Expert opinion
4 comments
I trail a coat. Is the gilt really a 'herd contaminant'?
Parity segregation (where the replacement female up to the second lactation
is kept physically separate from the rest of the herd) seems to be successful.
Parity segregation promises fewer of certain diseases and a much longer sow
productive life (SPL).
Parity segregation (where the replacement female up to the second lactation
is kept physically separate from the rest of the herd) seems to be successful.
Parity segregation promises fewer of certain diseases and a much longer sow
productive life (SPL).
The concept is based on the premise that the young
sow's immune system is immature and until she is older she is a disease shedder.
If she is kept away from the older sows, which means having two herds within the
one, the disease shedding effect is contained and thus not a brake on the
productivity of the whole herd.
Results so far suggest that they outweigh
the extra costs and possibly even make the extra hassle
worthwhile.
Realisation
Parallel to this technology is the
realisation that we haven't been feeding and managing these genetically-improved
females we are increasingly buying too cleverly up until now. Nutritionally we
may have fallen behind in not providing these gilts with the diets (special gilt
developer, gilt gestation, and gilt lactation diets) they require.
Also
that we have been in too much of a hurry to get them bred. And we have not
defended them sufficiently from the depredations of the large and heavier first
litters that these modern gilts can supply. The three together put a productive
strain on the young sow which further delays it from forming a good immune
barrier. Hence disease shedding.
Trailing a coat
The coat I'd
like to trail here is not to decry the work on parity segegation as it is
certainly making us think about things in a new light, but to ask if the good
results have come mainly from our not treating the modern genetically-improved
gilt as we should be doing by following now outmoded protocols and that parity
segregation papers over these cracks?
There are about main 25 groundrules
for the modern gilt. I find that when they are mostly followed then the farms
are not overly plagued with reproductive disease. Also many of them already
achieve SPLs (Sow Productive Lives) of between five to six litters which parity
segregation does.
Area of benefit
The other area of benefit
seems to be to keep the progeny of parity 0 and 1 females quite separate from
those weaners from the older sows - which we all do at present. At least until
they vacate the nursery. No special diets or medication unless the vet advises,
just keep them apart environmentally and managementally and they all grow-out
much better.
Both groups of weaners do - the 'shedders' and especially
the 'uncontaminated'. This is much less costly as we would have to have the
nursery accommodation anyway, rather than provide a whole mini-breeding unit for
the younger sows. Isn't it interesting!
So as the exam paper says…
'Please discuss?'
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