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How large herds achieve high levels of performance
UK - Proving that it is possible to achieve high levels of performance with large herds, seven JSR Farms' breeding units, totalling 4,750 sows, are averaging 26.l piglets born alive and 23.02 weaned per sow a year.
Top performance is from a 920-sow commercial herd in East Yorkshire, currently averaging 28.56 born alive and 26.0 weaned per sow annually.
"The best results are being achieved where there is a consistent, settled health status with replacement rates of 45-50 per cent and a regular monthly intake of F1 parent females from the multiplication unit," commented Glenn Dams, managing director of JSR Group Production.
He says that a key factor is a team which understand the benefits of good husbandry. "Routines are set 'in stone' and are not changed without discussion, but good performance requires regular and accurate recording that makes it easy to monitor and analyse trends." Members of staff have weekly access to information on critical performance parameters in order to establish how well they are performing against targets.
 Animal technician, Amanda Husband, on one of JSR Genetics' top-performing commercial units in East Yorkshire which is rearing 26 pigs per sow a year. |
Glenn Dams says that planned repopulation about every seven years will ensure deteriorating health status does not compromise performance.
He points out that units use boars and AI and this is especially beneficial on gilts. The top herd achieved an average farrowing rate of 92 per cent over the last 52 weeks. Heat periods are monitored and recorded from the day gilts are delivered. Age at service is 230-240 days and any gilt not served after 30-40 days is considered for culling. Those sows that return for a second time beyond the second parity are also culled. The target for average herd parity is 3-3.2.
"Our accommodation is average with sow group sizes varying from up to 18, dump-fed on straw to smaller groups on part-slatted pens. Straw systems, especially at weaning, appear to create lower levels of stress and reduce sow mortality. A good team can make a poor system work, but a poor team can compromise a good system," commented Glenn.
Source: JSR Genetics - 25th January 2005
