INTRODUCTION
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When it comes to herd health, there are many things that can affect the health of your pigs and ultimately affect your production chain due to loss of productivity. Nutrition and formulated diets can go a long way toward keeping pigs healthy.but often your pigs may have health problems or concerns to address. |
Natural remedies, such as essential oils, can be a great way to improve the overall health of your flock and reduce the need for other interventions that can have withdrawal periods and other unwanted side effects.
RALCO UNDERSTANDS NUTRITIONAL EFFICIENCY FROM START TO FINISH
Whether you are looking for supplements to treat and prevent health problems or a dietary formulation to maximize performance, let the Ralco team help you develop a personalized recommendation for your farm.
Pig producers working with Ralco typically see:
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– Less mortality – Less breakouts and severity – Less use of antibiotics – Better general health of the animals – Greater weight gain – Fewer straggling animals |
THE HEALTH OF THE SOW COMES FIRST
Improvements in genetics and production practices continue to increase the number of pigs per sow per year. Currently, that number is around 27.
At the same time, sow mortality has increased by approximately half a percentage point per year, and 39% of sow deaths are due to unknown causes.
Given this data, producers continue to look for ways to improve sow productivity throughout their lives.
| Body condition is a critical factor in the overall productivity of sows throughout their life. |
Ensuring sows receive the proper feed formulation can help reduce stress during farrowing. Additionally, adding fiber can help prevent enteric episodes. Producers should also work to reduce starvation events that can occur after calving.
These events can cause sows to overeat, damaging their intestines and exposing them to bacteria that can cause intestinal problems.
| The addition of supplements, such as Dual Defender™ from Ralco, can help improve the overall health of sows by promoting the integrity and freshness of the feed and improving the efficiency of the immune system. |
THE HEALTH OF THE SOW INFLUENCES THE QUALITY OF THE COLOSTRUM
A sow’s body condition is directly related to her ability to produce a healthy litter. Part of that capacity is related to the colostrum it provides to piglets in the first 24 hours after farrowing.
Colostrum is an extremely rich source of antibodies essential for the piglet’s defense against infections. In that same 24-hour period, their intestinal mechanism begins to evolve and they quickly lose the ability to absorb antibodies.
The higher the quality of the colostrum in the early stages, the greater the piglet’s chance of success.
Although the sow’s colostrum is vital to the success of the piglets, many sows do not produce enough -in quantity or quality- for each pig in the litter. Sows produce the same amount of colostrum, regardless of the number of piglets they have..
However, by improving the overall health of sows, producers can increase the quality of colostrum shared between the litter.
According to a study carried out at the University of Minnesota (Ariza-Nieto, 2005), the sows to which it was administered Regano EX® from Ralco showed 21% more immunoglobulin G (IgG) in their colostrum. IgGs are vital in the process of protecting the body against infections.
While there was no difference in the level of IgG in piglets before suckling, an increase in IgG occurred after suckling due to improved colostrum.
RECRUITING PIGS NEED A NUTRITIONAL EFFORT
Piglets can suffer many stress factors in the first years of life, when their intestine is most vulnerable. Improving the general health of piglets can impact their health until marketing.
Stress caused by weaning, transitioning to a grain-based diet, and placement in a new stall can cause intestinal problems.
| When pigs are moved from one place to another, they must again consume feed and water to keep their stomach functioning and gain weight. Producers should separate pigs that do not eat and drink well. Less competition for resources helps them recover their health in a few days. |
Helping pigs transition quickly and effectively to a starter diet after weaning and placement on a rearer or wean-to-finish farm is essential for gut health and rate of weight gain.
| If pigs are falling behind, producers should separate them to reduce competition for resources. Producers should also plan to spend a little more time with the pigs after weaning to help them with the transition. |
A PROPER DIET IS IMPORTANT
| The ingredients in rearing feed directly influence the performance of the animals. The most critical factor in an early diet is high digestibility and the essential nutrients needed for success after weaning. |
As pigs age, the production of enzymes in their intestines changes.
The program of rebred Tactical Start™ of Ralco adapts the ingredients to the digestive capacity of the pigs based on their age, not their weight.
FOOD EFFICIENCY IS THE KEY
Some pigs grow better than others, usually based on their natural enzymes. An efficient pig can produce more protease, amylase and other enzymes than others. The pigs with the lowest performance, They have fewer digestive enzymes and, therefore, do not use the feed as well.
The goal for grower-finisher pigs is to achieve high feed efficiency, especially as feed prices continue to rise. Here are some key ideas to improve the efficiency of finisher-finish pigs.
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· Finely ground corn is an economical way to improve feed efficiency. Grind size is key in finishing pigs because they eat more, chew less, and are able to absorb all the nutrition and energy that corn offers. The data suggests an optimal range of 300-600 microns, with 450-500 microns the ideal target for finishing pigs. · Precisely placed feeders can also contribute to efficiency. Feeders too close together can limit weight gain and feeders too far apart can cause feed to be wasted through the slats. · Flexibility with diet can be helpful, as cost and availability can lead to some insecurity. By knowing the energy value and needs of swine diets, producers can maximize synthetics without purchasing fat, reduce thermal gain and improve the amount of starch. |
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He pEnMAX nutrition program® by Ralco is a patented enzymatic cocktail that maximizes ingredients while producing more uniform pigs. Instead of making the best pig grow bigger, this enzyme cocktail helps lagging pigs improve performance, achieve uniformity and improve feed efficiency. |
IT’S OK TO ADD ADDITIVES
Additives can be a great way to protect a young pig’s intestine as it matures. The additives create a healthy intestinal environment and promote feed consumption. They can be administered through dry feed or mixed in the waterer.
ProsperEO™ it’s a natural food additive containing patented essential oils Microfused® of oregano, white thyme and cinnamon with the prebiotic Actifibe® and that helps a wide range of possible health problems.
These additives help pigs overcome stress situations, strengthen immunity and improve piglet growth from weaning to finishing, all by strengthening the pigs’ intestine.
IT’S NOT OVER UNTIL IT’S OVER
One of the biggest concerns finishing pig producers face is hemorrhagic bowel syndrome. (HBS for its acronym in English). Although HBS can occur in pigs of any age, Experts still don’t know exactly what causes it.. While there is no cure, producers can reduce the risk by eliminating stress points, such as:
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Food shortage events It is one of the most common stress factors among pigs. · If animals run out of feed, they will often gorge on food when it becomes available again. · When pigs eat too much and too quickly on an empty stomach, the risk of enteric intestinal problems arises. · When your intestines are empty, pathogens flourish, which can trigger an outbreak, such as HBS. |
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Optimal space between animals Loading time in finishing stalls can cause pigs to rush towards the feeder when they have a chance to reach it again.
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Heat When it’s hot, pigs don’t eat during the middle of the day. When temperatures drop, they regain their appetite and overeat. |
All of these problems make pigs more susceptible to intestinal pathogens. It can be difficult to detect the problem until it is too late to address it.
PREVENTION OF INTESTINAL STRESS IN FINISHING PIGS
Observing patterns in the barn can help producers predict when an intestinal problem or even HBS may occur.
This effort allows producers to preventatively treat animals with an additive like Regano, which helps improve the animal’s immune system.
Dried distillers grains (DDG) can also have a positive impact on pigs.
The DDGs They add fiber to the diet, slowing down digestion so that animals cannot consume the feed as quickly as they would like..