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Breeding Herd Education Series 2008-2009

Timely, relevant & convenient learning

Goldsboro11-08.pdf Confinement Sow Gestation and Boar Housing.pdf Economics of gestation housing.pdf Gestation Sow Housing Options Levis Sow Housing Forum 2007.pdf

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Maxwell Foods, Inc. A family owned company producing food products:

Pork 80,000 sows producing approximately 2 million market animals per year. Turkey World’s largest turkey producer with the resent acquisition of Butterball (over 1 Billion pounds sold annually). The Butterball purchase was in partnership with Smithfield Foods.

Beef 1400 cows producing calves that are preconditioned and then sent to western feedlots to be finished for consumption.

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Sow Farms

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Temple Grandin

•  Invited to see Maxwell system for animal welfare friendly program for Smithfield customer

•  Temple’s approval important to Maxwell and industry

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Temple’s Report

•  “They are setting the standard for large scale pork production. The entire industry can use them as a model.”

•  Having the proper genetics and animal husbandry practices were also imported to the success of the pen gestation system, she noted.

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Temple Approved

•  Weaning into stalls for 35 days •  Gestation pens •  Farrowing stalls •  Square footage

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35 day Stall benefits

•  Individual feeding of sows to return to pre-farrow body condition.

•  Avoid injury from sow’s “riding” during heat. •  AI safety for both sow and stockperson. •  Embryo attachment & pregnancy check.

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AI

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Weaning in Stall

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Gestation

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Gestation

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Pen Benefits

•  Better water Intake (less urinary infections, lower death rate)

•  Nose to tail contact to stabilize subpopulations •  Can increase population to stabilize health •  Catching recycles •  Less maintenance to floors & gates •  Easier to move sows in groups

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Floors

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Floors and pens

•  8’ x 10’ pen (some 5’ x 10’ pens) •  5 sows 16 sq ft •  6 gilts 13 sq ft •  1 nipple water drop per 2 pens •  Slight slope on solid area •  Less concrete and pen maintenance •  Raised walkway

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Mixing Sows

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Keys to mixing

•  Some fighting when 1st mixed •  Mix similar size and conditioned

females •  Proper genetics •  Feed increase last 30 days of

pregnancy •  Do not remix last 30 days

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Riding in pens

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Pregnancy Checking

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Shots in Pen

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Results

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Performance

May-July 2008 (80,000 sows) • PSY 25.94 • Farrowing rate 87.8% • Sow mortality 5.3% • Pre-wean mortality 9.4% • Piglet weaning wt. 13.75 lbs. • Born alive 10.9

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Summary

•  Results similar to stalls •  More acceptable to general public •  No harder to manage •  More simple than other pen systems