Sow mortality has been making the headlines as producers grapple with rising sow death loss in the U.S. pork industry. Although the topic deserves discussion, some experts believe it is time to focus on gilt retention.
Sow mortality has been scrutinized ad nauseum, but gilt retention hasn't been focused on quite as much. I think it may be the top of the bottleneck when it really comes back to what we can do to improve things downstream in production, said Hyatt Frobose, USA commercial director at Jyga Technologies-Gestal, during a recent webinar.
In a 2003 study published by Ken Stalder at Iowa State University that was reiterated in 2017, it showed on average, replacement females failed to generate a positive return on investment until parity three to four, depending a little on farm size and conditions, Frobose explained.
In general, our females aren't really paying for themselves until they've stayed in the herd for three parities, he said. What's concerning to me is we know that the parity averages for the U.S. sow herd, as represented by Agristats and Swine Management Systems, are only averaging about 2.4 to 2.6. So somewhere, we're not really matching up with when these sows are paying for themselves. It seems to me we're leaving opportunity on the table.
How can we get these animals into their most productive parities?
In North America, most growing gilts are housed in similar housing environments compared to their growing-finishing counterparts. Ad libitum feed access is provided until just prior to breeding, with most gilts receiving diets with marginally elevated levels of amino acids, vitamins and trace minerals. While this rearing strategy is prevalent due to convenience, consistency and availability, recent research suggests it may not necessarily be best for sow longevity. Frobose suggests its time to rethink how gilts are raised and developed.
Limit-Feed GiltsMost of the farms Frobose works with provide ad libitum feed access for gilts from the time they enter the gilt development unit (GDU) until they move into breeding stalls. He said a common issue in commercial GDUs is that gilts grow too fast and are bigger than ideal. Research indicates these gilts are more likely to prematurely exit the herd.
Frobose offered producers two suggestions to help optimize gilts, as they move into breeding.
1. Change feed presentation method. Change feed presentation method to moderately restrict gilts from the end of the nursery period by targeting gains of 1.65 lb/day to1.76 lb/day until flushing two weeks prior to breeding.
2. Change the feed composition. If ad libitum feeding is the only option, add fiber, increase micron size and adjust energy and lysine targets downward by 10% to 15% in order to slow growth rate.
Controlling gilt weight at breeding may also offer downstream diet savings, by moderating mature sow size and reducing annual maintenance costs. Simple math would suggest that reducing gestation feed by as little as 150 g/d could reduce annual feed costs by USD $9/sow/year, Frobose said.
Revisit GDU DesignGDU design is often an afterthought in sow farm design, Frobose said.
It's human nature to lay out your ideal floor plan and equipment and technology. Then, when you get down to the price tag, we try to figure out where we can shave off some dollars and cents to make it more palatable, Frobose said. Unfortunately, in my experience, the GDU becomes a target area that gets the axe on some extra dollars and cents. I think that's unfortunate, because we really should be treating that as the proving ground for the next gilts that are going to be entering the herd.
GDUs are often designed like a grow-finish environment. Frobose said this may be convenient and easier, but he argued it may not be best for the gilt long-term.
Clearly, were getting these gilts to grow fast enough, and we don't really need them to grow any faster than they already are, he said. So, if we're ad lib feeding in the GDU (which I think needs questioned), are wet-dry feeders the right way to go to maximize growth, or would we be better off with a dry feeder that can maybe help us slow down that growth just a little to keep gills from getting too big?
Frobose suggested producers implement these ideas into GDU design.
1. Mimic the environment of the sow farm. Frobose suggested using the same flooring and maintaining the same type of ambient temperature environment and air quality to prepare gilts for moving into the actual sow farm flow. Avoid creating new stresses as they move into the breeding environment.
Waterers are a big thing that Ive seen messed up, Frobose said. Its easy to make the mistake of having a different waterer type in the GDU pens, or even in gestation, than what those gilts will experience in farrowing. I can count too many times where I've seen a gilt that didn't find the water or know how to drink when she got into farrowing. That can really set her on the wrong path as she enters production.
2. Maintain group cohesiveness. If possible, maintain the hierarchy of a group of gilts that were raised together by keeping them together as they move from breeding into pen gestation to minimize aggression and lameness. Research shows grouping gilts or even gilts and P1s separately from older sows can increase farrowing rates and help improve retention of those animals in the herd, he added.
GDUs are continuous flow and that's one of the key differences from most grow-finish environments that are managed all-in, all-out. It's always a challenge of how to optimize stocking density with our different age groups, he said. But its something we've got to continue to think about.
3. Consider precision feeding technology. Most would agree its best to give gilts multiple diets throughout the grow-finish period, Frobose said.
Unfortunately, in my experience, the in-herd nutritionists are usually the last people asked on pen design or barn design for GDUs, and so they end up kind of effectively hamstringed by whatever the construction folks decide is the best thing for the GDU, he added.
Additional feed systems usually require more gilt movement, increasing labor requirements that are already lacking in the GDU. Frobose said blending technologies, however, can enhance pen flexibility and help deliver multiphase diets to a pen of gilts based on their age and weight while reducing diet cost and increasing feed efficiency.
Invest WiselyGilts may have historically been thought of as a cheap investment, but as an industry, we have become accustomed to introducing gilts at an average of 70% to breed at a 55% annual replacement rate, Frobose explained.
In a 2019 study, Derald Holtkamp, Iowa State University, showed that implementing a gilt management program yielded a 10% reduction in annual gilt replacement rate (62% to 52%) on a 2,400-head sow farm and resulted in 829 additional marketed pigs and 222,310 additional pounds of pork produced per year, ultimately yielding a benefit-to-cost ratio of 2.41:1.
Once you account for genetic premiums, overhead costs and the currently low value of cull sows, isnt it worth realigning your gilt development programs to improve herd retention? Frobose asked.
More from Farm Journal's PORK:
A Look at the Unknown Factors in Sow Mortality
No Magic Bullet to Reduce Pre-Wean Mortality in Pigs
Remodeling Facilities: You Have Options
See original here:
Is it Time to Rethink Gilt Development? - Pork Magazine
- How dogs are paving the way for human longevity drugs - Longevity.Technology - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- Innovative Approaches to Improving Human Longevity - Securities.io - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- Top 5 Companies Offering Solutions to Increased Human Longevity - Securities.io - April 12th, 2024 [April 12th, 2024]
- Morning Medical Update: Gut bacteria and longevity; People with ... - Medical Economics - June 12th, 2023 [June 12th, 2023]
- Artificial Intelligence and the Aging Process: A Match Made for ... - Down to Game - June 12th, 2023 [June 12th, 2023]
- Saint Bernard Lifespan: How Long Do Saint Bernards Live? - AZ Animals - June 12th, 2023 [June 12th, 2023]
- 'Human Resources' Was Poised to Be Netflix's Longest-Running ... - PRIMETIMER - June 12th, 2023 [June 12th, 2023]
- Early Life Adversity Doesn't Affect Gorillas Like Other Species - The Good Men Project - June 12th, 2023 [June 12th, 2023]
- Wellness luminaries, experts to meet in KK - The Borneo Post - June 12th, 2023 [June 12th, 2023]
- I grew up with hazardous smoke from forest fires in Asia. Here's what ... - Morningstar - June 12th, 2023 [June 12th, 2023]
- Workplace Networks Are More Important than Promotions to Engage ... - GlobeNewswire - June 12th, 2023 [June 12th, 2023]
- Accenture staff working at Google training AI move to unionise - The Australian Financial Review - June 12th, 2023 [June 12th, 2023]
- Hair Wigs and Extension Market Size to Grow by USD 5.26 billion from 2021 to 2026, Growth Driven by Technologi - Black Enterprise - April 10th, 2023 [April 10th, 2023]
- Want to age like a fine wine? Here are some tips for longevity and feeling younger - The Indian Express - February 18th, 2023 [February 18th, 2023]
- Human body | Organs, Systems, Structure, Diagram, & Facts - January 27th, 2023 [January 27th, 2023]
- Human | Avatar Wiki | Fandom - January 27th, 2023 [January 27th, 2023]
- Calorie Restriction and Fasting Diets: What Do We Know? - January 4th, 2023 [January 4th, 2023]
- Emma Thompson On Longevity Of Holiday Fave Love Actually But It Is SEX Actually That Is Earning Her Awards Buzz In Leo Grande - Deadline - December 26th, 2022 [December 26th, 2022]
- Heads or tails: What statistical models tell us about the probability of living beyond 110 - The Conversation - December 12th, 2022 [December 12th, 2022]
- LinkedIn founder and VC Reid Hoffman says human amplification via A.I. will revolutionize large enterprises in the next five years - Fortune - December 12th, 2022 [December 12th, 2022]
- Human hibernation is possible and could boost longevity | New Scientist - December 2nd, 2022 [December 2nd, 2022]
- Home - Human Longevity Institute - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- Exercise: 7 benefits of regular physical activity - Mayo Clinic - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- Life expectancy - Wikipedia - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Life Expectancy - Our World in Data - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- The Longevity Investors Conference Gstaad brought together longevity experts and deep-pocketed investors - Cointelegraph - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- The Search for a Pill That Can Help Dogsand HumansLive Longer - WIRED - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Aging of the Heart Correlates With a Poor Gut Microbiome - Lifespan.io News - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Aditxt, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADTX) Announces Development and Publication of a Mathematical Model for Predicting Longevity and Variations of Immune Response... - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- FOXO Technologies Announces First Distribution Partner and Begins Product Rollout in California; Expands Executive Team With Insurance Industry Talent... - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- A conversation with Holocaust scholar Dr. Irving Berkowitz - South Florida Sun Sentinel - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Nine postdoctoral fellowships in aging research awarded by the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research and AFAR - EurekAlert - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- The 5 Wellness Habits That Slow Down Aging, Science Reveals Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Winning Federal Contracts on the Top 20 Contract Vehicles - Bloomberg Government - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Lawrence Austin promoted to rank of colonel - Winona Times - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- The longevity dividend: Work in an era of 100-year lives - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Retirement Savings Calculator - Northwestern Mutual - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Clues to Human Longevity Unearthed in Largescale Mouse Genetic Study - Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Can we find ways to live beyond 100? Millionaires are betting on it. - MIT Technology Review - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Restrict Calories to Boost Immune Function - The Epoch Times - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- The Black Progress Index: Examining the social factors that influence Black well-being - Brookings Institution - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Kevin Williamson on Scream 6 and Franchise Longevity - Bleeding Cool News - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- 507-Year-Old Clam May Be the World's Oldest Living Being - History of Yesterday - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- I should look forward to early retirement, but I think I'm dreading it - CBC.ca - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- International Coffee Day 2022: How The Beloved Brew Helps Fight Cancer, Kidney Disease And Depression - ABP Live - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Corey Feldman And Jamison Newlander Talk The Lost Boys And The Birth Of The Two Coreys - Forbes - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Proven Levels of Human Longevity | NextBigFuture.com - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- Prolonging healthspan by delaying ageing -- NUHS opens Singapore's first Centre for Healthy Longevity to increase healthy lifespan of Singapore... - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- What is the Secret to Longevity in Real Estate? - CandysDirt.com - Candy's Dirt - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- Jeff Stukey & Jay Olshansky, Ph.D with Wealthspan Advisors, Interviewed on the Influential Entrepreneurs Podcast Discussing How Aging Science... - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- The Queen of the World - The Atlantic - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- THR Icon: At 100, Norman Lear Looks Back (And Ahead) at Whats Changed Since the Maude Abortion Episode - Hollywood Reporter - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- TIFF 2022: The Colour of Ink Review - ThatShelf.com - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- Should Age Be on the Ballot? - Next Avenue - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- Was The Spring Water At Balmoral Castle The Secret To Elizabeth II's Longevity? - Nation World News - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- A complete guide to the health benefits of nuts europeantimes.news - The European Times - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- Debut Launches its Bio2Consumer Platform to Become the Leader in Vertically Integrated Synthetic Biology - PR Web - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- Rapamycin Drug Used in Cancer Therapy Found to Increase Human Lifespan [Study] - Nature World News - August 30th, 2022 [August 30th, 2022]
- Eating Healthy: Why Eating Grapes Would Increase Lifespan | The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News Guardian Life The Guardian Nigeria... - August 30th, 2022 [August 30th, 2022]
- Beauty Bets on Longevity WWD - WWD - August 30th, 2022 [August 30th, 2022]
- Analysis of the impact of success on three dimensions of sustainability in 173 countries | Scientific Reports - Nature.com - August 30th, 2022 [August 30th, 2022]
- You might have glowing skin in no time by making few easy changes to your skincare routine - TDPel Media - August 30th, 2022 [August 30th, 2022]
- Nucleai Appoints New Head of Pathology to Support Expansion in Biopharmaceutical and Clinical Markets - Business Wire - August 8th, 2022 [August 8th, 2022]
- Daily AI Roundup: Biggest Machine Learning, Robotic And Automation Updates - AiThority - August 8th, 2022 [August 8th, 2022]
- Prolonged and intense heatwave affecting parts of western and northern Europe breaks temperature records; globally, July 2022 was one of three warmest... - August 8th, 2022 [August 8th, 2022]
- YLEM: Augmenting sustainable futures through material exploration and testing - STIRworld - August 8th, 2022 [August 8th, 2022]
- Do you want to live forever? Big Tech and the quest for eternal youth - The New Statesman - August 6th, 2022 [August 6th, 2022]
- This startup wants to copy you into an embryo for organ harvesting - MIT Technology Review - August 6th, 2022 [August 6th, 2022]
- Renewal Bio Acquires Breakthrough Stem Cell Technology With Applications in Infertility and Longevity - Benzinga - August 6th, 2022 [August 6th, 2022]
- Get married or get a degree to live longer says study, debunking theories of womens longevity over men - Times Now - August 6th, 2022 [August 6th, 2022]
- Nucleai Appoints New Head of Pathology to Support Expansion in Biopharmaceutical and Clinical Markets - StreetInsider.com - August 6th, 2022 [August 6th, 2022]
- Some species are immortal but dying of old age is humanity's secret weapon - The Telegraph - August 6th, 2022 [August 6th, 2022]
- Opinion: Changing When and How Much We Eat May Extend Health Span - The Scientist - August 6th, 2022 [August 6th, 2022]
- Vieroots uses genome testing to win over a growing tribe of wellness enthusiasts - YourStory - August 6th, 2022 [August 6th, 2022]
- Herbs radiate and give you youthful skin - The Hans India - August 6th, 2022 [August 6th, 2022]
- How Pop Culture, Politics, Science, and Business Got So Old - The Atlantic - August 6th, 2022 [August 6th, 2022]
- John Hood: How to read this column | Columnists | journalnow.com - Winston-Salem Journal - August 6th, 2022 [August 6th, 2022]
- How Long Is The Human Lifespan? Here's What Studies Have Found | mindbodygreen - mindbodygreen - July 31st, 2022 [July 31st, 2022]
- Employees are livingand workinglonger. CEOs are introducing initiatives like phased retirements to harness the longevity economy - Fortune - July 31st, 2022 [July 31st, 2022]
- Why Do We Get Old, and Can Aging Be Reversed? - Quanta Magazine - July 31st, 2022 [July 31st, 2022]