Keep what you have!
Much attention is paid to breeding stock inventories when the quarterly USDA reports arrive. Will the herd expand and prices go down? Are gilt marketings up, and good prices ahead? Little attention is paid to the loss of pigs already on the ground. Attrition, the loss of pigs to death or culling prior to market, removes 20 to 30% or more of animals from the productive market, nipping profits each and every day. To expand sales and profits without construction or environmental permits, improve the productivity of the growing pig herd by getting more pigs to market!
Infections, injuries and just poor doers
Attrition comes about when pigs fall out of the normal production flow. Death, reduced growth rate, or a failure to qualify for full market value is the result. Pigs that were entered into the system — at farrowing, nursery or finisher — have failed to provide a financial return on their potential. Various terms are used to describe the losses in the process: culls, lights, mortality. In some cases, measurement of “good” or “top value” pigs is expressed to measure the percent of pigs hitting the target.
Potential profits lost
Each pig enters a phase of production with a cohort of other pigs. Once started, all previous costs for that group of pigs becomes fixed — if the pig goes to market or not, the cost is “sunk” into the group. Every surviving pig that reaches market ends up carrying the fixed costs of those pigs that fall out along the way. Only the variable costs to take the pig the rest of the way to market are “saved” when a pig dies. However, the full market value of the pig is lost!
Intervention options
Many options exist to improve efficiency of throughput. Pig flow, All In/All Out production and multiple site production segregate the herd into distinct ages. This helps reduce the spread of disease between age groups. Vaccines, medications or a combination can minimize the impact of those diseases that do accompany pigs.
A recent presentation case demonstrated the effort needed to attack these losses. Several vaccine procedures were utilized to reduce mortality from respiratory disease in heavy pigs, the most common production loss. None was demonstrably better or worse than another. However, a systemic feed medication program, pulsed to reduce total cost, cut mortality in half over a traditional gut limited feed medication. Significant economic returns could be generated even with higher cost inputs. Working with a health team, herd specific plans can be developed to reduce losses just as effectively in other cases, too.
Genotyping Hps isolates
To obtain a genotype of an isolate of Haemophilus parasuis, send isolates to the University of Minnesota. Please call prior to sending isolates. Send them to the following address:
Dr. Simone Oliviera
385 An Sci/Vet Med
University of Minnesota
1988 Fitch Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55108
612-625-8781
More information
Deen J. Attrition of pig inventories — the unmeasured cost. International PigLetter. September 2001. Pp 40-41.
Moreau, I, et al. Observations and description of an intervention method affecting death loss rate in all in/all out finishers. Proceedings of Allen D. Leman Conference 2001. Pp 197-200.
Maes. D, et al. A retrospective study of mortality in grow-finish pigs in a multi-site production system. Journal of Swine Health & Production 2001 (9) 6: 267-273.
Insight
Expanding single dose choices
Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc.'s latest addition to the single dose line is Ingelvac