Pig notes March 2008

During a recent farm visit I was pleased to see what I would describe as ideal recovery pens for sick and injured pigs. Very often sick and injured pigs on farms are housed in less than ideal conditions. On this Co Armagh farm the owner had refurbished a redundant house for sick and injured pigs.  It was obvious he had put a lot of thought into the refurbishment and in my opinion most of the requirements for recovery pens had been met.  The pens on either side of a centre passage were designed to suit pigs of different stages.  They were of different sizes, had different size feeders and bowl drinkers and had either plastic or concrete slats.  Recovery pens are obviously a source of infection and should be washed, disinfected and rested regularly.  To make washing easier the producer installed PVC pen divisions and lined the walls with stainless steel sheeting. Since refurbishing the house 18 months ago the producer estimates on average two pigs / week more recover fully and reach slaughter weight.

It is a requirement under Quality Assurance to provide an adequate number of suitable recovery pens

With the ending of the closed period for slurry spreading and the increased demand by beef, sheep and cereal farmers, pig slurry is now starting to move off units. Under the Nitrates Action Programme Regulations you need to keep a record of slurry exported i.e. slurry leaving the farm. The records required are simple and include the following:-

If you would like more information on the records required or on the Nitrates Action Programme Regulations please ring me on 028 9442 6767.  Remember, records of slurry exported (and also imported) must be kept on an annual basis for the period 1 January to 31 December. The annual records have to be retained for five years are and are part of Cross-Compliance.

When was the last time you adjusted the single space wet and dry feeders in the finishing house?  I guess for many the answer to this question is that they have not been adjusted since installation.  This is obvious on units as very often there is a build up of feed in the bottom of the feeder and around the front of the feeder.  This is a sure sign that regular adjustment is not being carried out and that feed is being wasted. If a build of feed can be seen in the trough and feed is lying around the front of the feeder this could equate to at least 10 percent wastage. In simple terms, at today’s feed prices, it could be costing 4p/KG deadweight. Often the nipple drinkers in wet and dry feeders are leaking. This also leads to wastage.  For wet and dry feeders I would recommend that the opening is reduced when the pen is filled and gradually opened up as the pigs grow.  Also as a rule of thumb feed should only cover about half of the shelf.  Any more than this will result in higher levels of wastage.