NEWARK, Del. - Growth depression is likely to occur-at certain stages of swine develop ment. But unless producers weigh their pigs frequently, these lags may pass practically unnoticed, says University of Delaware Extension livestock specialist Richard Fowler. One of the most common slow-up periods occurs right after weaning. Pigs nursing their dams usually grow quite well during their third and fourth weeks. But the three-week-old pig is at a critical stage of, development, Fowler says. This is when the immunity acquired from its mother’s colostrum is low. Though the pig is starting to build its own immunity, any stressat this time usually causes slowdown or other problems. "Avoid doing anything to the pig during this period,” advises the specialist. “If your program calls for weaning at three weeks, remove the sow from the farrowing area but keep the litter in the crate for another day-or rtwo.” Pigs should have access to a - temperature of 85 F and should be kept draft free. When the litter is moved to a clean, dry weaning pen, pigs should continue to • receive the same diet fed in the farrowing crate. The ration should contain 18 percent protein and be well for tified with vitamins and minerals. Milk product and sugar will en courage feed consumption. To keep pigs growing, be a week and weight watcher At four weeks, a pig is more mature physiologically and usually undergoes fewer setbacks when weaned. But a warm, dry environment is still critical. A water medication is often useful in reducing weaning stress. Allow pigs to drink fresh water for a day to acquaint them with the waterers. Then add the medication. A soluble antibiotic with an electrolyte is beneficial, the specialist says. Three days is usually sufficient for a water medication program. Oeworming and spraying for external parasites can be dwie 10 days or two weeks for weaning if pigs are doing well. Don’t ad minister both treatments at the same time, however. To keep them growing well, observe pigs for signs of disease. Coughing and sneezing may in dicate a problem. An atrophic rhinitis-infected pig costs $l6 ot $lB more to finish than a healthy one. Cull affected animals and sell them for slaughter. Coughing often indicates pneumonia. If the problem is bad, determinewhat kind of pneumonia exists by sacrificing a pig and having it examined by a veterinarian. Then treat according to the diagnosis. Newly purchased feeder pigs also undergo a lag period. "Know, your seller and the program used to produce the animals,” Fowler advises. If You're Thinking Dairy Automation There's Just One Name You Need To Know: De Laval For over 100 years dairymen world-wide have depended on De Lava) products to keep their dairies running smoothly and profitably. You can too. Check these De Laval' automation products, all designed to make your milking easier. Then check with us. We've got full details on these fine products and the whole line of De Laval dairying equipment & accessories. • DV-300TM milker rugged milker features automatic shifts of vacuum levels and pulsation rates. • A.R.M.tm devices Automatic Removal Mechanism features parallel linkage support arm. “Armless" model also available. • AutocordTM removal device the affordable way to automate milker removal. SERVICE WHEN ■ Trained Installation and Service Personnel ■ Hundreds of Satisfied Users YOU NEED IT ■ Planning Service ■ Competitive Price ■ Route Truck to Supply Your Needs J.B. ZIMMERMAN & SONS West of Blue Bali, PA on Rt. 23 PH: 717-354-4955 Ask For Ralph Stoltzfus RADIO DISPATCHED TRUCKS Pigs should have been vac- cinated for erysipelas and should be free of rhinitis or vaccinated for it. Some rhinitis vaccines contain Pasteurelia, an organism mvolved with one type of pneumonia. The seller should also have treated his pigs once for external and internal PFU reviews dairy proposals EDINBOKO Dairyproducers in northwestern Pennsylvania gathered for two informational meetings sponsored by the Penn sylvania Farmers Union, aimed at educating farmers to the proposed base plans pending in Congress. Over 50 farmers from Sutler and Lawrence counties met last Thurs. on the farm of Steve Lesney in Mt. Chestnut to discuss the Dairy Products Stabilization Act, sponsored by Minnesota Congressman, James Oberstar. The legislation was drafted from recommendations from the National Farmers Union Dairy Task Force. Robert Mullins, director of Legislative Services from the Washington office of the National Farmers Union told those at tending that the Oberstar plan was the "best plan available becuase it would address the problem of Challenger" Feeding System This is the breakthrough technology that made it possible to feed grain to dairy cows according to individual needs —automatically. The De Laval® Challenger™ Feeding System is the obvious choice for dairy farmers who want electronic grain dispensing at a moderate installation cost. The Challenger system is controlled by neck-worn transponders which store feeding instructions for each cow; these provide a radio link with feeding stalls where cows are fed upon command. The Challenger system has capabilities demanded by the most modem operation, yet it’s feasible for herds as small as 25 cows. May we show the surprising figures ? CECIL DAIRY SERVICE RDI.Rt 274 Vi Mile South of Rising Sun, Md. 21911 parasites. Find out what products Five days of a high-fiber low were used and when. protein diet also helps get them Once the pigs are on your farm, started, group 20 to 25 animals per pen and Close observation and prompt provide them with 12 to 24 hours of treatment of problems will help fresh water followed by reduce lag tune and keep pigs medication for three to five days, growing, Fowler says. with farmers overpopulation almost im mediately.” "The Oberstar Plan would save the federal treasury almost $1 billion a year, and still provide farmers with a reasonable profit for the milk they produce,” Mullins said. The proposal guarantees farmers a minimum of 75 percent of parity for all milk produced within their production goal, which is designated each year by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. The proposal calls for a five percent marketing assessments against any dairy fanner that produces in excess of their production goal. An additional ten percent marketing penalty would be assessed if a dairy farmer produced in excess of his base. A second meeting was conducted Friday at the Edinboro Borough PH: 301-658-6923 Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, July 31,1982-A27 I I Hall, which was sponsored by the Ene-Warren Farmers Union. Mullins revealed that a com promise was m the works between all sponsors of different base plans to come to some form of agreement, so the dairy industry could present a united front. Farmers Union will continue to sponsor meetings in Pennsylvania to inform dairymen of the proposals in Congress. The family farm organization is planning bus trips to Washington to lobby for support of the base plan proposals, later in the year. A LESSON WELL LEARNED... LANCASTER FARMING'S CLASSIFIED ADS GET RESULTS! Phone: 717-394-3047 or 717-626-1164 WORK W BOOTS never looked so good! 9801 ' VNfestern Redwings I BOOKS “ I SHOE SERVICE I 107 E STATE ST. I OUARRYVILLE. PA I 17566 I 717-786-2795 ICWSEDWEDJJESDAY^^^
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