I)l6—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 17,1981 Improve sow nutrition and save more pigs NEWARK, Del. - Most pork producers would accept 90 percent as a survival rate for pigs from birth to weaning. Many factors interfere with this goal so that, in fact, 75-80 percent is average on many farms. Rising production costs increase the importance of saving another pig per litter, says University of Delaware Extension Livestock specialist Richard Fowler. Losses occur from inadequate nutrition, poor housing and disease, but more than half the deaths are caused by poor nutrition, he says. The nutrition of the sow affects survival rate and thriftiness of newborn pigs. Early colostrum intake provides an tibody protection and energy so important to the newborn pig that is relatively weak compared to newborn calves and lambs. Prompt food intake is required for the baby pig, since it is bom with a thin haircoat and has little body fat to provide insulation. Any stress such as chilling or inadequate food intake may cause irreversible changes in health and/or death. Research shows that birth weight is influenced by litter size and energy intake by the sow during the last 30 days of pregnancy. In one recent European study, when sow feed was increased from 4 to 8 pounds per day between days 100 and 110, pig birth weight unproved Vt pound and survival, increased by 10 percent. “One must evaluate several factors before adjusting feed levels, however,” cautions the specialist. “Condition of sow, weather, and present herd con J. M. HORST SERVICE CO. BOX 231, QUENTIN, PA | TM DAIRY EQUIPMENT TANKS PIPELINE VACUUM PUMPS ETC. PHONE: 717-274-1242 24 HOUR SERVICE Your Complete Systems Dealer PLANNING LIQUID MANURE STORAGE? We Will Custom Design Your System to Meet your Needs Grain and Forage Structures Available Far Immediate Erection vE M ■JH ■ Please Clips Mail Coupon to; HI MJB H I ■ PENN DUTCH FARM SYSTEMS. INC. LF 10/17 1730 Highway 72 North. Lebanon, Pa. 17042 ■ lam interested in: P H High Moisture Com □ Haylage or Com Silage ■ stofJ|te Stonge c LJ Liquid Manure Stones U Replacing my old or ■ pi Please add my nmw broken bottom unloader P to your milling list with the taidig ■ NAME ■ 2 ADDRESS ■ ■ I CITY STATE ZIP " ■ TELEPHONE (include area code) 1 NO. OF BEEF DAIRY -HOGS | mmmmmmm ■■ m ■ ditions affecting pig survival and birth weight should all be con sidered in deciding whether ad ditional feed is desirable.” Adding fat to sow diets is one way to improve litter nutrition and survival rate, he says. Normally sow milk increases in fat from parturition in early lactation. The amount of fat in the sow’s colostrum increases by as much as 50 percent when fat is added to the gestation diet. Some research shows a 4-8 percent improvement in baby pig survival when this is done. Fat additions to the diet also help keep sows from losing ex cessive weight during early lac tation. The practice provides more calories in the milk for baby pigs during their first 48 to 96 hours. Dr. Robert W. Seerley of the University of Georgia reports that added fat helps increase milk yield, too. “The effects of feeding fat to sows in late gestation to increase energy reserves of the developing pig are not clear,” says Fowler. “Some research shows an ad vantage. Other work does not. The encouraging part from the stand point of baby pig performance is that blood sugar levels in the litter stay higher longer when fat is fed to the sow.” The performance factors af fected favorably by adding fat in sow diets include maintenance of sow weight during lactation, better baby pig survival rates, and prompter return of sows to estrus after weaning. There are several ways to feed fat. The simplest is to pour it over the regular sow feed. There are some dry forms of fat available commercially. -Some of these products are easy to handle from bags just as one handles feed. Amount of fat used depends on how long the feeding period is. One recommendation is to feed fat 5 days before and 14 days after farrowing. In this case, use one half pound per sow daily. Use good quality animal or vegetable oil. These fats should be stabilized to prevent rancidity during warm WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of Agriculture John R. Block said recently U.S. meat imports in 1981 are expected to be - more than 280 million pounds below the level which would require restraints on imports under the Meat Import Law. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s fourth quarterly Here's What You Get For Less Than 15* A Week! •tyMSS/// ■ «•> % I -THURSOA* ■'4&3S? 8 ’ — “* UP TO THE MINUTE REPORTS on legislation, meetings and events of interest to the beef, hog, poultry and crop farmers, plus... DAIRY COVERAGE.. •more dairy news in each issue than appears in any other weekly newspaper! DHIA REPORTS from dairy counties in Pennsylvania and Maryland! Our total farm coverage also gives you FEATURES...MARKET REPORTS...BEST BUYS ON PRODUCTS & EQUIP MENT...FREE MAILBOX MARKET...and much, much more! |*«|§iis|ejf Fourth estimate of 1981 meat imports down Patz ★ Bam Cleaners, Manure Pumps, Manure Stackers, Silo (Inloaders, Bunk Feeders, Feed Conveyors MARVIN J. HORST DAIRY EQUIPMENT 1950 S. sth Avenue, Lebanon, Pa. 17042 Phone: 717-272-0871 P.O. Box 366, Lititz, Pa. 17543 717-626-1164 or 394-3047 weather. Cost of feeding fat should' be measured against results. Nebraska researchers consider each 1-tenth of a pig to be worth $2.50. Factors like prompt return to estrus are harder to put values on. If added fat improves survival by one-half pig per litter, then one can afford to spend up to 20 cents per day for added fat for a three week period. estimate of U.S. meat imports indicates the United States will import about 1.235 billion pounds of meat during 1981. The trigger point for imposing quotas under the law is 1.447 billion pounds. The law requires the president to restrict imports of certain meats— primarily beef and veal—if USDA estimates that imports of those At UNCASTER FARMING, we think we do a good job of keeping you in formed...and we have over 39,000 paid subscribers who think so too! In addition to greater survival and rebreeding' improvement, sows don’t become constipated so other additives such as bran are not necessary when a fat sup plement is fed. From both the standpoint of improved baby pig survival and better sow reproductive per formance, if would pay to consider supplementing the sow diet in your herd with fat during late gestation and early lactation. . meats will equal or exceed the trigger level. When the second and third quarterly estimates were made, Block said an analysis of con ditions in this country and abroad affecting meat imports strongly suggested that there would be no need for import restrictions for the remainder of the year. 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