Swine Innovation Centre Sterksel Innovations and insights leading to robust pigs Anne-Marie van Bussel – van Lierop (BSc)

Presentation  Swine Innovation Centre Sterksel  Feeding piglets: what’s the challenge?  Learning a young pig how to eat  Can welfare help?  What to do today?

Swine Innovation Centre Research and development centre (Wageningen UR) Validation and innovation! Knowledge and business centre ● visitors/year Research facilities ● 370 sows, 2400 finishers ● Lot’s of different systems, innovations 18 FTE Research budget € 1,5 milj. 1/3 Government 1/3 Farmers Union 1/3 Private companies

What’s the challenge  Growth of finishing pigs has been stable for some years  Great variation in growth (on 1109 farms, Agrovision)  2012

Influence of birth weight on growth (Knol, 2012) BirthweightLowHigh Birthweight (kg)1,181,66 Growth rearing period (g/d) Weaning weight (kg)7,18,1 Growth finishing pigs (g/d) Age at slaughter Feed conversion finishers2,372,31 Energy (EW) conversion2,602,54 € per piglet (approx) € per finisher (approx)

Influence of weaning weight on growth after weaning Weaning weightLightHeavy Weight: Birth (g) Weaning (kg)7,08,7 Day 35 after weaning (kg)21,324,9 Growth after weaning (g/d): Week Week Week Week

Consequences of weaning  Separation of sow (and littermaters) ● Loss of maternal protection and social stress  New area ● Unknown housing system ● Mixing  agression  stable after 48 hours  Change of fee ● Fluid  solid ● fat  starch ● Water and feed separated (often)

Eater versus non-eater before weaning Setup of the trial:  Trial with test: “to eat or not to eat “  Dry feed, starting at 1 week of age  Use of coloured feed  Select piglets as ‘eaters’ or ‘non-eaters’  Weaning at 4 weeks

Results proving the importancy of pre weaning feed intake EaterNon-eater Number of piglets Weight: Birth (g) Weaning (kg) 4 weeks 7,9 Day 35 after weaning (kg) 23,822,0 Growth after weaning (g/d): Week Week Week Week

Eater versus non eater:  Difference in growth is big (404 versus 456)  Number of piglets not eating before weaning %!!!! ! weaning at 4 weeks ! Intake feed 5 kg per litter Meaning: 40% of the piglets is not ready to leave the sow! Meaning: two piglets, both weighing 7.5 kg at weaning can be very different

Learning young improves feed intake Can we develop a feeding system?  In corporation with:

What was the idea?  To develop a feeding system that learns piglets to keep eating: ● Within 4 hours all piglets should have eaten dry feed!  Using the idea that a young pig learns to eat from the sow ● Movie of Wageningen University Movie  Use of the ‘Pavlov’ effect ● Continue after weaning

How do we do this?  Feeding all piglets at the same time, and at the same time as the sow ● Feeding three times per day ● Buzzer sound  Feeding on long trough ● Important!  Repeat this principle after weaning ● Feeding 8 times per day  Look at the moviemovie

Status ? ‘Success rate’:  Ca % van de tomen leert het systeem voor spenen ● Zie voorbeeldfilmpjevoorbeeldfilmpje ● Variatie tussen rondes en tomen  Reactie voor spenen = reactie direct na spenen  Momenteel: effect eerste 7 dagen na spenen

Respons before / after weaning No / little respons Actual respons Approx. 70% of the litters learns to work with the system before weaning: Big variation between litters!

End conclusions ‘learning young’  Learning young-system gives higher feed intake first week after weaning  Learning young-systems gives higher growth first week after weaning  Big variation between litters!  The better the response before weaning, the better the feed intake after weaning  Focus before weaning!

Example of learning young, eating together....

Nesting material: welfare or economics? Movie

Nestbuilidingbehaviour Trend: sow in crate with rope only: longer birth proces Shorter birth proces, better colostrum intake?

Nestbuilding behaviour Results are depending on farm figures Sows in crates: overall less crushed piglets Still born piglets: good results on farms

What to do today? - Hygiene - Little mixing - Colostrum for all piglets (locking up the first 6) - Dry and warm compartments after weaning - Fresh and available water and feed - Feed near the head of the sow - Taking the feeder from farrowing unit to rearing unit - Little stress - Lights on after weaning for 3 days - Udder availability: movie

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