C4-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, April 3 1993
MULTIPLE SITE
PRODUCTION
Most producers by now have
heard of multiple site production,
often referred to as medicated ear
ly weaning (MEW). The system
involves weaning pigs at a fairly
early age into an off-site nursery,
followed by a finishing period
which occurs at yet another site.
While it seems to be catching on
in large operations as a tool to
reduce disease cycles, there are
some obvious limitations for
moderate-sized and smaller
operations.
Purpose
Of MEW
Many of the disease problems
that pigs encounter are spread from
the sow to the pig in the farrowing
house. In some cases, especially
respiratory disease, the problem is
then magnified in the nursery.
Using some “old” concepts of
immunity, the MEW system helps
to break the normal cycle of dis
ease spread from the sow to the
pig. Prior to farrowing, sows in this
system are vaccinated for a num
ber of diseases. This improves the
immune status of the sow and
increases antibodies in the milk
against these diseases.
The immune protection is
passed to the baby pigs through the
colostrum. During the weeks that
follow, when passive immunity is
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at its highest level, pathogenic
organisms seldom get a foothold in
these young pigs.
While pigs are in this window of
protection, they’re weaned from
the sow and moved to another
location. And, weliope, two bene
fits will result. First, the spread of
disease from the sow to the pig
(vertical transmission) will be
minimized. Second, since the
nursery is isolated from the farm of
origin, transmission of disease
from the home farm is also blocked
(horizontal transmission).
Producers have observed a
reduction in days to market of at
least 5-7 days, and in some cases
more than 30 days.
A recent newsletter published
by Central Soya Research reported
increases of more than 30 pounds
in weight gain during the nursery
phase as a result of medicated early
weaning practices.
Producers have also seen
decreases in mortality, “poor
doing” pigs, as well as improve
ments in feed efficiency.
Factors To Consider
Weaning age. The appropriate
age may depend, in part, on the
nature of the disease. But most
producers wean in the range of
10-21 days.
Sow productivity. Li tier size and
conception rale may suffer as sows
arc weaned under three weeks. A
potential loss of one pig bom live
Benefits
• Wide, even spread pattern Is
excellent for topdressing.
- Standard unit spreads lime, too
must be weighed against the
expected benefits. So even though
sows can potentially be bred back
sooner, their annual productivity
may remain unchanged or even
drop after switching to MEW.
Some producers using the MEW
system delay breeding for one heat
cycle to provide time for the sow to
recover.
Sow parity. Dr. Nate Winkle
man, a veterinarian from Morris,
Minn., recommends the use of old
er parity sows for MEW systems.
Pigs originating from gilt litters are
often lighter and exhibit higher
mortality rates at weaning than
those from second or later-parity
sows. It’s also generally accepted
that the concentration of colostral
antibodies are higher in older pari
ty sows.
Vaccination and medication.
The types of vaccines and medica
tions should be selected in consul
tation with a knowledgeable veter
inarian. Being- too conservative
with the number of products used
may reduce the effectiveness of the
program, whereas going “over
board” with vaccines and drugs
may needlessly add to the cost.
Isolated unit. How far is it Co the
unit? Who will manage the unit?
Will numbers of pigs in the nursery
unit be enough to justify a full-time
the manager, who can then avoid
contact with home farm? These are
critical questions for which there
may be no answers for some pro
ducers when they seriously consid
er MEW. A minimum separation
between farms appears to be two
miles.
Sow herd size. Some experts
suggest that 2,000 sows at the
home farm would be the ideal size
for “driving” the isolated nursery.
Obviously, most farms are much
smaller than this, which leads
some producers to combine pigs
from several breeding sites.
Attempting to run an MEW system
with a small herd may increase
overhead costs so much that they
outweigh the benefits.
Sanitation. Unless all-in-all-out
can be part of the program. MEW
shouldn’t even be considered.
Diet and facilities. No weak
spots can be tolerated in either the
feed or the facilities. Use a highly
digestible feed and keep the groups
small. Weaning pigs at ages of less
than 10 days almost certainly will
require the need for liquid diets.
Even pigs at two weeks of age will
not perform well unless the diet
contains a high percentage of milk
products, and probably dried por
cine plasma as well.
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MEW early weaning shows
potential for eliminating disease,
or at least reducing the harmful
effects of a disease. For producers
that have an isolated nursery, and
perhaps an isolated finisher, this
concept may be worth considering.
Otherwise, producers may have to
pool their production to make
MEW practical.
While considering the alterna
tives, it may be wise to see how
MEW shakes out in the next year
or two.
Harper, D. 1992. Medicated early wean
ing. Pork Profit Edge. Vol 3 (28).
Hollis, G. 1992. Medicated early wean
ing. Swine Report No. 104. *
Houghton, D. 1992. Big ideas to help lit
lleprgs stay healthy. Hogs Today. March, p
30.
Russett, C. R. 1992. Medicated early
weaning. Swine Line B(Sep-Oct).
Wiseman, Barry. 1993. Medicated early
weaning. Pfizer Herd Health Meeting.
February 25, 1993, New Holland, Pa.
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