P4-Lanc«ster Farming, Saturday, September 29,1984 Studies probe ways to schedule sow farrowing NEWARK, Del - If swine producers could schedule their sows to farrow during regular working hours, they’d make better use of their labor force and also increase pig survival rates. Research has shown that by having someone on hand to assist a sow when she farrows, it’s possible to get at least one extra live pig per litter. Sows often give birth at night, making it inconvenient to provide this help. Dr. Paul Meckley, a specialist in animal reproductive physiology at the University of Delaware Agricultural Experiment Station, has been w rkmg on a project aimed at sclu duling farrowmgs by treating so\ s with hormones which either t elay or stimulate the onset of parturition. The two-year cooperative study was funded in part by a U.S. Department of Agriculture in tegrated reproductive management grant to the University of Delaware Agricultural Experiment Station and the USDA Animal Reproductive Laboratory at Beltsville, MD. Two Beltsville researchers, H.D. Guthrie and V.G. Pursel, were involved in the project. (Guthrie recently reported on their work at the 10th International Congress on Animal Reproduction dnd Artificial In semination at the University of Illinois, Urbana.) In trials at the University of Delaware swine unit near Georgetown, sows near the end of their pregnancies were injected with either Lutalyse (a prostaglandin compound which DISABLED & CRIPPLED COWS f BULLS & STEERS Competitive Prices Paid Slaughtered under government inspection Call: Frank Filllppo - Residence - 215-666-0725 Elam Ginder - 717-367-3824 C.L. King - 717-786-7229 induces farrowing within ap proximately 26 hours) or Regimate (altrenogest, a progesterone-like compound which delays labor) m order to schedule farrowmgs during normal workday hours For example, if a sow were due to farrow Friday or Saturday, by giving her a shot of Lutalyse on Wednesday morning, she would likely farrow some time the next day. If an animal were due to farrow on a Sunday, feeding her Regimate the previous Friday through Sunday would delay parturition until Monday or Tuesday. “To delay farrowing, we looked at the effects of Regimate with drawal alone and withdrawal plus a shot of prostaglandin the following day to synchronize parturition,” Meckley said. “With Regimate alone you can’t be sure exactly when the sow will farrow. Delaying parturition too long in creases the number of stillbirths, but with a one or two-day delay within a normal 114-day pregnancy period we found no difference in the number of pigs born, the number born alive or the number weaned. “We’ve done this as often as three successive breedings with no observable effect on sows,” he said. Regimate currently is used to synchronize estrus in cattle, but the scientist stressed that the compound has not yet been ap proved for use on swine, so he can’t recommend using it on sows at this point. Lutalyse is used on both cattle and horses-especially with embryo transfers. This compound NK A. O, INC. WANTED in in the process of being cleared for swine. The study involved a total of 131 sows and gilts divided into four groups; (1) control (no treat ment); (2) Lutalyse only; (3) Regimate fed for three consecutive days; and (4) Regimate for three days followed by a shot of Lutalyse at 10 a.m. the day after the last Regimate feeding. “Our findings definitely showed that prostaglandin can be used to synchronize parturition at least to the point where there’s a good chance of having daytime rather than night farrowings,” Meckley said. “Seventy-six percent of the treated sows farrowed within a 12- hour interval on the day after injection.” Sows were treated on days 111, 112 or 113 of pregnancy Meckley said studies are con tinuing to more precisely control the time of farrowing, using other hormones such as Oxytocin and Relaxin. The purpose of this research is to help swine producers fine-tune farrowing for more ef ficient labor use. The scientists are trying to keep treatment costs within $3 to $4 per sow to make them economically feasible. \f i 1 1 rli I 1 • .l v l IK AHEAD... ures Morkets on Page 3 THII Read Foti Fast track to egg cost reduction ■ Berks Co. offers seminars IJSESPORT A senes of poultry meetings designed to assist owners of small flocks will be cosponsored by the Berks County Extension and Berks Poultry Fanciers beginning Oct. 4. No reservations or fees are required to attend, and all four sessions will be held in the same locations. To reach the Ag Center, travel north on Route 183 past the Rearhno Aimnrt Turn left at the SESSION 1 TOPIC: “GENERAL NUTRITON & WASTE MANAGEMENT" SPEAKER: Herb Jordan, Penn State Extension Poultry Specialist TIME: 7:30 P.M. DATE: October 1,1984 PLACE: Berks County Agriculture Center. DATE: Octobers, 1984 PLACE: Berks-Lehigh Valley Farm Credit Service Bldg, (basement) SESSION 2 TOPIC: “MARKETING & PRODUCTION ECONOMICS" SPEAKER: Dr. Paul Aho, Penn State Extension Poultry Specialist. TIME: 7:30 P.M. DATE: Novembers, 1984 PLACE: Berks County Agriculture Center DATE: November 6,1984 PLACE: Berks-Lehigh Valley Farm Credit Service Bldg, (basement) SESSIONS TOPIC: “HOUSING & BREED SELECTION” SPEAKER: Dr. Forest Muir, Penn State Extension Poultry Specialist TIME: 7:30 P.M. DATE: Decembers, 1984 PLACE: Berks County Agriculture Center DATE: December 4,1984 PLACE: Berks-Lehigh Valley Farm Credit Service Bldg, (basement) SESSION! TOPIC: “POULTRY ECTO-PARASITE CONTROL” SPEAKER: Dr. Clarence Colhson, Penn State Extension Entomologist TIME: 7:30P.M. DATE: January 7,1985 PLACE: Berks County Agriculture Center DATE; January 8,1985 PLACE: Berks-Lehigh Valley Farm Credit Service Bldg, (basement) Chore-1 line’s MFAI MASTFR FeedKar traveling feeder <an help vou get your egg costs on trac k Here s hou A I The typical c ham feeder uses 1 1 jhp to feed each cage tier 6 hp for a 4 high Our hopper system (raveling on tiat ks is pulled by a i able using only I I hp - a 95" * energy reduction' 2 Cuts feeder mamtenaiu e and labor costs to virtually zero” You know what a chain feeder costs to maintain' 3 tvens out egg production from NORTHEAST AGRI SYSTEMS, INC PO Box 187 Fitchville, CT 06334 Phone (203)642-7529 first traffic light onto Upper Van Reed Road. Go 100 yards and bear right at the “Y” The Center is located on the left. For more in formation call: 215-378-1327. The Berks-Lehigh Valley Farm Credit Service Building is located on Route 100, Fogelsville, just south of Route 22. For information call: 215-820-3085. Following is a session schedule oiu* end of the row to the other birds at the front can t highgrade" the feed We d like to talk to you about the other ways the nearly 200 feeders we ve sold are helping owners Our heedKar is now standard on all C hore Tune brood grow and layer cages our famous shallow PN HAMID and new deep PYRAMID our 3* and 4 high SSS hind out more about the heedKar - plus our line of cage systems and the C hore 1 line total package of feed bins auger centilation and waterers Local Representative DAVID NEWMAN (717) 299-9905
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