Finishing Pig ScenarioAWJAC 2017

Team Scenario

AWJAC 2017

Questions to answer

1. Please perform a finishing pig welfare assessment. Present and discuss positive and negative aspects and their relative weights.

2. The producer is considering changing the housing system for his conventional housed pigs. Describe 3 changes that you would recommend to the producer, and explain why these changes would benefit finishing pig welfare.

Individuals only need to answer Question 1AWJAC 2017

Swine Teaching; orientation for today! 1. Put coverall and one pair of boots

on in vehicle to farm2. Arrive at farm3. Go to finisher building one4. As you step over into the room

put your second pair of boots on5. Review pen 76. Your driver will take you to

stations 2 and 3 and will time you!

7. Driver will get your boots and coveralls back and take you back to Hansen

AWJAC 2017

HOOP

Conventional finisher

Farm overview • Swine farm; Allen E. Christen Swine Teaching farm

http://www.ans.iastate.edu/farms/allen-e-christian-swine-teaching-farm

• Wean 120 piglets every 4-weeks • 16 classes per academic year and over 1,100 students per

year visit the farm during their labs!

AWJAC 2017

Personnel

• Mr. Jeff Hartwig• ISU Swine Farm Manager• B.S. Forestry at Iowa State University (ISU)• 5-years in the swine industry with two large integrators and three at ISU

• Miss Karli Lane• ISU Teaching Farm Manager• M.S. Student at ISU• B.S. at the Ohio State University (OSU; Animal Science)• Managed the OSU swine teaching farm and has interned with a number of large

integrators

• Six undergraduate student employees with a wide variety of demographic backgrounds AWJAC 2017

Herd information

• 90 head of sows• Farrow 14 sows every 28 days

• 3 herd boars• Collected and everything is bred Artificial Insemination (A.I.)

• Nursery 3 to 7 weeks of age• Finishing 240 in hoop (8 to 24 weeks of age)• Finishing 360 conventional finisher (8 to 24 weeks of age)

• **Post weaning pigs are grouped by age**

AWJAC 2017

Production specs• Genetics

• Purebred Durocs, Purebred Berkshires along with white line commercial females bred to terminal sires

• Run an internal multiplication system – some selected boars & gilts are born and kept on farm to be future Dads & Moms!

• Weaning age• Piglets are weaned at 21 to 24 days of age

• Weaning weight• Target 15 lbs. (6.8 kg)

• Targeted market weight • Target 280 lbs. (127 Kg)

AWJAC 2017

Grow-finish pigs; Room One - conventional pens

• Space per pig• 8.2 sq2 (0.76 m2)

• Type of feeder• Wet-dry rotecna • Tandem bins automated feed system – 30-minutes below the

sensory eye feed will be delivered to the pen

• Feeder space• 0.5 inch (1.27 cm) per pig (one pig can eat at a time!)

• Water source• Two water nipples into a feeder pan

• Number of pigs per waterer• 8 pig: 1 water nipple ratio

This is the nipple waterers

This is the feeder

AWJAC 2017

Grow-finish pigs; Room One - conventional pens• Light-dark regime

• Always have light. During the day main lights are on. At night there are two night lights. • Ammonia level

• Less than 25 ppm • Temperature

• Set point 65 oF (18 oC) • Ventilation system

• Stage 1 Power ventilation with a 24-inch (61 cm) variable speed fan as a minimum vent • Stage 2 24 inch fan • Stage 3 48 inch fan • Stage 4 48 inch fan that is on a stand alone thermostat and also serves as our emergency

backup • Bandwidth is over 2 oF for each stage • Six 12 inch inlets • One 25,000 BTU heater set at 2 oF below set point through the controller • Misters run for 1-minute every 15 minutes when the temperature is 15 oF above set point

• Manure system• Total slat flooring, shallow pit pull plug. Pits are pulled (cleaned weekly). Manure is stored

outside of the building in a covered concrete basin

AWJAC 2017

Grow-finish pigs; Hoops; East side• Two pens

• East & West

• Space per pig• 16 feet2 (1.5 m2)

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25 ft wide (8 m)

80 ft long (24 m)

EastWest

We do not put 7 week old pigs into the hoop barn between October through March!

Grow-finish pigs; Hoops; East side• Type of feeder

• Six hole Smedley 250 lb. (113 kg) capacity • Tandem bins automated feed system – 30-minutes below the sensory eye feed will be delivered to the pen

• Feeder space• 0.73 inch (1.9 cm) per pig. One pig can eat at a time!

• Water source• 64 inches (1.63 m) of space per pig to drink• Water has a lid on top of it

• Number of pigs per waterer• 60 pigs: 1 waterer

• Ammonia level• Less than 25 ppm

• Light-dark regime• Natural day length

• Temperature • Whatever is ambient temperature (in Iowa this can range from -50 to 110 oF [-46 to 43 oC)

• Ventilation system• Hot we raise the curtain (April to October approx. 60 to 110 oF [15 to 43 oC])• Cold we drop the curtain and block the south end with corn stalks (November to March)

• Manure system• Deep bedded corn stalks. • Bed twice a week and all bedding is removed when pigs leave the hoop for market

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Daily observations

Conventional: Located hanging near door

Hoop: Located on side wall AWJAC 2017

Animal bench marking

• Morbidity rate November 2016 to October 2017

• Conventional finisher 2%• Hoop 4%

• Morbidity causes;• Conventional finisher; poor body condition

score, gut twist• Hoop; poor body condition score, three leg

lameness

• Mortality rate; November 2016 to October 2017

• Conventional finisher; 2%• Hoop; 5%

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Nutrition • Feed is bid out bi-yearly to meet University purchasing policy• Vendors are given a specific rations formulation based on stage of

production and meet the pigs needs• All rations are approved by Professor J. Patience Swine Nutrition

• Feed comes from a commercial feed mill• Any Veterinary Feed Directives are approved by the swine

veterinarians from the Swine medicine Education Center • Farm is on city water

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Physical modifications

• Ear notches – done in lactation within 3-d of birth• Castration – done within 5-d of birth

• No pain meds

• Tail docking – done within 3-d of birth• Ear tags – only the replacement boars and gilts about one week

before marketing

AWJAC 2017

Training

• PQA Level III• All employees are certified and site is assessed

• CITI on Euthanasia • On-farm animal handling and husbandry (on-farm SOP’s)• EH & S training workers right to know, fire extension, equipment

operation

AWJAC 2017