{"id":9920,"date":"2024-04-01T11:02:39","date_gmt":"2024-04-01T16:02:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pharmgate.com\/usa\/?p=9920"},"modified":"2024-04-01T11:19:28","modified_gmt":"2024-04-01T16:19:28","slug":"early-identification-propels-sow-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pharmgate.com\/usa\/news\/early-identification-propels-sow-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Tackle sow mortality through employee training"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/h3>\n

Tackle sow mortality through employee training<\/em><\/h3>\n

Sow mortality continues to be a growing problem for U.S. swine producers. With already thin margins on sow farms, the ability to raise a gilt into a healthy third-parity sow is necessary to recoup the costs of her development.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the last handful of years, sow mortality has been excessive, but in 2023, it was particularly bad,\u201d says Adam Gutierrez, senior account manager with Pharmgate Animal Health. \u201cWe saw 15.3% sow mortality, a 1% increase from the previous year, according to MetaFarms.”<\/p>\n

The trickiest part of sow mortality is that many factors contribute to it. Thankfully, through employee training, it\u2019s easier to identify early illness and lameness. Use these tips to improve sow health and longevity.<\/p>\n

Train employees to observe and explain<\/strong><\/p>\n

Identifying the early stages of illness or lameness issues gives you a higher chance of seeing success with treatment and improving long-term health. The key to catching health issues early is knowing what to look for and teaching your employees to catch these signs.<\/p>\n

Training should include a variety of things \u2014 how to observe sows and gilts in their natural state, identifying the early signs of lameness and illness, and what to do once an issue appears.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen addressing sow mortality, I have seen the most success when individual farms teach their employees about these early signs,\u201d says Gutierrez. \u201cThey should be able to monitor sows’ health and recognize disease early before they become a larger issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Employees must record their observations for continuity of care with other team members. They also need to convey those observations to veterinarians so proper treatment can happen as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n

Look for the abnormal<\/strong><\/p>\n

Monitoring the feed trough is one of the easiest ways to determine whether a sow is suffering from a disease or lameness. If something is wrong, she will likely stop eating or eat less.<\/p>\n

Abnormal behavior, such as a sow or gilt distancing herself from the herd, could also indicate she\u2019s dealing with a health-related issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen monitoring sows, the key is to observe them in their natural state,\u201d says Gutierrez. \u201cThe moment you enter the pen, sows will act differently. Do what you can not to disturb them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Focus on feet and legs<\/strong><\/p>\n

A third of sow death loss is due to lameness and downers.[1]<\/a> Lameness-related mortality tripled from 2005 to 2016.[2]<\/a> Noticing lameness early is critical for sow comfort and welfare.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn group housing, train your employees to walk behind and in front of sows. Look for any traits that indicate lameness,\u201d says Gutierrez. \u201cIn the gestation stall, look for a sow favoring a leg or a swollen joint. While it can be harder to see, a sow will not put weight on a leg when lame. Lameness is so easy to miss if you only walk in front of sows.\u201d<\/p>\n

Provide the right environment<\/strong><\/p>\n

Being in the right environment during farrowing and when dealing with illness improves a sow\u2019s chances of reaching three parities and beyond.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best first treatment for any health issues is to remove the sow from her current environment,\u201d says Gutierrez. \u201cGive her a quiet place to be treated so she can recover fully.\u201d<\/p>\n

A sow also needs a low-stress environment during farrowing. In addition to a smoother farrowing experience, a calm sow has better nursing behaviors, and her piglets perform better.[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

Train your employees to monitor her throughout farrowing without disturbing her. Ideally, an employee should check on a sow every 15 minutes, with at most 30 minutes between monitoring sessions. If you are not observing farrowing progress within 15 minutes, assess the situation and assist her as necessary.<\/p>\n

Sow mortality continues to be a concern for swine producers, but training employees to identify and intervene early on in the disease process can help mitigate health challenges.<\/p>\n

If you have sow mortality concerns in your operation, contact our team<\/a> to see how we can work together to combat this challenge.<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a>\u00a0Dekkers J, Iowa State University,\u00a0PigX\u00a0Livability Podcast, Season 3, Episode 3, Genetic Resilience in Swine, https:\/\/piglivability.org\/podcast<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Ketchum R, 30 & up Consulting LLC,\u00a0PigX\u00a0Livability Podcast, Season 2, Episode 9: Survivability and the Sow. https:\/\/piglivability.org\/podcast<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Baxter, EM, Hall, SA, Farish, M, Donbavand J, Brims M, Jack M, Lawrence A, Camerlink I, 2023, Piglets\u2019 behaviour and performance in relation to sow characteristics. Animal 17(2)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tackle sow mortality through employee training Sow mortality continues to be a growing problem for U.S. swine producers. With already thin margins on sow farms,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[127],"product":[],"active_ingredient":[],"species_vfd":[],"indication":[],"blue_bird_label":[],"watersolutions":[],"post-category":[185,186],"class_list":["post-9920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","post-category-news","post-category-research"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTackle sow mortality through employee training - USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pharmgate.com\/usa\/news\/early-identification-propels-sow-health\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tackle sow mortality through employee training - USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Tackle sow mortality through employee training Sow mortality continues to be a growing problem for U.S. swine producers. 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