Mark Knauer North Carolina State University

Publish Date: June 20, 2018

Lameness is one of the most significant reasons for involuntary sow culling, but good feet and leg structure may be overlooked or tolerated during gilt selection to achieve progress in other traits. however, structural conformation is highly heritable and producers may inadvertently create or intensify lameness issues in their herd by ignoring this trait. Lameness reduces sow productivity and longevity, and in the growing her is associated with reduced feed intake, decreased average daily gain, and may lead to a greater number of downer pigs at market. In addition to the economic consequences, high incidences of lameness is also a sign of poor animal welfare, and show be addressed on every farm. Examples of acceptable and unacceptable feet and leg soundness are featured in this video.

Publish Date: June 20, 2018

Manual feed drops and automated feeding systems are commonly used on modern production farms to conserve labor and provide accurate feed allowance relative to an individual animal's metabolic demands and target body condition score. However, dust accumulation and daily wear on the machinery may cause the system to lose accuracy over time, and differences in diet type or composition, such as changes in pellet quality or adjustments in the nutrient content of the diet, will create inaccuracy and skew the amount of feed actually provided to the animals. This in turn may cause over- or under-feeding of sows during gestation and lactation, and can distort the accuracy of feed efficiency and usage records. For these reasons, producers are recommended to re-calibrate their feeding systems on a regular basis and every time changes to the diet are made. Re-calibrating feed systems is a quickly and easily preformed chore that will improve pig performance and the efficiency of feed usage on the farm.

Publish Date: June 22, 2017

Dystocia, difficulty farrowing, is a common issue in the swine industry. If piglets are not removed from the reproductive tract of the sow in a safe, timely manner, the piglets could suffer from asphyxiation and die. It may also cause a pile up of piglets, and if not taken care of quickly, could greatly increase the number of still births in the litter. This video will discuss, and demonstrate piglet orientation during farrowing and proper techniques for pulling piglets that get stuck at the pelvis of the sow.

Publish Date: June 15, 2017

Accurate pregnancy diagnosis is a key component of reproductive efficiency in the swine industry. By accurately determining pregnancy, producers can efficiently cull or re-breed sows/gilts in the herd, minimizing nonproductive days. The objectives of this video are to discuss, describe and demonstrate pregnancy diagnosis via two ultrasonography methods. These two methods utilize different forms of ultrasonography using auditory and visual cues for determination of pregnancy.