Articles - Management

Javier Lorente tells us how to make newly weaned piglets comfortable and, above all, how to get them to start drinking and eating as soon as possible.

Goggles, masks, earplugs, helmets, boots... We use a lot of PPE on farms, but maybe you hadn't thought of how to protect your fingers when grinding teeth. We'll show you.

Animals tell us how they feel, but do we understand what they are telling us?

Use a waist bag to always have the supplies you need for farrowing assistance at hand.

Javier Lorente outlines step by step the keys to reducing piglet stress during the weaning process.

We are sharing an example of a sow card used to record basic breeding sow data, which is essential on all farms regardless of their size.

This trick allows us to save hypothermic piglets easily, quickly and with surprising results.

Meeting the needs of the newly weaned pigs often proves to be difficult in many production settings.

The aim of this trick is the improvement of the quality of the environment in the farrowing quarters for the sows as well as for the piglets, saving on energy consumption by means of the manufacturing of nests.

We focus on moving surplus piglets, which forces us to use nurse sows. We explain two ways to do this in a very visual video.

This is how to assemble an "emergency" ramp using the insulation panels left over from the construction of the nursery.

In order to carry out this economic analysis we have kept in mind the variables between the two types of weaning in the different phases: site 1 (reproductive sows), site 2 (weaning), and site 3 (fattening).

How should you decide if your current routines on colostrum are working? How much intake is enough?

To conclude this series of articles, swine reproduction and artificial insemination specialist Javier Gil explains the importance of proper post-service management in terms of when to move sows and how to feed them.

A high dose of oxytocin given in the 16 h following the end of farrowing prolongs the colostral phase which can improve the quality of milk in early lactation.

In swine, dystocia is usually caused by oversized piglets (or by a narrow birth canal) instead of foetal positioning problems.

Piglets are born with very limited energy reserves: compared to other newborn mammals, they have much less energy stored per kg liveweight.

We continue our series of articles in which swine reproduction and artificial insemination expert Javier Gil shares key points about proper management to improve fertility and prolificacy. This article addresses the criteria to establish correct insemination methods.

We hold the legs of the piglets together with plastic straps, avoiding that they move apart from each other.

Preventing the entry and spread of diseases should be an objective on any swine farm, so adequately designing biosecurity aspects is key. In this article, we continue to discuss biosecurity measures with two experts: Lara Ruiz and José Casanovas.

Understanding the farrowing process and recognizing the signs for the different stages of birth, help us to develop management plans to improve the likelihood for live born piglets.

For the animals to be comfortable it is important to know their needs. The more needs that we can fulfill the more productive the animal will be.

Here are three basic rules for deciding if and when to do cross fostering and use nurse sows.

To ensure that each piglet intakes enough colostrum and to help the smallest piglets get it, split suckling should be used.