effect the heavy metals we add to pig diets have on the environment and their effect down the food chain.
The changes are in the table below:
| Element |
Stage |
Current (mg/kg) |
New (mg/kg) |
| Iron |
Piglets up to 14 days |
1250 |
250 |
| Other pigs |
1250 |
750 |
| Cobalt |
Piglets |
175 (up to 16 weeks) |
170 (up to 12 weeks) |
| Fattening pigs |
100 (from 16 weeks to 6 months) |
25 (from 13 weeks) |
| Other pigs |
35 |
25 |
| Manganese |
All pigs |
250 |
150 |
| Zinc |
All pigs |
250 |
150 |
Feed products manufactured from January 26th 2004 must comply, with existing supplies given three months to be used.
The change that will have most effect on pigs will be the copper amendments. It is a known and proven fact that copper in diets provided a growth and feed conversion response.
There is no doubt that the reduction in permitted copper levels will have a detrimental effect on pig performance. This loss of performance will be variable unit by unit and it is important that farms should speak to their feed companies and veterinary surgeons to find a solution that will minimise the impact on performance of reduced dietary copper. It is worth noting that the reduced levels of copper will lighten the colour of the dung and in some cases make it less firm.
Product News
Getting Piglets off to the right start
As stock people we are well aware of the need to get an adequate intake of quality colostrum into each piglet as soon as possible. Where maternal colostrum is in short supply additional colostrum is recommended, it is good practice to administer supplemental colostrum to deficient piglets. All colostrum substitute that are derived from cows colostrum have the potential to contain antibodies to certain viruses/bacteria as part of the normal protection passed from cow to calf. However it is possible for these to give false positive results against some pig diseases if these pigs are blood sampled. For this reason we would advise colostrum substitutes derived from cows milk are not used in herds which may be involved in exporting breeding stock. For further advice we advise the use of such products is discussed with your consultant vet.
Did you know Garth supply a colostrum supplement product in a ready to use form?
The 250ml bottles can be obtained by contacting Jan or Elaine on 01262 488724 or Angela on 01262 488323 who will be pleased to quote you a competitive price.
Discontinued
Apralan Oral doser for piglets is to be discontinued. Spectam is a drug from the same chemical "family" as Apralan and should be used as an alternative. If you are not getting a response from Spectam please take a swab from your next litter of piglets that scour and submit this to our laboratory at Beeford for analysis.
Pig Health
Worm level in Sows
At the practice we have routinely carried out dung screens in herds to determine if worming has been necessary. Since the recession in pigs the number of farms routinely returning their dung screen kits has decreased. Recently we have found a higher level of worms on dung screens indicative of significant worm infestation in the breeding herds in particular.
Levels of Ascrid liver migration in fattening pigs causing milk spot in livers and associated condemnations is currently on the increase.
If you have not wormed your herd in the last 6 months then we would advise a dung screen of the herd to see if worming is necessary.
If you require a dung screen kit contact the surgery on 01262 488323 and we will send you one in the post.
The Effect of Mixing Pigs
This outdoor breeding herd transfers pigs at weaning to a separate indoor site for rearing to about 40kg . Post weaning losses had been high following first occurrence of PMWS and principal secondary bacteria were Glasser's infection and streptococci although initially a wide range of infections were present. Mortality was brought under progressively good control by rigorous batch discipline following conversion to 3 week batch farrowing and excellent levels of hygiene and care of the young pig. This resulted in the weaner unit becoming negative for PRRS with no seroconversion in pigs by 40+kg.
Pigs are usually weaned into 4 straw based pens in groups of about 75 animals and smallest moved to one identical pen a few days after weaning. After about 3-4 weeks pens are thinned down into a 6th pen. Each group of six straw pens are in distinct buildings at least 20ft apart. One group in 4 are weaned into tipadel bungalow pens in-groups of about 45 and split with great care to minimise stress after about 2 weeks with half moved into opposite row. Each house is operated all in all out. Mortality between these two systems was very similar and averaged for 14 3-week batches 4.5% from weaning to 42.5kg
One batch in May weaned was into the tipadel bungalows but rather than being split down into pens opposite as normal were MIXED into larger straw pens (one batch had been sold early) into groups of 75 after 18 days. 3 deaths of the pigs weaned died before this date. No other changes in management, nutrition or medication occurred but a much increased level of PMWS occurred in this group most being seen about 4 -5 weeks after mixing. A total of 55 further deaths occurred and pigs were far more variable at sale age. The pigs were sampled and had remained negative for PRRS.
Subsequent batches were managed in the normal way and mortality returned to the normal for the unit. The fragility of health is highlighted in this example and demonstrates why management standards need to remain highly disciplined.
| |
Mortality % |
DLWG g/d |
Exit Weight |
% unfit for sale* |
| Av. |
Rg. |
Av. |
Rg. |
Av. |
Rg. |
Av. |
Rg. |
| Preceding 14 batches (weaned 07/02 to 04/03) |
4.5 |
2.5
to
8.2a |
525 |
468
to
564 |
42.5 |
38.2
to
48.3 |
3.1 |
1.1
to
6.0 |
| MIXED batch (weaned 15/5/03) |
13.2 |
|
409 |
|
36.0 |
|
7.5 |
|
| Subsequent 5 batches |
4.3 |
1.9
to
6.9 |
442 |
421
to
483 |
34.0 |
32.7
to
37.6 |
1.8 |
0.0
to
3.7 |
Av. = Average Rg. = Range
* these pigs were unfit to sell to finisher with main group, most would be sold later having been streamed away but some will subsequently die or be euthanased
|
Pigs are sold off site to finisher and exit weight and days on weaner site have dropped at their request in recent months.
