Avoiding an energy crisis
By Kenneth B. Kephart
Extension Livestock
Specialist
University of Delaware
Nothing is more depressing than
an empty farrowing crate. It’s a
signal that profit potential down
the road will suffer. And it’s also a
grim reminder that feed was
wasted on a non-productive sow.
One factor leading to the empty
farrowing crate syndrome is the
failure of sows to return to heat.
This is usually figured to be a first
htter-gilt problem, but it will occur
m older sows, too.
Why does it happen? Resear
chers at the University of
Nebraska have been asking the
same question. And after several
experiments, it looks like they
have some answers.
In designing the experiments,
they suspected that low energy
intake during lactation was at the
root of the problem. So they fed
nursing sows several different
energy levels, then took a lot of
measurements in both the sows
and their pigs.
The first series of experiments
was set up to look at the sow. D.
Reese and E.R. Peo, Jr. placed the
sows on low, medium or high
energy levels during lactation.
These levels corresponded to a
daily intake of six, nine or 12
pounds of a normal corn-soybean
meal lactation diet. After weaning,
they fed the sows 4 pounds per day.
As expected, sows getting only
six pounds a day lost a lot of weight
during lactation - almost 52
pounds. Those eating 12 pounds per
day lost only four pounds. Those on
the low energy level lost .3 inches
of backfat compared to only a .1
inch loss in the high energy group.
By seven days post weaning, 97
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percent of the sows on the high
energy diet had come into heat.
And 91 percent of those on the
medium energy level (9 pounds per
day) were in heat within the first
week. But sows restricted to six
pounds were slow. After seven
days, only 60 percent had shown
signs of estrus. And even after 70
days, 14 percent of these sows still
weren’t in heat.
What was different about the
sows that came into heat and those
that didn’t? Reese and Peo decided
to take a closer look at the low
energy group to find out. They
discovered two things. First, sows
in the non-return group had less
backfat at weaning. And second,
blood analysis indicated that the
non-cycling sows had overactive
thyroid glands. The trouble is, we
don’t know if these sows were
hyper at the start, or if the
restricted feeding made them
hyper. That’s a brand new can of
worms for future research.
What about the baby pig? In the
Qigidply QaFlersJnc.
second series of experiments, two
other Nebraska scientists, J.L.
Nelssen and A. J. Lewis, fed three
different energy levels to sows to
get a handle on the relationship of
calorie intake and sow and litter
performance. These levels
corresponded t d a feed intake of
seven, 8.5 or 10 pounds of a corn
soybean diet. Pigs received no
creep feed.
Baby pigs in all groups had
similar survival rates - about 93
percent. But feeding sows either
8.5 or 10 pounds each day during
lactation produced heavier pigs at
28 days than feeding seven pounds.
For example, feeding 8.5 pounds
produced a litter weight of 135.6
pounds compared to 127.4 pounds
with the seven-pound feeding level.
So the extra 42 pounds of sow feed
produced more than eight pounds
of additional litter weight. That’s
$4.20 invested in sow feed and at
least $7 returned in extra
production. Money well spent.
So there’s a real plus to feeding
8.5 pounds rather than seven
pounds per day during lactation.
But in this study, sow and litter
performance in the 10-pound group
was almost identical to that of
sows getting 8.5 pounds.
Where does that leave you? To
be sure that sows come into heat
quickly, they ought to be getting 12
pounds of feed a day (16,000 kcal)
during lactation. But these studies
suggest that milk production (at
least in first-litter sows) may
plateau at a daily feeding level of
around 8.5 pounds.
So, full feeding may be more
than is necessary. But if you
restrict the feed too much for a
nursing sow, sooner or later it’ll
cost you - either in milk produc
tion or in return to heat.
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Nineteen
speakers and panelists have been
announced for the 15th annual
Livestock Marketing Congress to
be conducted June 13 through 15, at
the Hyatt Regency Hotel, San
Antonio, Tex.
Conducted by the Livestock
Merchandising Institute of Kansas
City, Mo., Congress ’B4’s theme
will be “The New Reality”.
Featured speakers include
economist Michael Evans, former
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Earl
Butz, and the following industry
spokesmen: Jo Ann Smith,
president-elect of the National
Cattlemen’s Association; James
Delmarva raises $319,000
GEORGETOWN, Del. - The
annual fund drive of Delmarva
Poultry Industry, Inc. (DPI) has
recently been completed with a
record amount of money raised by
the regional trade group to support
its many activities for the coming
year.
Paul E. Ferrier, fund drive
chairman and Ist vice president of
DPI, announced, “The 1984 Fund
Drive was the most successful in
the history of the organization.
This year, we have raised $319,120
to be used for the continued
progress of the poultry industry on
Delmarva.”
In past years, the announcement
of the final figure for the annual
Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, May 12,1984—D5
Livestock Marketing
Congress "84 set
for June
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Mullins, chairman of the National
Livestock and Meat Board; Virgil
M. Rosendale, past-president of
the National Pork Producers
Council; C.O. Emrich, one of the
founders of the Livestock
Marketing Institute; Robert L.
Campbell, Jr , Institute treasurer;
Sheldon Stalu, former Federal
Reserve Bank economist jnd
member of the Institute’s Board of
Governors.
Registration information can be
obtained from the Livestock
Merchandising Institute, 301 East
Armour Blvd., Kansas City, Mo.,
64111. Phone: 816-531-2235.
fund drive has been made at the
$lOO-A-Plate Delmarva Poultry
Booster Banquet. Due to the threat
of avian influenza invading the
Delmarva poultry area, the
banquet was postponed until the
threat of the disease is past. Much
of DPl’s efforts during the early
months of 1984 has been spent
toward protecting the Delmarva
area from this deadly disease. This
year’s goal was $295,000.
These funds are used by the
association to continue its work in
many areas including research,
educational activities, legislative
and public affairs, consumer in
formation and the promotion of
chicken.
stone wall.