How to get More Pigs Born Alive and Started Right

October 10, 2007 — 

Risk management is key to getting pigs born alive and started off right during the first few days of life, says Sarah Probst Miller, a swine veterinarian with Carthage Veterinary Service in Carthage, Ill.

Managing risk factors, Probst Miller says, can have a significant impact on the bottom line. "We estimate that every 1 percent increase in survivability achieved by reducing stillborns or preweaning mortality will improve per-pig production costs by 25 to 30 cents." She cites another estimate that shows a net profit of $6,000 for every 1 percent decline in the stillborn rate per 500 sows.

"Risk factors vary, depending on a farm's or production system's situation and management style, as well as the level of staff training," Probst Miller says.

She cites the following 14 primary risks that you can manage to help improve the number of pigs born alive. The risks have been identified through research and published in scientific journals; Probst Miller's recommendations are based on research and on-farm experience.

1. Being born at the wrong time
2. Being born to older-parity sows
3. Being born to a heavy or thin sow
4. Being born near the end of a litter
5. Being born in a big litter
6. Stillborns in previous litter
7. Misusing oxytocin
8. Misidentifying stillborns
9. Prolonged labor
10. Heat stress in sows
11. Born to a stressed sow
12. Chronic illness in sow
13. Vaginal palpation
14. Hypocalcemia in the sow

For a thorough discussion of each risk factor, visit Dr. Probst Miller's original presentation from the 2007 AASV Annual Meeting. The presentation, entitled Day 1 critical care: How to get pigs out alive and started right is available on the AASV's Swine Information CD and online for AASV members having purchased the CD.

Source:
Pork Magazine, Jim Carlton