Hog operations in Michigan faced an April 1, 2020, deadline for switching from individual stalls to pens for sow gestation.
Tips to improve pen gestation for sows
Many pork producers successfully manage sows in group gestation pens after completing breeding and pregnancy checks in crates. Veterinarians with Four Star Veterinary Service (FSVS) offer management suggestions to help maximize sow productivity in pen gestation. “Most of our clients are converting to pen gestation,” reported Randy Jones, DVM, FSVS, Kinston, North Carolina. “Some of our better performing farms are
Lessons learned: How a modern hog farm in Russia recovered from ASF
China’s African swine fever (ASF) epidemic may offer a grim view of life with the disease. But its neighbor Russia has proven recovery from ASF is possible.
Keep guard up for strep, parasuis in newly weaned pigs
Newly weaned pigs face many challenges — new environment, feed, pen mates. They also face the challenge of bacterial infections like strep and parasuis.
Batch farrowing benefits Indiana hog operation
Batch farrowing made sense for Nate and Doug Hoeing’s sow operation. The brothers run a 1,200-sow operation on a family farm in Rush County, Indiana.
Three-step approach for spotting sick sows
A three-pronged approach to observing sows can help identify illness, lower mortality and increase productivity, according to Bill Minton of Four Star Veterinary Service, Chickasaw, Ohio.